You should plan and design a specific workflow on paper before you begin configuring the workflow in the repository.
Use a flowchart application or other document software to diagram the workflow process. Have the workflow diagram reviewed and approved by project stakeholders before you create or modify repository objects to ensure success.
- Use boxes to define job steps in the workflow.
- Label each box with the job type and document status for that step.
- Identify the role for each job step; that is, what type of user will perform the job.
- Determine if each job step is to be performed by a single user or by all members of a group (a parallel workflow).
- Determine if a job is to be assigned to a single user or announced to a pool of users, any of which can accept the job and become the job owner.
- Determine if topics referenced by a map will have their status changed automatically when the map changes status.
- Determine if, for a specific transition, topics referenced by a map can have their status changed only when the status of a map changes.
- Determine if a job step will include a due date increment.
- If jobs in the workflow have due date increments specified, determine what notifications should be sent as the due date approaches or passes, and if the job should be reassigned.
- Use arrows to define status transitions from one job step to another.
- If using Acrolinx, determine what the minimum Acrolinx score should be in order for the document to progress to the next status.
- Determine if snapshot labels should be applied when the status changes.
- Identify or draft the body text and subject line for emails that will be sent to participants for each transition.
- Identify or create the job that will be started when the status changes.
- Identify or create any scriptlets that should run before or after a job step is assigned.
- Determine if any existing Task Sequence documents exist at a higher level in the repository hierarchy that contain job fields or task sequences that should be inherited in the workflow you are configuring.
Once you have designed and documented the workflow, an administrator can begin configuring the workflow definition in the repository.
An administrator can then create or modify the objects that comprise the building blocks of the workflow. And finally, the administrator can create or modify the Task Sequence document, and create or modify the Audience Parameters document to reference the building blocks for the project's workflow.