Lesson 1: Get started with Diagram mode

In this lesson, we will use Process Designer to create a diagram of a simplified car loan application process. The workflow will extract data from a loan application document, check the credit of the applicant, evaluate any down payment, evaluate the income level, and then make a decision whether to deny or approve the loan, and at what interest rate.

While the diagram is not a functional workflow, it helps the business user to communicate the important activities in the processes to other interested persons and to the business analyst who will implement the process. In later lessons we will complete the implementation and run the process using fictional data.

To access Diagram mode in Process Designer, you must be a member of PWDiagram access role.

To create the car loan application diagram:

  1. Start Process Designer.
  2. On the Settings menu, select Mode > Diagram.

    Process Designer has two modes of operation:

  3. Click in an open area of the map to select the workflow definition itself, rather than the LaunchStep.

    Workflow properties

    In the Properties pane, enter a name for the workflow (CarLoanApplication) and enter a description of the purpose of this workflow. The name will be the default name of the workflow definition file; the description provides information for the IT analyst.

  4. Drag an Activity step from the palette onto the map. This step represents the first step in our workflow, which is to check the credit of the applicant.

    In the Properties pane, enter a name for this activity (CheckCredit) and enter a description of this activity.

  5. Cursor indicates route creation Create a route from the LaunchStep to the CheckCredit step. Point to the edge of the LaunchStep until the cursor indicates route creation, and then drag to the CheckCredit step and release the mouse button.
  6. Continue to add Activity steps and connect them with routes to create the diagram.

    Add a name and description for each step and route as necessary to communicate the intent of the step or route. In the image, the SetRate step is selected. The Description field contains a description of how this step is intended to run. The Instructions field contains the instructions for the user who processes this step.

    CarLoanApplication complete diagram

  7. In our example, we want the VerifyIncome step to represent a multi-step process that will not show on the main map. Use the following steps to create a submap, CheckIncome, for this task.
    1. Right-click the VerifyIncome step, select Change step type, and select Submap step. You can also drag a Submap step onto the map and name it VerifyIncome.
    2. On the map toolbar, click Create Map to create a new submap. Select Create new map and enter the name, CheckIncome.
    3. On the CheckIncome map, add an Activity step, Contact Employer. Add a route from StartStep to Contact Employer.

      In the Description for Contact Employer, add information about the types of information you will request, such as length of employment.

      (This is not much of a sub-process, but it demonstrates how to create one.)

    4. On the map toolbar, select Workflow (Main Map) to return to the main map.
    5. With the VerifyIncome step selected, in the Properties pane under Select a map for the Submap, select CheckIncome.
  8. Using the Create map toolbar button in the Properties pane automatically associates the map to the step.

  9. To add more information to the map, right-click in an open area of the map and select New Text Annotation to add an annotation to the map.

    Enter text in the Message box in the Properties pane. You can associate the annotation with a step or route, if appropriate, by pointing to the edge of the annotation and dragging a line to the step or route.

  1. On the File menu, click Save and browse to a location in your local file system where you will save the diagram. Accept the default name, CarLoanApplication.pep.

At this point you can use the following steps to print the workflow map, as well as the descriptions and other properties you entered.

    1. On the Action menu, select Print Setup and choose the items you want to print.
    2. On the Action menu, select Print Workflow.