Tasks in Web-based Workflow Designer

A task is an activity within a DocuWare workflow that requires user interaction. Unlike automated steps, such as assigning data or sending emails, a task involves a user making a decision and, if necessary, entering information.

For example, a DocuWare user might review an invoice in the Web Client and choose to approve or reject it. If the invoice is rejected, the user can also provide a reason for the rejection.

The difference between tasks and parallel tasks

In a DocuWare workflow, you can create tasks and parallel tasks. A parallel task consists of multiple identical tasks that must be performed simultaneously by multiple employees before the workflow can proceed to the next step.

Find an example for a parallel task.

Tasks and parallel tasks are separate activities but they are configured identically. The only difference when setting up a parallel task is the optional configuration of an exit condition, which is highlighted in the configuration description below.

For readability, the following description refers only to "tasks"; however, this also includes "parallel tasks”.

Create a task

1. In Workflow Designer, create a new workflow or edit an existing workflow to open the canvas.
   

2. In the canvas, go to the left sidebar and create a new Task. Don’t worry about the red asteriks in the task configuration dialog for now. They show that the configuration is not complete and will vanish when all settings are done.

   

   Click on the tabs below to learn more about the task settings Action - Decision maker - Outputs in general. For more details in configuring a task proceed with Configure a task below the box.

Configure a task: Method

Users can enter their decisions either through a dialog or by using a dialog in combination with a stamp. A stamp adds the information about the decision as a graphical element to the document.

Choose your method:

1. Go to Task > Method.  
   

2. Select Dialog or Dialog and/or stamp.

If you choose to allow a stamp, you need to configure the data provided by the stamp and the design of the stamp.

Parallel task: exit condition

If you select Parallel Task as activity, you may set an exit condition.

As mentioned above, a parallel task involves configuring tasks for multiple users at the same time so that the workflow continues only after all of them have completed their tasks.

An exit condition allows the workflow to proceed to the next step even if not all users have completed their tasks.

An exit condition can be useful, for example, if multiple users are approving partial amounts of an invoice, but one user has already approved the total amount. In this case, the task should no longer be displayed to the other users. As the total approved amounts matches the invoice’s total, the exit condition is met - even if not all users have finished their individual tasks.
In short: An exit condition overrides the decision maker and advances the workflow as soon as it is fulfilled.

The exit condition is checked each time a user makes a decision.

Enter a Visual Basic expression for the condition in the field. Read more about using expressions in the Workflow Designer.

Configure a task: Decision

In the area Decision of a task you shape the appearance of the decison in the Web Client.

Decisions in the Web Client

If the user open a task in the Web Client they will see buttons for the decisions on the left and optionally additional fields for information and data entries.

The user make their decisions by clicking the button, for example “Approve” or “Reject” in case of an invoice. By clicking Confirm the task is completed.

Each button is based on a separate decision configuration. You may create as many decisions for one dialog as needed.  

The Confirm button and the positions of the decision buttons and the fields cannot be adpated. They are set by default.

The decision however can be configured in four steps, which are described below in detail: General, Dialog, Data Assignement, Validation.

Don’t forget to click Done after you have completed the decision settings.

1. Decision > General

1. Go to Task > Decision.
   

2. Add a decision.

3. Enter a title for the decision - for example “Approve”. The title of the decision will be shown here:  

   • to the decision maker in the Web Client > Task > Decision button title

   • to the decision maker and controller in the Web Client > workflow history

   • to the decision maker in the Web Client > workflow stamp, if this option has been activated in the stamp settings (see previous step)

   • in Workflow Designer > workflow item
     

4. Add a color. The chosen color is visible here:

• to the decision maker in the Web Client as color of the stamp

• in the Workflow Designer > workflow item

• in the Workflow Designer > connector line

5. If you set this decision as default it will be selected by default when the task is opened in the Web Client. The decision maker only need to click Confirm to complete the task.

