Business Processes Overview

A Business Process (BP) is a set of coordinated tasks and activities that lead to the accomplishment of a specific business goal. For example, creating, routing, and approving a purchase order is a business process. Most business processes include a workflow that specifies how the BP should proceed, from start to finish.

By using uDesigner, you will be launching the business process and designing its components. You will be designing forms that users fill out in Unifier. These forms drive the business process. For most BPs, these forms will become attached to the steps in a workflow that you design. As part of the workflow, users will use these forms to collaborate as a team to complete the business process. The users will fill in the forms with the "who, what, where, and when" information for each business process, as well as the information they will need to run the project—to maintain action items, manage document archiving, track workflow tasks and milestones, communicate and collaborate with project team members, and generate project reports.

In uDesigner, you will also design Logs that will list the records that were created whenever the business process completed its cycle through the workflow and whenever a record is created for a manager or shell.

To help you prepare for designing business processes, Unifier provides an outline of how to analyze your business goals and needs. Oracle Consulting Services often provides the initial analysis of these; however, it helps to re-acquaint yourself with this analytic approach whenever you must create a new business process. This outline is described under Before Using uDesigner.

Business Process Components

To create business processes, you must design and create the following components in uDesigner:

Data Definitions	To support how data is entered and stored in Unifier: Data definitions are the building blocks on which you create data elements. Data definitions describe how data is entered and stored. The definition consists of the data type (whether it is an alphabetical string or a number), the data size (in number of characters for strings), and the input method (from a text box, pull-down menu, radio button, or check box). Unifier has provided multiple standard data definitions for your use in uDesigner. You can add others of your own. (Optional) To support data pickers: If you are designing a business process that will operate across shells, data pickers will help users locate and pick the correct BP records within the hierarchy. A data picker filters the information that appears on the picker so that users do not have to search through a multitude of records in the shell hierarchy.
Data Elements	To create the fields on the forms: Data elements are the fields the users see on the forms in Unifier. A data element can be a text box, where the user types in information; a pull-down menu of choices, such as dates or names; radio buttons, where the user must select one of the options presented; or a check box, where the user has the option of choosing something or not. The behavior of a data element is governed by the data definition associated with it. Using uDesigner, you can create a "dictionary" of elements that can be re-used on multiple business process forms, asset classes, and attribute forms.
Statuses	For records, line items, and assets to indicate their condition or state during their life cycle in Unifier: A record status indicates the position a form is in at any point in the business process, such as "approved," "pending," or "closed." Each business process produces at least one, and sometimes many, transactions during its workflow. At each step, a user must apply a record status to the form. The status is the action designated as the link between two steps in the workflow. The action the link takes appears as a choice the user makes on the form. This choice moves the task to the next step. When creating a business process, you will be specifying what statuses the user can choose from at the completion of each step in the workflow. You can mark a status as active or inactive when you create a business process, and you can later update the status as well. Inactive statuses are not displayed to users when they create records. A line item status indicates the position of a line item at any point in the business process. It is distinct from a record status, and unlike a record status, it is not a visible part of a workflow; rather, a line item status is part of the form that moves through the workflow. For example, a document BP might bundle several documents together for review. Each document in the bundle is represented as a line item and as such, can be given a separate status: One document can be approved, while another can be sent back for editing. Each line item must be given a status. Asset statuses differ from other statuses. Instead of affecting the disposition of a BP or line item, an asset status controls which assets are displayed on an asset class sheet. For example, a user might want the sheet to show assets that are in "Out of Service" and "Decommissioned" status.
Forms	For users to fill out in Unifier: Forms are what users see and fill out; they drive the business processes. For most BPs, these forms become attached to the steps in a workflow for the purpose of exchanging information. As part of the workflow, users fill in the forms with the information they will need to run the project—to maintain action items, manage document archiving, track workflow tasks and milestones, communicate and collaborate with project team members, and generate project reports.
Workflows (Optional)	To specify how a business process should proceed, from start to finish: Workflows define how records are routed and govern the behavior of each step in the business process. Each step uses the forms that you have created in uDesigner. Most business processes will include a workflow or workflows; however, some business processes have a single purpose of storing data. These business processes are called non-workflow BPs. An example of a non-workflow BP is one or more forms that record contact and other general information about a company.
Logs	To contain all the records that were created in Unifier for a manager, shell, or business process: Every manager, shell, and business process includes a log. This log contains all the records that were created in Unifier for this component; and for business processes, all the records that were created during the BP's runtime, from creation to archive. The logs contain one record for each transaction that occurred. Each record contains all the information that was generated during the transaction, including the forms, documents, comments, and other data that was collected. To create a tree structure for data pickers: You can design a special Picker log to create a tree structure for data pickers. This tree structure makes it easier for a user to select the correct record from a log. (For more information on this log, see Designing a Business Process Log (Standard or Picker). For more information on data pickers, see About Data Pickers.)

