Overview of Configurable Workflow Notifications in Project Management
As part of workflow tasks, the application automatically sends notifications. For example, when a project manager assigns a task to a resource, the application sends a notification to the resource.
For some workflow tasks, you can use Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) Publisher to tailor the content, layout, and style of the notifications. These report-based notifications aren't only configurable, but also optimized for viewing on mobile devices.
In some workflows, the notifications aren't sent to the user performing the action. For example, Change Order Status Change Notification is sent to previous owner, new owner, and creator when the ownership changes. If the creator changes the ownership, the notification isn't sent to the creator because notifications aren't sent to the user performing the action. In most other workflows, you can configure who can receive the notifications.
In addition to getting notifications in email, users can also view in-app notifications by:
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Clicking the Notifications icon in the global header and opening a notification
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Going to the Worklist: Notifications and Approvals work area and opening a notification
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Clicking the In-App Notification link at the end of an email notification
Here's a table that shows the products that have configurable notifications, along with their associated report name, description, recipients and when it's sent. To navigate to the reports, open Reports and Analytics work area > Browse Catalog > Shared Folders > Projects > Workflow Notifications. Keep in mind that each report caters to multiple cases.
Product |
Report Name |
Description |
When It's Sent |
Default Recipients |
---|---|---|---|---|
Project Management | Milestone Completion Approval Notification | Approval notification that's sent to the approval participants when a billable milestone is set to the Completion approval requested status. | Milestone status is set to Completion approval requested | Primary Project Manager |
Project Management |
Change Order Status Change Notification |
Information notification that's sent when a change order is assigned, closed, or canceled. |
Ownership changes |
|
Project Management |
Change Order Status Change Notification |
Information notification that's sent when a change order is assigned, closed, or canceled. |
Owner closes or cancels change order |
|
Project Management |
Change Order Participant Notifications |
Information notification that's sent when participants are assigned or removed from a change order. |
Change order is submitted for impact assessment |
Change Order Assessors |
Project Management |
Change Order Participant Notifications |
Information notification that's sent when participants are assigned or removed from a change order. |
Change order is submitted for review |
Change Order Reviewers |
Project Management |
Change Order Approval Request Notifications |
Approval notification that's sent to the approval participants when a change order is moved to the approval stage. |
Change order is submitted for approval |
Change Order Approvers |
Project Management |
Change Order Participant Notifications |
Information notification that's sent when participants are assigned or removed from a change order. |
Change order is submitted for implementation |
Change Order Implementors |
Project Management |
Change Order Stage Completion Notifications |
Information notification that's sent when a participant completes a stage, approves a change order, or rejects a change order. |
|
Owner |
Project Management |
Issue Notifications |
Information notification that's sent when an issue is assigned, closed, or reopened. |
Ownership changes |
|
Project Management |
Issue Notifications |
Information notification that's sent when an issue is assigned, closed, or reopened. |
An issue is closed or reopened |
|
Project Management |
Deliverable Notifications |
Information notification that's sent when a deliverable is assigned, or completed. |
Owner is changed |
|
Project Management |
Deliverable Notifications |
Information notification that's sent when a deliverable is assigned, or completed. |
Deliverable is completed |
|
Project Management |
Gate Approval Request Notification |
Action notification that's sent when an approver is assigned to a gate. |
Gate approver is assigned |
Gate approver |
Project Management |
Gate Status Change Notifications |
Information notification that's sent when a gate is approved or rejected. |
Gate is approved or rejected |
Project manager |
Task Management |
Task Details Notifications |
Information notification that's sent when a follower is added, a followed task is completed, or a project task, action item, to-do task, or milestone is assigned. |
|
Follower |
Task Management |
Task Details Notifications |
Information notification that's sent when a follower is added, a followed task is completed, or a project task, action item, to-do task, or milestone is assigned. |
Project task, action item, to-do task, or milestone is assigned |
Assignee |
Project Resource Management |
Resource Request Notification |
Information notification to the resource manager when a project resource request is created. |
Project manager creates project resource request for fulfillment. |
Resource Manager |
Project Resource Management |
Proposed Resource Approval Notification |
Approval notification to the project manager when the resource manager proposes a resource on a project resource request. |
Resource manager proposes a resource to fulfill assignment |
Project Manager |
Project Resource Management |
Proposed or Nominated Resource Notifications |
Information notification to the project manager when the resource manager proposes or nominates a resource on a project resource request. |
Resource manager proposes or nominates resources |
Project Manager |
Project Resource Management |
Resource Assignment Notifications |
Information notification when a project resource assignment is created directly, or when a proposed or nominated resource is approved on a request. |
|
|
Project Resource Management |
Proposed or Nominated Resource Reject Notification |
Information notification when a proposed resource is rejected, or when an assignment request for a nominated resource is rejected. |
|
|
Project Resource Management |
Assignment Notifications Notifying Resource |
Information notification to the resource when the resource is assigned to a project, or when an existing project resource assignment is rescheduled or canceled. |
|
Resource |
Project Resource Management |
Assignment Cancellation Approval Notification |
Approval notification to the project manager when the resource manager requests a project resource assignment cancellation. |
Resource manager cancels an assignment |
Project Manager |
Project Resource Management |
Assignment Cancellation Notifications |
Information notification that informs that a project resource assignment is directly canceled, or a cancellation request is approved. |
|
|
Project Resource Management |
Assignment Adjustment Rejection Notifications |
Information notification that informs that a project resource assignment schedule change or cancellation request is rejected. |
Project manager rejects the request for assignment cancellation or the assignment schedule change |
Resource Manager |
Project Resource Management |
