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Document Management System Workflow - Overview
The FileHold workflow engine is designed specifically to streamline the review and approval of files as they proceed through their lifecycle in the document management system. In many collaborative work environments, this labor intensive growth stage of the document is where the most time savings can be realized using the workflow functionality of Filehold’s document management solution.
Using Document Workflow to Assist with File Management
Organizations typically must manage a number of internal processes in order to track things like order processing, purchase requests and travel expenses. Workflow brings order to these independent processes in a transparent, dynamic, and robust fashion making it a key part of the document lifecycle.A workflow contains one or more activities (reviews and approvals) to be completed during the lifecycle of a document. Workflows can be used with all of the document types: document, record and offline.
Workflows are created by the Library Administrator and associated with schemas (document type). The workflow must be initiated at the document level by a user of the system. The initiator can be any user with Document Publisher or higher permission and is a member of the document schema.
Observers and participants are assigned to the workflow. Groups can be selected as observers of the workflows but only individual users can be participants. Participants are involved with the review and approval of the documents but observers do not participate; they can only observe.
Once a workflow has been initiated, the first activity in the workflow begins. In the example below, the first activity for the participant is to review the document. Participants are notified by email or via their My Task list of any new task requiring attention. While the workflow is in progress, observers can watch over the workflow, modify, or reassign tasks.
When all tasks in the activity are completed, the activity is considered complete and the next activity begins. On completion of the last activity, the workflow is considered complete. The time from workflow initiation to completion can be from hours to months to years depending on the process being managed.
The basic elements and roles of users involved in a simple workflow can be seen in the diagram below.
What is a Workflow?
A workflow contains one or more activities (reviews and approvals) to be completed during the lifecycle of a document. Workflows can be used with all of the document types: document, record and offline, in the document management system.
Workflows are created in the web client interface by the Library Administrator. Observers and participants are assigned and then the workflows are associated with document types (schemas).
The workflow must then be initiated at the document level by a user of the the document management system. The initiator can be any user with Document Publisher or higher permission in the document management system that are members of the document schema associated with the document.
Groups can be named as observers of the workflows but only individual users will be able to be participants.
Every time a workflow is initiated a unique workflow instance is created and managed by the FileHold workflow engine. The underlying workflow engine is designed to manage literally thousands of simultaneous workflow instances for thousands of files.
Once initiated the first activity in the workflow begins. Users who are assigned the workflow tasks are referred to as participants. In this example it the first activity is for the review of a document. Participants are notified by email or via their task list of any new task requiring attention.
When all tasks in the activity are completed the activity is considered complete and the next activity begins. On completion of the last activity in any workflow the documents management system recognizes that the workflow is complete. The time from workflow initiation to completion can be from hours to months to years depending on the process being managed. The entire time the workflow is in progress observers can be designated to watch over the workflow, the workflow itself modified and tasks reassigned.