Choosing a Workflow Type

4-8 Application Administrators Guide for Content Server and their shortcomings, you can make certain to design the workflow to solve the problem. Ask yourself the following questions when you start to design your workflow: ■ Who should be involved in the workflow? What users will receive notification that an item is ready for review? Who will have edit permissions on an item? Who will have final sign-off on an item? Equally important is to ask who should be left out of a workflow? How will you train the people who are involved in the workflow? ■ What happens when an item is in the workflow? What action will be taken when an item is approved, rejected, or updated? What should occur when an item stays in a workflow too long? ■ When does an item need to be escalated to the next stage of a workflow? What is the criteria for determining when a workflow is completed? ■ Where do users go to participate in a workflow? Will it be done via a Web interface or some other interface of your design? ■ How are approvals and rejections handled? Will you store audit information? Do you need to make provision for approval authentication a digital signature?

4.2.2 Choosing a Workflow Type

Consider the following points when you decide which type of workflow to use. Use a Basic Workflow when you need to: ■ Specify an ad hoc workflow, one that does not depend on specific criteria to be enabled. ■ Route multiple content items to go through the same series of steps. The items go through the steps individually, but are not released at the end of the cycle until all items are finished in the workflow. ■ Notify or remind a user to contribute a content item to the workflow. ■ Submit items to a workflow manually. ■ Specify a workflow that is used infrequently. ■ Use a Basic workflow to set up a unique review process or to set up the review process for a group of related content items. ■ Specify a user to start the workflow. Content can enter a Basic workflow only when a user with Workflow rights starts the workflow. Use a Criteria Workflow when you need to: ■ Have content enter a workflow automatically. ■ Route single content items that match specific criteria. You can route multiple items that match the criteria but they do not progress through the workflow as a unit. ■ Set up a standardized review process for individual documents. ■ Specify a workflow that is used frequently. ■ Open the workflow to many users. Users do not need Workflow rights for their content to enter a Criteria workflow. When deciding which type of workflow to use, keep the following key points in mind: Managing Workflows 4-9 ■ If content is checked in with the wrong security group or wrong metadata value, it can enter a Criteria Workflow accidentally. ■ If users are frequently processing content through the same Basic workflow, consider setting up a Criteria workflow to automate the process. ■ You cannot use the same or overlapping criteria for multiple workflows. If a content item matches the criteria for more than one workflow, it will enter the first workflow in the list.

4.2.2.1 Security Issues

Keep the following security issues in mind when administering workflows: ■ Each workflow is associated with a security group. – For a Criteria workflow, only content items that are in the same security group will enter the workflow. – For a Basic workflow, new content items will be assigned to the security group of the workflow, and existing content items must belong to the workflows security group. ■ A workflow can only jump to another workflow belonging to the same security group. ■ The security group of a workflow cannot be changed while the workflow is active. However, the security group of a content item currently in the workflow process can be changed. ■ To set up a workflow and start or enable the workflow process, you must have Workflow rights and admin permission for the security group of the content items. ■ To set up a workflow you can use a workflow template to initiate contribution steps. ■ To participate in a workflow as a contributor, you must have Write permission to the workflows security group.

4.2.3 Designing a Workflow