Work with processes and tasks

Part of your work might include automating the flow of work to complete a structured business process from within an integrated Office application. Examples of automated processes might include the following tasks:

Multi-step processes, such as the tasks listed above, center on the routing of documents and information, with each step completed by the appropriate reviewer. An individual process automates the routing and processing of a particular type of document, or set of documents, for a specific business process. Within a process, different users perform various activities based on how the process was defined.

You can start and design a process from within an integrated Office application. Reviewers assigned to complete the task for a process also perform their tasks from within an integrated Office application or from Workplace XT. However, when you review a process in parallel order from outside of an integrated Office application, you might not be able to see all of the history information for the process. The tasks that are displayed from within an integrated Office application do not include processes launched by other FileNet P8 applications.

Define a process

Process authors start and design a process, which starts the flow of work specified in a process definition. The process might include defining each activity in the flow of work, determining the order (parallel or sequential) that the activity is performed, deciding who can participate at each step, and determining what information is required to complete the step. Processes are designed to manage specific documents in your object store and you can start a process directly from a document.

You can specify a parallel or sequential order in which the flow of work is performed. In a parallel order, all reviewers receive the task at the same time. In a sequential order, reviewers receive their task in a specific order, where one reviewer will not receive the task until the previous reviewer completes the task.

Managing tasks

Review and complete tasks

Reviewers participate in a task, which includes locating and completing assigned work, and possibly tracking task status as a result of a process that was started. When you are reviewing a task, you process work that is assigned and routed to you. You can view the status and history of each task assigned to you. When you complete a task in a sequential process, Integration for Microsoft Office routes the work to the reviewer assigned to process the next step in the task. However, if a reviewer rejects the task, the flow of work might be returned to the original process author or previous reviewer depending on the options that were selected when the process was defined.

In a parallel process, Integration for Microsoft Office routes the work to all the reviewers assigned to the process at the same time. The collective efforts of all reviewers continue until the number of review approvals exceeds the minimum number specified in the process definition.

Resolving issues with processes and tasks

There might be situations where your processes and tasks get stuck, need to be cancelled, or errors occur. Your adminstrator can assist you in resolving any of the issues by using the Process Engine and referring to information about the Process Administrator and Process Tracker. The Process Administrator allows your administrator to search for and view processes, edit process data and properties, and manage processes. The Process Tracker provides the status of a process that is currently in progress. It also identifies what tasks have been completed, when they were completed, and which tasks are currently active.

Use the following tables to map the process terms and labels used within integrated Office applications and in the Process Engine, Process Administrator and Process Tracker. Your administrator can use the table to help in deciphering the different terms and labels used in the applications when resolving processing and task issues.

Integration for Microsoft Office terms Process Engine terms
Process Workflow
Task Workitem/Step
Reviewer Participant

 

Integration for Microsoft Office tasks and process pane labels Process Administrator and Process Tracker labels
Process/Process Name F_Subject/Subject
Task Step
Originator/Reviewer/User Originator/Participant

 

Integration for Microsoft Office task name Process step name
Start LaunchStep
Approval Notification Final

To start and define a process

  1. Open a document in an object store and click the IBM ECM tab and click Start Process or right-click a document and select Start process from the pop-up menu.
  2. Complete the criteria for the process you are defining and start the process.

To review and complete a task

  1. Click the IBM ECM tab and click Tasks to view the tasks that are assigned to you.
  2. Double-click the task you want to process and review the instructions and assigned work you need to complete.
  3. Save your work in progress and come back to the task at another time or complete the task.