Data Definitions

To support how data is entered and stored in Unifier:

Data definitions are the building blocks on which you create data elements. Data definitions describe how data is entered and stored. The definition consists of the data type (whether it is an alphabetical string or a number), the data size (in number of characters for strings), and the input method (from a text box, pull-down menu, radio button, or check box). Unifier has provided multiple standard data definitions for your use in uDesigner. You can add others of your own.

(Optional) To support data pickers:

If you are designing a business process that will operate across shells, data pickers will help users locate and pick the correct BP records within the hierarchy. A data picker filters the information that appears on the picker so that users do not have to search through a multitude of records in the shell hierarchy.

Data Elements

To create the fields on the forms:

Data elements are the fields the users see on the forms in Unifier. A data element can be a text box, where the user types in information; a pull-down menu of choices, such as dates or names; radio buttons, where the user must select one of the options presented; or a check box, where the user has the option of choosing something or not. The behavior of a data element is governed by the data definition associated with it.

Using uDesigner, you can create a "dictionary" of elements that can be re-used on multiple business process forms, asset classes, and attribute forms.

Statuses

For records, line items, and assets to indicate their condition or state during their life cycle in Unifier:

A record status indicates the position a form is in at any point in the business process, such as "approved," "pending," or "closed." Each business process produces at least one, and sometimes many, transactions during its workflow. At each step, a user must apply a record status to the form. The status is the action designated as the link between two steps in the workflow. The action the link takes appears as a choice the user makes on the form. This choice moves the task to the next step. When creating a business process, you will be specifying what statuses the user can choose from at the completion of each step in the workflow. You can mark a status as active or inactive when you create a business process, and you can later update the status as well. Inactive statuses are not displayed to users when they create records.
A line item status indicates the position of a line item at any point in the business process. It is distinct from a record status, and unlike a record status, it is not a visible part of a workflow; rather, a line item status is part of the form that moves through the workflow. For example, a document BP might bundle several documents together for review. Each document in the bundle is represented as a line item and as such, can be given a separate status: One document can be approved, while another can be sent back for editing. Each line item must be given a status.
Asset statuses differ from other statuses. Instead of affecting the disposition of a BP or line item, an asset status controls which assets are displayed on an asset class sheet. For example, a user might want the sheet to show assets that are in "Out of Service" and "Decommissioned" status.

Forms

For users to fill out in Unifier:

Forms are what users see and fill out; they drive the business processes. For most BPs, these forms become attached to the steps in a workflow for the purpose of exchanging information. As part of the workflow, users fill in the forms with the information they will need to run the project—to maintain action items, manage document archiving, track workflow tasks and milestones, communicate and collaborate with project team members, and generate project reports.

Workflows

(Optional)

To specify how a business process should proceed, from start to finish:

Workflows define how records are routed and govern the behavior of each step in the business process. Each step uses the forms that you have created in uDesigner.

Most business processes will include a workflow or workflows; however, some business processes have a single purpose of storing data. These business processes are called non-workflow BPs. An example of a non-workflow BP is one or more forms that record contact and other general information about a company.

Logs

To contain all the records that were created in Unifier for a manager, shell, or business process:

Every manager, shell, and business process includes a log. This log contains all the records that were created in Unifier for this component; and for business processes, all the records that were created during the BP's runtime, from creation to archive. The logs contain one record for each transaction that occurred. Each record contains all the information that was generated during the transaction, including the forms, documents, comments, and other data that was collected.

To create a tree structure for data pickers:

You can design a special Picker log to create a tree structure for data pickers. This tree structure makes it easier for a user to select the correct record from a log. (For more information on this log, see Designing a Business Process Log (Standard or Picker). For more information on data pickers, see About Data Pickers.)

Each business process type requires specific pieces to make up the forms it will use. The forms can consist of:

Upper Form	The upper form contains the basic information the form is managing, such as the name of a record and its description, who created the record and when, and so on. It also contains general data entry, informational, or reference fields for the business process form.
Detail Form	Most detail forms are for the purpose of adding or modifying line items on certain types of BPs. For planning purposes, detail forms are used to enter new planning items. For schedule purposes, they are used to enter the activities that will appear on a schedule.
Item Log	This list displays items at the bottom of a BP form that have been added to a BP record, such as WBS cost codes or document attachments. Line items can be organized under multiple tabs to make accessing information easy for complex processes.
Text Entry Form	This is an area at the bottom of a BP form where users can directly enter text.
Response List	This is an area at the bottom of a BP form where the user can add and organize text comments or file attachments.

Last Published Monday, June 3, 2024