Building Workflow Business Processes

A Workflow business process is an enhanced workflow definition that performs an organization-specific business process, offers extensive reporting, and can be manually started in the Laserfiche Client and Web Access. Business processes are built and published in the same way as workflows.

Furthermore, business processes may contain business process activities. Business process activities allow you to customize business process reporting in Workflow, SQL, and in the Laserfiche client applications so that you can quickly and easily see the information that is most important to your business process. The specificity in business process reporting lets you see information such as: current instance name, status updates, participants, step instructions, and the duration of each step in your business process. Learn more about business process reporting.

When Joe wants to submit an expense report, he selects his report in the Laserfiche Repository Client and clicks the "Expense Report Business Process" button. The business process automatically routes his requests to the Accounting department for approval. When a trustee in the Accounting group, Jill, approves the submission, the business process will route the entry to the Managers folder for final approval. (If a manager doesn't make a decision in three days, the expense report will be sent a supervisor.) When a trustee, Bob, from the Managers group approves the expense report, an email will be sent to Joe.
Along the way, the business process provides personalized instructions for each person involved. Additionally, each step and decision will be reported on. Joe can view the status of his report at any time by opening the entry and checking the Business Process Pane.

Configuring a business process from a workflow

  1. Open the workflow definition you want to modify.
  2. In the Properties Pane, select Make this workflow a business process in the Business Process Options property box.

    3. By default, the business process will use the first connection profile listed in the Connection Profiles property box. This is the repository that the business process will be available in, if configured. Learn more about configuring a business process connection profile.

  3. Optional: Add and configure business process activities.
  4. Publish the business process. A warning will ask you if you want to replace the current workflow. Click Yes to replace the workflow with the one modified as a business process.

    5. Note: Starting rules configured for the workflow will apply to the business process as well. You can also configure the business process with a business process rule from the Rule Manager. Learn more about how to run a business processes.

Displaying business process information in the Laserfiche Client and Web Access

  • Business processes can be viewed and started from the Laserfiche client applications when they are configured to do so in the Business Process Options property box. More information.

  • Business process information can only be made available in a single repository location. If Laserfiche client applications will be allowed to view or start the business process, specify the repository you want the business process to be available in by configuring the business process connection profile. Learn more about the business process connection profile. More information.

  • Once the Business Process Options property box is configured and the business process is published, you will be able to view and start the business process from the Start Business Process dialog box in the Laserfiche Client or Web Access.

    Note: Gold stars indicate which business processes have been marked as "favorites." Favorites are selected by the user in the Laserfiche client applications.

  • Business processes that have been run, or are running, will display information in the Business Process Details dialog box in the Laserfiche client applications.

Designing a business process

In general, a business process is the work that must be done to complete a business function. Before building the business process in Workflow, try to answer the following general questions. These will help you understand what information you need to design your business process

  • Where does this processes start and end, and what needs to happen in between? Identify each step in the business process.

    Tip: The Business Process Step activity allows you to report on a step, define due dates, select participants, and specify the step instructions and conclusions that will be seen in the reporting details and by selected users in the Laserfiche client applications. This means that business process steps are typically centered on users' participation.

  • What is the order of operations? Does the order matter?
  • Who will be involved?

    Note: People involved in your business process are called participants. You do not need to specify individuals. Laserfiche allows you to create groups of individuals and Workflow lets you use these groups in your business process. This way, you can create groups based on department, job description, etc.

  • Is this business process time sensitive?
  • Which Laserfiche repository is involved? Will multiple repositories be worked with?
  • What information will the business process handle?
  • Are there specific security considerations for the business process?

Once you have outlined the information involved in your business process and what the necessary order of operations is, you can begin to build your business process in the Workflow Designer. Learn more about Defining and Diagramming Business Processes.

  1. Select the new workflow button from the toolbar to open a new Designer Pane. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+N.
  2. In the Properties Pane, name and describe the business process in the Workflow Name and Workflow Description property boxes. Learn more about the Workflow Name or Workflow Description property boxes.

    3. Note: When the business process runs, any backward or forward slashes ("\", "/") used in the business process name will be replaced with a dash ("-").

    Tip: Comprehensively naming and describing your business process will help you search for your business processes in the Rule Manager, as well as help you to keep your workflows and business processes organized. Be aware that the name of the business process instance may change depending on in the information configured in the Business Process Options dialog box.

  3. From the Connection Profiles property box, click the Manage workflow connection profiles link to create the connection profile(s) that Workflow will use to connect to a Laserfiche repository.
  4. Make your workflow definition a business process by selecting Make this workflow a business process in the Business Process Options property box.

    • Make this workflow a business process: This checkbox must be selected if the workflow will be a business process.

      • Note: If this checkbox is not selected, Business Process activities cannot be used in your workflow definition.

    • Allow Laserfiche client applications to: These checkboxes allow you to define how users in the Laserfiche client applications will be able to interact with the business process.
      • Select Start this business process if users should be allowed to manually start the business process from the Laserfiche client applications. Learn more about configuring business process security.
      • If information from this business process should be displayed in the Business Process Details, select Display this business process's information.
  5. Configure a connection profile in the Business Process Options property box. Note that, if your business process will not be viewed from or started in the Laserfiche client applications, as configured in the Business Process Options property box, a connection profile is not required.
  6. The connection profile, selected in the Business Process Options property box, defines the Laserfiche Server, repository, and the user name that Workflow will use when interacting with the repository. Additionally, the business process connection profile specifies which repository the business process can be started from and where its reporting details can be seen.
  7. To configure general reporting information for the business process, click the More Options link to open the Business Process Options dialog box.
  8. Optional: The following lists optional properties that can be configured for your business process:
    • Provide parameters for your business process.
    • Click the View workflow properties link in the Properties property box to view the current workflow or business process's properties.
    • Manage referenced objects (including business process roles) that are used in the currently open business process by opening the Referenced Object property box. To view and edit the Reference Objects property box, select a blank area in the Designer Pane and click the Advanced button at the top of the Properties Pane.