1. Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide
  2. Determining the Workflow Process Decision Logic

Determining the Workflow Process Decision Logic

This task is a step in Process of Planning Workflow Processes.

You can configure the decision logic that guides the flow of control in a Workflow Process. For more information, see Configuring Decision Conditions for a Workflow Process. Use the following procedure to determine the decision logic that the Workflow Process uses.

To determine the Workflow Process decision logic

  1. Examine the business analysis work you have completed so far. This will help you decide if the business process requires decision conditions and what those conditions are.

  2. Map the requirements to the Workflow Process decision logic. The following table describes the configurations that use decision logic in a Workflow Process, and the limitations of each configuration.

    Configuration Description Limitations

    Decision step in Workflow Process

    A Workflow Process step that determines the flow between alternative branches in the Workflow Process.

    Use a decision step in Workflow Process if you require a simple decision that uses one or more alternative branches in a Workflow Process.

    Each connector that emanates from a decision step can contain one or more decision conditions. If the conditions evaluate to TRUE for the connector, then flow proceeds down the branch that the connector represents.

    A conditional expression does not support the following operators:

    • AND

    • OR

    • Order of precedence, as determined by parentheses in an equation

    Scripted Business Service

    A script in a business service action step that evaluates a potentially complex set of inputs and returns a simplified output that a decision step can evaluate.

    Use a scripted business service if a decision step cannot meet the decision logic that your business requires.

    Reduces readability and increases complexity because decision logic resides a script.

    Wait Step

    Allows you to pause a Workflow Process for an amount of time or until an event occurs.

    Use a wait step if you must support an escalation that depends on time or a long-running Workflow Process that can last for days or weeks. For example, waiting for a customer reply.

    The Object Manager must call the releasing event.

    Other Specialized Decision Frameworks

    A Workflow Process can directly or indirectly use other decision frameworks. For example, personalization rules, assignment rules, or EAI Dispatch Service.

    Use other specialized decision frameworks if a specialized decision framework is required. For example, if Siebel CRM must assign work to a person according to the expertise that this person possesses.

    Limitations vary depending on the decision framework.