IBM FileNet P8, Version 5.2.1            

About workflows vs. work items

A workflow is a single execution of a workflow definition. In its most simple form, it might have a single work item that progresses through the series of steps. A slightly more complex workflow can have steps that are processed by more than one participant, and sections that run in parallel.

The root work item

When you view workflows rather than work items, Process Administrator the root work item is displayed. The root work item is the first work item created for the workflow. Changes made during subsequent steps are not reflected, so the displayed field values are often outdated.

Tip: The only way to see the current values of each work item is to view work items instead of workflows.

Depending on the workflow definition, the root work item can complete before other work items belonging to the same workflow. When the root work item completes first, the workflow is no longer displayed in the workflow view; however, the remaining work items that make up the workflow are displayed in the work item view.

Locking a workflow vs. a work item

When you attempt to modify a row in the search results, Process Administrator must lock the associated work items before changes are made. If you have searched for work items, each row corresponds to one work item. If you have searched for workflows, each row corresponds to one workflow, which can have many related work items, and Process Administrator must lock each one. You can explicitly lock work, or Process Administrator prompts you to do so when necessary.

Modifying a workflow vs. a work item

You can modify a workflow or a work item. When you modify a workflow, Process Administrator applies the changes you make to all of the work items that make up the workflow. This can be an advantage when you want to make a single change to an entire workflow. It can be a disadvantage when working with workflows that have many participants, and therefore many work items. As the number of work items increases, the likelihood of being able to lock all of the work items without conflict decreases. In some cases, you might find it easier to make your changes to each work item instead of to the workflow.



Last updated: October 2015
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