Manage Workflows

SysAdmins designing Request, Change, or Problem Templates in the Template Designer can create Workflows using the Workflow Designer and incorporate them into the Templates. 

This document describes and guides SysAdmins and end users through how to use and manage Workflows.

Create a Workflow

Click "Add Workflow" to create a Workflow for the Template

To create a Workflow inside a Template, click the “Add Workflow” button in the Header of the Template you’re designing. This button becomes available on new Templates only after they’ve been saved (at least once) by clicking on the "Save Template" button. 

The Workflow Designer will then open in a new tab.

Note

Each time a Workflow is updated, the changes are saved to the relevant Template and will be applied to all new Service Records using that Template

Create Phases

The Workflow Designer opens in a separate tab from the Template Designer

 Phases are the main Workflow items used to separate the Workflow into logical containers. The order of Phases in the Workflow Designer mirrors their order in the SR Workflow.

Add Action Items

To add an Action Item to a Phase, click on the three dots on the left side of the Workflow Designer. This will expand a sidebar containing all Action Items that can be added to the Workflow.

Once you’ve selected the desired Action Item, click and drag it into your Phase of choice. 

You can add an Action Item to the Workflow either by:

• Clicking “New Action Item”
• Selecting an existing Action Item displayed on the list

Note

Each time an existing Action Item is edited, this edit will be reflected in all Templates using that Action Item

Rearrange Action Items

You can click and drag any Action Item to move it between Phases or to change its position inside the Phase.

Configure Action Items

Action Item Editor in the Workflow Designer

Edit an Action Item

To edit an Action Item, open the Action Item Editor by hovering over the Action Item in the flowchart and clicking on the hamburger icon and selecting “Edit Action Item”.

You can configure the following Properties per Action Item: 

• Action Item Name
• Tab caption
• Visible Fields
• Arrangement of Fields
• Default Field Values
• Field Permissions
  • Editable or View Only
  • Required or Optional

Default Values

Default Values are predefined Values assigned to a Field in the relevant Template’s Action Item Fields

You can assign Default Values to the following Action Item Fields:

• Assign to
• Admin Group
• Instructions

Attributes

Configure Action Item Attributes

 

You can configure the following automatic behaviors for Action Items based on their Workflow’s activity:

• Status Change

You can choose a Status to automatically be set to the Service Record on a Workflow’s Activation or Completion stages.

• Notifications
  • Notification ID

When this option is selected, Users selected in Workflow Notifications Settings will receive Notifications for this Notification ID

• Notification method

You can choose whether the user receives the Notification when the Action Item is activated or when it’s completed

The following toggles can be turned on or off per Action Item:

• Auto Complete
• On completion approve linked patches for the linked assets
• Cancel notifications for changes to the %M%’Assigned to %M%’ field

To configure the Attributes of an Action Item, hover over the Action Item whose Attributes you want to configure and click the hamburger icon. This will open the Attributes and Dependencies Configuration Builder.

Dependencies

Configure Dependencies between Action Items

 You can create dependencies between Action Items in the Workflow Designer, which will appear in the Template Designer directly. 

Action Items can be dependent on:

• 1 Action Item
• Multiple Action Items (including both “and” and “or” logic)

To configure a dependency between Action Items, hover over the Action Item you'd like to add a dependency to and click the hamburger icon. This will open the Attributes and Dependencies Configuration Builder.

Data Population

Image Caption

 

Action Item Field values that appear both in the Workflow Action Items and in the Service Record can be automatically synchronized.

To set up this synchronization, you can configure an Action Item’s Field to populate a Local Field and define the following method:

Once you've defined the trigger, you can define the Population Method to automatically populate the chosen Field:

Workflow Notifications

Choose a Notification for users to receive when they need to address an Action Item

 Workflow Notifications inform users when they need to take action in a Workflow Action Item. 

SysAdmins with “Change Manager” Permissions can configure Workflow Notifications to be sent when an Action Item is:

• Activated
• Completed

To define which Notification you’d like to generate within an Action Item, select the relevant Notification ID (described in the section below) when modifying the Action Item’s Attributes.

Configure Workflow Notifications

• Create and configure Notifications in the Admin Portal

   Workflow Notifications can be sent to users using one or more of three channels:

  • SMS Notification
  • Email Notification
  • A generated Service Record

  To create and configure a Workflow Notification, go to Settings > Workflows > Click the + icon in the top right menu bar.

  This is where you choose the Notification:

  • Name (appears as the Notification ID in the Workflow Designer Attributes editor)
  • Type
  • Recipients
  • Content

  Fulfill Action Items

Workflow participants can update Action Items from the following places:

• Service Record Page
• Email
• Self-Service Portal

Fulfill Action Items via the Service Record page

Update an Action Item inside the Resolution Panel Action Items tab

You can update Action Items from the Service Record Page inside the Resolution Panel Action Items tab. The Action Item tab displays the Workflow Phases (collapsible), in the order they appear in the SR Template.

Phase Progress Bar

The Phase Progress Bar (collapsible) is shown per Phase in the Action Items tab, and includes a counter of the Action Items completed thus far.

In a scenario where a certain Action Item depends on a condition that isn’t met, the Progress Bar will display as 100% complete yet the Action Item counter doesn’t indicate that all items were completed.

Completed Action Items are indicated (when a Phase is expanded) by a filled-in checkmark icon.

Fulfill Action Items via Email

Users can update Action Item Statuses via email and perform one of the following actions:

• Approve 
• Deny
• Complete
• Reopen

Fulfill Action Items via SSP

• 
  

• Fulfill an Action Item from the Self-Service Portal

   

  Action Items can be updated by their Assignees directly from the Self-Service Portal.

   Once you’ve updated the Action Items, you can select one of the following:

  • Complete

  The next participant in the SR process will be notified

  • OK > Apply

  The update will be saved but not completed

  Complete a Workflow

  To complete a Workflow, click on the “Complete” button. 

  Completed Action Items can be re-activated at any point by clicking “Reopen”.

  Reopening an Action Item automatically reopens all subsequent (completed) Action Items in its SR process.