• Add a description. The Description is optional and visible only in Workflow Designer, but not for the decision maker in Web Client.

2. Decision > Dialog

1. Go to Task > Decision > Dialog to create fields for the decision dialog.
   A dialog field serves two purposes: it can be filled by the decision maker or used to display predefined information to them or both.

   Note: If you want changes made to a predefined entry to be saved in the document’s index data, you must specify both the source and destination for the data in the Data Assignment tab. If you do not configure this, any changes will only appear as remarks in the workflow history and in the stamp, but will not be updated in the document's index entries.

2. Add a new field.
   

3. Choose the field type first. Depending on the filed type there are varying settings available. Find detailed information about the field settings in the tabs:

3. Decision > Data assignment

Go to Task > Decision > Data assignment and create a data assignment to reflect the outcome of the decision.

Example:

If the decision maker approves an invoice, the status of the invoice switches from “New” to “Approved.” This new value in the status index field might trigger a new workflow.

For this scenario, configure the data assignment as follows:

• Destination type: Document index

• Destination entry: Status

• Source type: Fixed value

• Source entry: Approved

For detailed information about automatic data assignment, see the chapter on the Assign data action.

The functions available there for data assignment as a stand alone activity are identical to those here in the task configuration.

The difference is that, within a task, automatic data assignment also supports the Dialog Field entry type. For example, if an invoice is rejected, the rejection reason provided by the user can be automatically transferred to and saved in the "Comment" index field.

To assign this information as index data to the invoice, configure the data assignment as follows:  

• Destination type: Document index

• Destination entry: Comment

• Source type: Dialog field

• Source entry: Select the field you defined as prefilled in the decision dialog section.

4. Decision > Validation

Before completing a task, you may optionally validate its inputs. For instance, during invoice approval, you can verify that the sum of the approved partial amounts matches the total amount in a split posting. If the values don't match, the user will receive a notification.

Enter a condition using expressions that include variables and values from index and workflow fields relevant to the current decision.

The validation is applied when the user confirms the task. If the validation fails, the user will receive an error message, which you can specify directly in the decision validation dialog.

Configure a task: Behavior

In the step Behavior, you configure email notifications, reminders, reassignments and out of office notifications.

You can also define the escalation process to help prevent workflow interruptions. This may include:

• Sending reminder emails to prompt timely action

• Automatically escalating the task to an alternate approver

• Assigning the task to a substitution role

Refer to the article about dealing with interruptions for more information.

Decision Maker

The decision maker is a user who completes the task. There are multiple options to define the appropriate user:

• Users: Only DocuWare users may complete a task.

• Roles: Define a user role. Every user of the role gets the task, only one needs to do the task.

• Previous decision makers: This might be useful, if, for example, a task needs to be re-assigned. Assumed an invoice is rejected due to missing information and corrected. In this case, it makes sense to assign the decision back to the previous decision maker, as they are already in on the subject.

• Substitution rule:  If the actual owner is out of office, the task then goes to the first employee in the substitution rule. Should this employee also be on vacation, for instance, the task is forwarded to the second substitute, and so on.tently assigned to the appropriate decision makers based on predefined rules.
  More about substition rules.

• Variable: Choose a user variable. Example: The workflow routes the invoice to the appropriate department for review. The DepartmentApprover variable is dynamically assigned based on the department responsible for the invoice. For example:

  • If the invoice is related to IT expenses, DepartmentApprover is assigned to User C from the IT department.

  • If the invoice is related to Marketing expenses, DepartmentApprover is assigned to User D from the Marketing department.

Outputs

The two final steps in configuring tasks are.

• Connect the task with other activities in the worfklow or delays. This step is required.
  Draw a connector line for each decision to the appropriate next item.
  See here How to connect workflow activities in detail.  
  

• Create conditional output:

  Conditions automatically route documents based on specific criteria, allowing precise control over the direction and handling of each action.

  Read more about configuring conditions and conditional output.