You create Process specifications to define process flows. Process flows are available in UIM as workflow templates that define ordered sequences of activities and transitions that you can include in engineering work orders and business interactions. The Process specification name in Design Studio becomes the name of the workflow template in UIM.
You include Process specifications in Engineering Work Order specifications in Design Studio. You deploy the Engineering Work Order specifications into UIM to create workflow templates.
Note:
The engineering work orders you create in Design Studio are not the same as engineering work orders in UIM. Engineering work orders in Design Studio are used as containers for Process, Task, and Checklist specifications. Engineering work orders and the specifications they contain become workflow templates in UIM. See "Designing Workflows" for more information.When working with Process specifications, see the following topics:
A process flow is an ordered set of activities and transitions. You define Process specifications so that you can deploy reusable patterns to UIM to manage workflows. For example, you could define an access site rollout process that describes the steps that must be repeated each time you bring a new access site online in your network. In UIM, you can modify the exact steps to account for the peculiarities of each situation.
In UIM, process flows are called workflows. You can include them in both engineering work orders and business interactions. See UIM Concepts and UIM Help for more information.
The following rules govern process flows.
Every flow begins with a Start activity and ends with an End activity. These activities are predefined.
Backward flows are not valid.
You can include any number of activities between the start and end of the flow.
You can include multiple, parallel flows from a single parallel activity.
Two or more parallel flows can converge on the same activity.
In UIM workflows, activities must be completed in sequence. Work on the next activity (or activities in the case of parallel flows) cannot begin until the preceding activity is complete.
You can create process flows for Process specifications in three ways:
By using the palette in the Process Flow tab to add activities and flows graphically. See "Creating a Process Flow Graphically".
By dragging Task specifications into the Process Flow tab. See "Creating a Process Flow by Dragging and Dropping".
By using the Activities tab to add activities and the Transitions tab to define flows. See "Creating a Process Flow in the Activities and Transitions Tabs".
You can create a process flow by using the palette in the Process Flow tab of the Process editor.
To create a process flow graphically:
Open or create a Process specification.
The Process specification editor appears.
Click the Process Flow tab.
Click the Activity item in the Palette menu.
The cursor is replaced by crosshairs.
Click where you want the activity to appear in the palette. You can reposition the activity later if necessary.
The Create Activity dialog box appears.
In the Name field, enter a name for the activity.
(Optional) In the Display Name field, enter a name for the activity that will be visible in UIM. If you do not enter a display name, the activity name is used instead.
In the Task field, do one of the following:
To associate the activity with an existing Task specification:
Click the Select button.
The Select Task dialog box appears.
Select a Task specification, and then click OK.
The Select Task dialog box closes and the Create Activity dialog box displays the name of the task.
To create and select a new Task specification:
Click the New button.
The Task Specification Wizard dialog box appears.
Enter a name for the Task specification.
(Optional) Enter or select a location for the Task specification.
Click OK.
The Task Specification Wizard dialog box closes and the Create Activity dialog box displays the name of the task.
(Optional) To flag the activity as critical, select the Critical check box. Critical activities are displayed with special icons in UIM.
Click OK.
The Create Activity dialog box closes and the activity appears as a box in the palette.
Repeat steps 3 through 9 for each activity you want to include in the process flow.
Click the End item in the Palette menu.
The cursor is replaced by crosshairs.
Click where you want the end item to appear in the palette. You can reposition the activity later if necessary.
The End icon appears in the palette.
Repeat the following steps for each transition in the flow, starting with the Start icon and ending with the End icon:
In the Flows area of the palette, click the Next item.
The cursor is replaced by crosshairs.
Position the crosshairs in the Start icon or an activity box until the icon or box is highlighted.
Drag to the next activity in the flow, and then click when the activity is highlighted.
An arrow connects the boxes in the palette.
You can create a process flow by dragging Task specifications to the Process Flow tab of the Process editor.
To create a process flow by dragging and dropping:
While in the Studio Design perspective, open or create a Process specification.
The Process specification editor appears.
Click the Process Flow tab.
In the Studio Projects editor, click and drag a Task specification into the Process Flow tab.
An activity is added to the process flow based on the Task specification. You can edit the activity to change its properties.
You can create a process flow by creating activities in the Activities tab and defining transitions in the Transitions tab.
To create a process flow in the Activities and Transitions tabs:
Open or create a Process specification.
Click the Activities tab.
In the Activities section, click Add.
