Workflow Management Settings

Workflow Management Settings to support Change, Request, and Business Process automations.

Before you start

You must have Workflow Management Set Up enabled within your General Access Security Role to configure the workflow management settings.

The ASM Core Workflow Polling Service must be running on the ASM Core server to execute workflow-related activations (such as closing delay tasks that have reached their target times or activating dependent tasks when parent tasks are closed). For more information on ASM Core polling services, refer to the Server Console Guide.

  1. Select ≡ > Admin > System Administration. The System Administration window appears.

  2. In the Explorer pane, expand Workflow Management.

  3. Select Workflow Management Settings to display the Workflow Management Settings window.

  4. Complete the details, selecting the appropriate settings where necessary.

Workflow Pre-Create

ASM will wait to create the tasks for a given workflow until the workflow has been submitted. There is a delay between submission and when the workflow is able to be accessed and managed that correlates to the polling service interval. In a production system, this does not present issues and improves system performance, overall. In test and Development systems where staff are testing in rapid sequences, waiting for the service to generate the tasks can be onerous.

You have the option to enable workflow pre-creates. Workflow Pre-create will cache workflows and their related tasks so that as soon as the workflow is submitted, the tasks are available. When enabled, the workflow service will create a fixed number of workflows in the background for each template therefore making it quicker for analysts to start actioning the tasks upon submission.

To enable Workflow pre-Create in an On Premise system:

  1. Stop the Workflow Service on the Web Server

  2. Add WorkflowPrecreates = 1 to the system registry

  3. Start the Workflow Service on the Web Server

To enable Workflow Pre-Creates in a Cloud System:

Contact Alemba Support or your Technical Account Manager.

Task Forwarding Options

  1. Analysts Default: If the system is partitioned, only the Analysts with access to that partition will be displayed.

  2. Groups Default: Automatically displays all workflow groups defined on the system to which the Analyst forwarding the task has access. The Analyst can then select the group to which the task is to be sent. The Analysts in each group are not displayed in this view.

  3. Analysts by Groups Default: Automatically displays all workflow groups to which the Analyst forwarding the task has access, and the Analysts within them. The Analyst can choose to forward the task to the entire group or an Analyst in a group.

    The Analyst can change the view by selecting a different option on the Forward Task Internally window.

Approvals

  1. Forwarding: Enables the Internal button (or the Internal option on the explorer pane) on the Approval Details window used to forward approvals to other Analysts within the organization.

    If this option is cleared, the Analyst to whom an approval is assigned must approve or reject it. They cannot forward the approval.

  2. Require Token for Email Approval: Adds a security token to outgoing approval emails. To approve an approval task by incoming email, the token must be present. Security tokens are specific to the approval task that generated the email.

Request Forwarding

  1. Analysts Default: If the system is partitioned, only the Analysts with access to that partition will be displayed.

  2. Groups Default: Automatically displays all workflow groups defined on the system to which the Analyst forwarding the task has access. The Analyst can then select the group to which the request is to be sent. The Analysts in each group are not displayed in this view.

  3. Analysts by Groups Default: Automatically displays all workflow groups to which the Analyst forwarding the request has access, and the Analysts within them. The Analyst can choose to forward the request to the entire group or an Analyst in a group.

    The Analyst can change the view by selecting a different option on the Forward Request Internally window.

Authorization

  1. Authorization: Select this option to suspend tasks when they are created. A request manager must then authorize them before other Analysts can complete them. Deselect to authorize all tasks as soon as the request is submitted (pre-authorize).

    Selecting this option enables the Authorization option on the Request Details Explorer pane. To authorize a request and release all the tasks in the request, the Analyst can select the Authorization option and complete the fields.

  2. Lock Request on Auth: Select this option to prevent changes being made to a request dependency diagram (request workflow) once a request is authorized. This means Analysts cannot add or update tasks once a request is authorized or pre-authorized.

  3. Lock Request Desc on Auth: Select to prevent Analysts from updating the request description after the request has been authorized.

    If the request is pre-authorized, Analysts can update the request description until the request is either submitted, deferred, or forwarded.

  4. Lock Task Desc on Auth: Prevents Analysts from updating the task description after the task has been authorized.

Escalation

  1. Target Date: Select to escalate tasks if they have not been completed by the Target Date (the date on which the task is expected to be completed). A task’s target date is set on the Task Details window.

    Selecting this option enables the Target Date Exceeded option on the Service Level Management explorer option on the Task Details window. The option is used to send out notifications to the request manager when the target date of a task has passed.

  2. Planned Date: Select to escalate tasks if they have not started on the Planned Start date, as set on the Task Details window.

    Selecting this option enables the Planned Start Date Exceeded option on the Service Level Management explorer option on the Task Details window. The option is used to send out notifications to the request manager when the planned start date of a task has passed.

Activation Rules (Used on Activation Tasks)

  1. Include Tasks in Rules: Select to include tasks in activation rules. Deselect to restrict activation score weightings to approvals.

  2. Close Inactive Tasks and Approvals: Select to display the Close Incomplete checkbox in the Activation Rules. When the Close Incomplete check box is enabled for a task in the Activation Rules of a request, that task will be automatically closed if still incomplete when sufficient activation points.