Assignment Schedule Change Approval Notification |
Approval notification to the project manager when the resource manager requests a project resource assignment schedule change. |
Resource manager updates the assignment schedule |
Project Manager |
Project Resource Management |
Assignment Schedule Change Notification |
Information notification when a project resource assignment is adjusted, or the request for adjustment is approved. |
|
|
Project Resource Management |
Nominated Resource Approval Notification |
Approval notification to the resource manager when the nominated resource is requested for assignment by the project manager. |
Project manager requests for assignment on the resources that Resource Manager nominated |
Resource Manager |
Project Resource Management |
Resource Staffing Unavailability Notification |
Information notification to the resource pool manager when a resource is no longer available for staffing on project resource assignments. |
A resource is no longer available for staffing |
Staffing Owner |
Project Control |
Financial Project Plan Approval Notification |
Approval notification that's sent when a budget is submitted for baseline or a forecast is sent for approval. |
Project manager submits a budget for baseline or forecast for approval |
Project Managers and Project Administrators |
Project Billing |
Project Contract Invoice Approval Notification |
Action notification that's sent when a project contract invoice is submitted for approval. |
Project contract invoice is submitted |
Contract Administrator |
Project Costing |
Project Expenditure Batch Approval Notification |
Approval notification that's sent when a project expenditure batch is submitted for approval. |
Project expenditure batch is submitted for approval. |
Approvers configured in the workflow approval rules. |
Project Costing | Project Cost Adjustment Approval Notification | Approval notification that's sent when adjustments to project cost transactions are submitted for approval. | Adjustments to a project cost transaction is submitted for approval. | Approvers configured in the workflow approval rules. |
Project Foundation |
Project Status Change Approval Notification |
Approval notification that's sent when a project status is changed to a status that's enabled for approval workflow. |
Project status is changed to a status that's enabled for approval workflow. |
Project Manager |
Project manager is the project resource requester and resource manager is the staffing owner but in some organizations, if the staffing owner is explicitly defined, the notifications are sent to the staffing owner and not the resource manager.
Process Overview
Generating configurable notifications through BI Publisher involves various types of objects in the BI catalog, including data models, subtemplates, style templates, and reports. Reports pull data from data models and generate notifications in an HTML format. The report layout templates use common table and paragraph styles and refer to a central subtemplate that contains reusable notification components.
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Data Sources: Store the attributes and attribute values for business objects and transactions in the application (example of data sources being transaction tables)
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Data Model: Determines which attributes from data sources are available to be included in the notification and how that data is retrieved
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Subtemplate: Provides common components, for example a branding logo and buttons, that can be reused in multiple reports
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Style Template: Provides styles such as the type of lines and fonts to use in tables, or the font type, size, and color to use for headings
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Report: Contains a layout template that determines:
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Which attributes appear in the notification, from the data model used for the report
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What the notification looks like, leveraging components from the subtemplate and styles from the style template used for the report
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HTML: Is the output generated from the report
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Email Notification: Has the HTML output embedded in the email body
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In-App Notification: Has the HTML output embedded in the application UI
Each workflow task with configurable notifications has a corresponding predefined report in the BI catalog. For example, the Gate Approval Request Notification contains Gate Approval Request Notification Layout and uses the Gate Notifications data model. The generated output is included in notifications that are sent to users.
Notification Modifications
After you enable configurable workflow notifications, the predefined reports and related objects in the BI catalog work by default. If you need to modify the notifications, you can edit copies of the predefined reports, data models, and subtemplate (but not the style template). You proceed as you would to edit any report, data model, or subtemplate in the catalog:
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Open the Reports and Analytics work area and then click Browse Catalog. The Oracle Transactional Business Intelligence page appears.
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Navigate to Shared Folders > Projects > Workflow Notifications. And then, select the product. For example, to configure notifications related to Project Management, click Project Management Control.
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Click Edit corresponding to the layout that you want to edit. A page containing all the existing layout appears.
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Click Edit corresponding to the default layout to download a copy.
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Edit the copied report layout template.
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Upload the modified template and set it as default.
You should get familiar with BI Publisher in general before modifying configurable notifications.
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Use only the Template Builder For Word add-in to edit the .rtf template in Microsoft Word, not the layout editor or other tools available for creating and editing report layout.
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Edit a copy of predefined layout templates, rather than create new reports or layout templates.
Security
To modify reports and data models for workflow notifications, you must have the BI administrator role.
Setup
To use configurable notifications for Project Management, you must opt-in to the Configure Project and Task Management Notifications feature to configure notifications.
You must download and install the Template Builder for Word add-in:
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Open the Reports and Analytics work area.
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Click the Browse Catalog button.
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Click Home.
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In the Get Started pane, click Download BI Desktop Tools and then click Template Builder For Word.
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Save and run the installer.