Workflow
A workflow provides an infrastructure to set up, perform, and monitor a defined sequence of tasks.
With a workflow, you can design, build, run, and manage workflows from simple approvals to complex processes that span across different organizations and applications. It is a tool designed to facilitate and automate processes that require tasks to be performed by individuals. Each step of the workflow can be easily monitored and thereby assured that it is completed from the beginning to the end. An inbox application notifies users when it is their turn to perform a step in the workflow.
In short, a workflow ensures that the right work is brought in the right sequence at the right time to the right people.
Benefits of workflows
There are the following benefits of using a workflow:
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Process improvement: Relevant information are sent directly to the user, according to the predefined steps in the workflow. Nobody needs to approve a certain task for it to run.
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Process time is reduced by providing all necessary information so people can check their list of pending tasks and better plan their work.
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Using workflows makes it easier to manage task dependency and send notifications about pending actions.
How does a workflow work?
A workflow can be started either manually or by the system at runtime.
For the system to start a workflow, the workflow definition must contain a triggering event, for example, the event Address update by the employee.
When the event occurs, the relevant workflow starts automatically.
Each step in a workflow is represented by a task or work item describing the activity.
An activity is either an automatic action, for example, the system sends an email to a supervisor, or a task manually performed by a user, for example, a supervisor approving a result.
Events are activities that trigger the workflow. An event can trigger one or more workflows at the same time. Once the workflow is triggered, the definition flowchart determines when and in what order tasks are performed. Work items are received and executed in a predefined inbox application. A work item is assigned to one or more users. Once the task is executed, the work item vanishes from the other users' inboxes.