Workflow Template

These Actions set the defaults for when an Analyst creates a request from a template. They permit the list of templates to be reduced and enable Analysts to find the most appropriate template easily.

  1. All Templates: Select to display all the templates defined on your system on the Workflow Template Administration and Request from Workflow Template windows.

  2. Templates for Types: Select to display only those templates that are linked to the request type the Analyst selects on the Workflow Template Administration and Request from Workflow Template windows.

Template Hunting Default

The options under Template Hunting Default set what templates to display when an Analyst creates a request from a template. The hunting options are only available for selection if Templates by Type is selected on the Workflow Template Administration window.

  1. Hunt Up: Select to display the names of any templates created with that type, plus any parent templates when an Analyst selects a template type.

  2. Hunt Down: Select to display the names of any templates created with that type, plus any child templates, when an Analyst selects a template type.

  3. Don't Hunt: Select to display only the templates created with the type specified by the Analyst. This is the default setting.

Multiple Screen Sets

The options under Multiple Screen Sets enable Analysts to select Request Details windows which have been configured in the ASM Designer as well as the standard window.

  1. Request Screen Sets: Select to make multiple configured Request Details screen sets available to Analysts. Analysts can change the screen set by selecting the Screen Set option on the Request Details Explorer pane.

    You can restrict the access of individual Analysts to certain screens based on their Workflow Management security role.

  2. Analyst Security: Request Screen Sets must be selected to make this option available.

    Select to restrict Analysts to the configured request and task screen sets to which they have been linked as part of their Workflow Management security role. Deselect to allow Analysts to access all request and task screen sets.

  3. Multiple Task Screen Sets: Request Screen Sets must be selected to make this option available.

    Select to enable multiple custom task and approval screen sets to be used on your system. Analysts can change the screen set used for logging the task or approval from the Task Details or Approval Details window.

History

The options under History indicate whether task and request actions should display on the Self Service Portal. History entries are added when a request or task is actioned, forwarded, or escalated.

  1. Task History Private: Select to prevent the comments added to tasks (in the Actions field) from appearing on the Self Service Portal

  2. Request History Private: Select to prevent the comments added to requests (in the Actions & Solutions field) from appearing on the Self Service Portal

Date Calculation

The options under Date Calculation enable you to automatically update start and end dates for requests, tasks, and approvals.

  1. Calculate Dates: Select to automatically calculate the start and end dates for tasks and approvals, based on the specified durations for each task or approval in the Planned Time field.

    • Maintain Dates: This option is enabled when you select Calculate Dates.

      Select to make Auto-calculate Target Date default on the Task Details or Approval Details windows.

      Analysts can still clear or select Auto-calculate Target Date on a task or approval.

  2. Set Target No. Days: Select to set the Target Date of tasks, approvals and requests to the date on which they were created plus the number of days specified in the Target No. Days fields.

    • Request Target No. Days: Type the number of days from the date on which the request was created to its target date. Analysts can change the target date on the Request Details window. To use this option, the request manager should include durations when creating workflow templates.

    • Task Target No. Days: Type the number of days from the date on which the task is created to its Target Date. This is broken down into the hours and minutes displayed in the Planned Time field on the Task Details or Approval Details windows. Analysts can change the target date on the Task Details window.

Completion Status

Set Request Completion Status: Select to enable the status of the request to be updated when the task is closed to the status specified in the Request Status on Completion field in the task template.

For example, the status could change from “Testing Complete” to “Budget Approved”. The request manager will still be able to set the status manually.

Options

The Options section includes general workflow management options and settings.

  1. User Survey: Select to enable the system to send User Surveys for requests.

  2. Request Object Version Control: Select to enable version control on request attachments

  3. Change Calendar Object Version Control: Select to enable version control on request attachments

  4. User Approval Access to Request Objects: Select to show the objects (files) attached to a request or task on the same request or User approval task in the Self Service Portal

Audit

Auditing on requests, templates and tasks.

  1. Audit Workflow: Select to enable auditing on requests and workflow templates.

    Selecting this option enables the Audit explorer option on the Request Details and Workflow Template Details windows.

  2. Audit Task: Select to enable auditing on tasks and approvals.

    Selecting this option enables the Audit explorer option on the Task Details and Approval Details windows.

Workflow Default Analyst

The default analyst will assign any request to this default analyst when no other assignments are valid or present.

Default Analyst Recipient: Specify the default analyst recipient for the assignment.

Request Escalation

Released in: ASM 10.6.8

Customers are able to Chase Requests via the Self Service Portal. When a threshold count of User Chases has been reached, ASM can automatically escalate the request using the template defined here. Analysts are also able to escalate requests from Core when necessary.

This is a physical escalation meant to get the correct resources and attention to the Call when needed. Please see also: Chase and Escalation

Enabling Escalation will create a path for customers to chase tickets outside of normal Service Level Agreements, and for Analysts to escalate.

Analysts can provide an additional Escalation (outside the SLA/SLM agreements) when this option is enabled. Calls and Requests can also be automatically Escalated when they have been chased a defined number of times as configured in the Self Service Portal Settings.

Enable Escalation: Click to enable Request Escalation as a result of User Chases, or Analyst actions.

Escalated Request Call Template: Select from the list of call templates, the one you want to be used to create the escalation. The request will be linked to it upon activation.

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