The Create Activity dialog box appears.
In the Name field, enter a name for the activity.
(Optional) In the Display Name field, enter a name for the activity that will be visible in UIM. If you do not enter a display name, the activity name is used instead.
In the Task field, do one of the following:
To associate the activity with an existing Task specification:
Click the Select button.
The Select Task dialog box appears.
Select a Task specification, and then click OK.
The Select Task dialog box closes and the Create Activity dialog box displays the name of the task.
To create and select a new Task specification:
Click the New button.
The Task Specification Wizard dialog box appears.
Enter a name for the Task specification.
(Optional) Enter or select a location for the Task specification.
Click OK.
The Task Specification Wizard dialog box closes and the Create Activity dialog box displays the name of the task.
(Optional) To flag the activity as critical, select the Critical check box. Critical activities are displayed with special icons in UIM.
Click OK.
The Create Activity dialog box closes and the activity appears as a row in the Activities table. Its details are shown in the Activity Area to the right of the table. (Activities you create in the Activities tab are also visible in the Process Flow tab.)
Repeat steps 3 through 8 for each activity you want to include in the process flow.
Click the Transitions tab.
Click Add below the Transitions table.
The Create Transitions Element dialog box appears.
Repeat the following steps for each transition in the flow, beginning with the Start icon and ending with the End icon:
In the From Activity field, click Select.
The Select From Activity dialog box appears.
Select an activity, and then click OK.
The Select From Activity dialog box closes and the activity appears in the From Activity field.
In the To Activity field, click Select.
The Select To Activity dialog box appears.
Select an activity (or End), and then click OK.
The Select To Activity dialog box closes and the activity appears in the To Activity field.
You can edit the activities and transitions in a process flow.
To edit activities:
In the Activities tab, select an activity.
The activity details appear in the Activity area.
Edit the details as necessary. Your changes are effective immediately.
To edit transitions:
In the Transitions tab, select a transition.
The transition details appear in the Transition area.
To replace an activity in the transition, click the Select button in the From Activity or To Activity area.
The Select From Activity or Select To Activity dialog box appears. The list of activities is filtered to prevent you from making invalid selections.
Select an activity, and then click OK.
The dialog box closes and the new activity appears in the transition.
You can change the appearance of the palette controls in the Process Flow tab in several ways.
Right-click in the heading of the Activities or Transitions section of the palette, and then select Settings from the menu that appears.
The Palette Settings dialog box appears.
Do any combination of the following:
In the Font area, click Change and select a different font for the palette. Click Restore Default to revert to the original font.
In the Layout area, select an option for the arrangement of items in the palette.
In the Drawer Options area, select an option for how sections in the palette behave.
Click OK.
The dialog box closes and your changes take effect.
Use the Process editor to define process flows that you can include in Engineering Work Order and Business Interaction specifications.
When working with the Process editor, see the following topics:
Use the Process Flow tab to design process flows. You use a graphical palette to add activities and transitions between activities.
| Section | Use |
|---|---|
| Canvas | Displays activities and transitions that you have defined for the process. A Start activity appears automatically.
You can drag activities to reposition them. The lines representing transitions automatically adjust to reflect your changes. Double-click an activity to open the Task editor for the Task specification associated with the activity. |
| Palette | Displays tools for adding activities and transitions to the process.
Click Activity to add an activity that you associate with a Task specification. Click End to add an End activity. Click Next to add a transition between activities. |
Use the Activities tab to define and view activities in the Process specification.
| Section | Use |
|---|---|
| Activities | Lists the activities that have been defined for this process. The table includes activities that you define on this tab and those you define graphically in the Process Flow tab.
Click Add to add an activity. Select an activity and click Remove to remove it. |
| Activity | Displays information about the activity selected in the Activities table.
Click Select in the Task area to change the task associated with the activity. Click the Task link to go to the Task editor. |
Creating a Process Flow in the Activities and Transitions Tabs
Use the Transitions tab to define and view transitions between activities in the Process specification.
| Section | Use |
|---|---|
| Transitions | Lists the transitions that have been defined for this process. The table includes transitions that you define on this tab and those you define graphically in the Process Flow tab.
Click Add to add a transition. Select a transition and click Remove to remove it. |
| Transition | Displays information about the transition selected in the Transitions table.
Click Select in the From Activity or To Activity area to change the activity. Click the From Activity or To Activity link to go to the Activities tab. |
Creating a Process Flow in the Activities and Transitions Tabs