Contents

Field	Description
Workflow Name	Enter the name of the approval workflow model. It must be a distinct name that classifies the workflow definition.
Revision	This field displays the revision number of the workflow.
	After a single approval case is created with a specific workflow model, the model cannot be modified anymore. There is a strong dependency between the instance of the workflow (a case) and a model. If you want to change the model after a period of use and X completed cases, the only permitted way to do it is to create a new revision.
New Revision	This button is visible and enabled only if there are pending or completed cases for the workflow. Click this button to create a new revision of the workflow model.
	When you click this button, a dialog box displays informing you that this action will create an exact copy of the workflow model with a new revision number. Click OK to proceed. The newly created model is inactive and can be deleted if not needed. The old revision is still active. In order to retire an old revision, you must activate a new one. As soon as there is a single started case with the new revision, it cannot be modified or deleted anymore.
Test Mode	Select this check box to set the workflow model in test mode and run test cases. Only inactive workflow models can be set in test mode.
	All cases created while in test mode are considered temporary and will be deleted after you activate the workflow model. You can view the individual pending or completed test cases on the View Approval Cases subtask and delete them if necessary.
Active	If selected, this check box indicates that this workflow is active and always read-only. Activation can be performed only by using the Activate/Deactivate button.
Activate/Deactivate	Click the Activate button to activate the workflow. Activation means enabling the approval workflow for an entity defined on the Approval Entity Fields subtask for application screens listed on the Application Screens subtask. When you click Activate, Costpoint displays a message informing you that activating the workflow model revision will delete all test cases and deactivate all other revisions of the workflow mode. Click OK to proceed. When you activate the workflow model, the Active check box becomes selected.
	Click the Deactivate button to deactivate an active workflow model and clear the Active check box.
Start Role	Enter, or click to select, the role permitted to initiate this approval workflow. The lookup includes all roles that exist in the Approval Roles application. If you leave this field blank, any user who has rights to access the start application screen can start the workflow.
Total Time Allowed (Hours)	Enter the total time allowed (in hours) for the approval process to take place. For example, if you enter 24, approval should be done within 24 hours. If the time expires, Costpoint automatically rejects the approval. This field defaults to 0.0. Keep this value to set unlimited time for processing the workflow.
Require Code for Rejection	Select this check box to require a rejection code when rejecting activities of a workflow or a complete workflow. When you select this check box, you must enter the reject codes applicable to this workflow model on the Workflow Reject Codes subtask.
Company	If you have multiple companies, enter, or click to select, the specific company that can use this workflow model. If you leave this field blank, this workflow model will be applicable to all companies.
Email Text	Enter, or click to select, the email text template you want to use for your approval workflow email notifications. The lookup includes all text templates that exist on the Approval Workflow Email Messages screen. If you leave this field blank, Costpoint uses the default text template from Approval Workflow Email Messages.
Pending or Completed Cases	This field displays the number of pending or completed cases of the workflow model using a specific instance and revision of the workflow model.
Pending or Completed Test Cases	This field displays the number of pending or completed test cases of the workflow model using a specific instance and revision of the workflow model.

Approval Flow Structure

This block displays the flow of approval steps and activities defined for this workflow model. This is a graphical representation of the steps entered in the Approval Steps table window.

This block displays nodes and activities. The nodes define the flow and include the Start, Group, If, and Finish types. Activity is the only type of approval step. It can display in different workflow places or levels: Next, Option, Then, and Else. Arrows present the sequential order in the workflow. If an activity is indented under another activity (Next level), the first activity must be completed before the indented activity can be started. Circles identify the options inside a Group node and the Then and Else activities in an If node.

As soon as you save your changes on the Approval Workflow Models screen, a Start node is created. You can then enter additional steps in the Approval Steps table window through the Add Step subtask and modify the steps through the Edit Activity or Edit Node subtask.

You can add a Next activity after the Start, If, or Group node, or after a Next activity. Then and Else levels for activities are allowed only within an If node, while Option is only allowed within a Group node.

Create an If node if you want to branch the workflow using conditions. This node can contain Then and Else activities, where at least Then must be present.

Create a Group node for activities that need to be performed in parallel. This node can only contain activities with level set as Option. You can set up these options as required or optional on the Edit Activity subtask. If none of the options are required, the Group node is considered complete even if only one of the options has been approved.

Any activities indented below the If or Group node will be routed after the items within the node are completed.

To mark the end of the workflow, add a Finish node.

Main Screen Subtasks

Approval Steps

Use this table window to view and add individual steps to the workflow. You can also use this to edit or delete existing steps.

You can create steps using the Add Step subtask and modify them through the Edit Node or Edit Activity subtask. You can remove steps (except for the Start step) from the workflow using the Delete button.

To create a new step, you first need to select the parent node in the Approval Steps table.

In most cases, steps can be added or deleted only at the end of a workflow model. If you need to add or delete a step in the middle of an existing model, you will need to delete steps to get back to that point and recreate the later steps.

Approval Steps Subtasks