Practical aspects of using Workflow in PLM solutions

Dmitry Sadovnikov, Nikolay Shiryaev

Currently, it is impossible to imagine a serious PDM/PLM system that would not include tools for automating business processes and document flow - Workflow. But, unfortunately, in a number of cases, when implementing a PDM/PLM solution, the importance of this subsystem is underestimated, and Workflow is used at best as simple system internal email enterprises. In this article, we tried to give readers a more complete understanding of the capabilities of the Workflow subsystem using the example of the corresponding subsystem of the Lotsia PDM PLUS solution.

What is Workflow

First of all, let's understand the terminology. The international organization Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) defines the term Workflow as follows: it is “the automation of a business process, full or partial, in which documents, information or tasks are transferred from one participant to another to perform actions in accordance with a set of methodological (procedural) rules” . That is, we are talking about automating not only document flow, but also business processes. In this case, a business process is understood as a set of interrelated procedures or activities that implement a business task or business policy goal, as a rule, in the context of the organizational structure of an enterprise with given roles and relationships between personnel. This definition seems to us more correct and understandable than the phrase “flow of work” used in the publications of a number of domestic authors, which is a direct copy of English.

The actual implementation of business process automation falls on systems of the Workflow Management System class, which describe, create and manage the execution of business processes through the use software that uses one or more tools to process business processes. These tools interpret the description of the business process, interact with its participants and, where required, use software tools and applications.

Differences between Workflow systems and email systems

People new to Workflow systems often ask why they need a Workflow system if they already have an email program.

The main differences between them are as follows:

• complete controllability of the process state at any time. Email can be compared to a slingshot from which you “shoot” your message and then have no control over it. The recipient could forward your message to someone else without you knowing about it. In Workflow systems, you can see at any time exactly where your message is located and what actions were performed on it;
• the ability to automate complex business processes. Workflow systems allow you not only to exchange messages and send files, but also to perform various actions (for example, run a script, change access rights to documents, etc.) in automatic mode depending on the conditions specified when describing the business process. Also, most Workflow systems support a transaction mechanism;
• visual description of business processes. Most Workflow systems include graphic editors, allowing you to build complex business process diagrams;
• sustainable repeatability of business processes in Workflow is achieved through the use of pre-configured templates;
• significantly greater opportunities for analyzing processes in Workflow due to the storage of information on processes in a single database.

Purpose of the Workflow subsystem of PDM/PLM systems

In PDM/PLM systems, the Workflow subsystem is used, as a rule, to solve the following tasks:

• management of product life cycle support processes;
• document routing management;
• management of the documentation approval process and changes;
• management of organizational and technical activities;
• form routing management;
• organization of newsletters.

Of course, this list may vary depending on the specifics of the enterprise and is not exhaustive.

Basic functionality of the Workflow subsystem of PDM/PLM systems

In relation to implementation in PDM/PLM systems, the Workflow subsystem usually has the following functionality:

• graphic description of business process templates;
• sequential routing;
• parallel routing (including with dynamic parallelization of work);
• combined routing;
• building complex business processes with nested subprocesses;
• changing routes on the fly;
• automation of assignment and change of object attributes;
• automation of changing access rights to objects and documents;
• support for voting and meeting preparation;
• redirection of tasks (replacement of performers);
• notification;
• integration with email systems.

These functionalities allow you to solve a wide range of practical problems. Let's look at how this can be applied in practice.

Description of business processes

An important task for a successful transition to electronic document management is the presentation of business processes in a form that supports automated processing. When implementing complex information systems Nowadays, business process reengineering (BPR) systems are often used. The description of the business process in them consists of a set of activities and their relationships, criteria for indicating the beginning and end of the process and information about individual activities, for example, participants, associated software applications and data, etc., described using a specific methodology and notation.

Modern Workflow systems in some cases successfully cope with the tasks of describing business processes (Process Definition) of almost any level of complexity, including nested sub-processes. In the Workflow subsystem of the Lotsia PDM PLUS program, it is used to describe business process templates. visual editor, which allows you to build a description of processes in drag-and-drop mode. The process description may include both manual and automated activities, and also identifies various activities, methodological rules and associated control information to control the sequence of actions during the execution of the process.

Both sequential and parallel or combined routing can be used. And the widespread use of opportunities to select data from various directories and classifiers minimizes possible errors associated with manual information entry and relieves system users from routine procedures.

Based on the constructed business process templates, individual process instances are subsequently executed, each of which is associated with a specific set of data related to this individual process instance (Workflow Case).

Such a formalized description of business processes meets the requirements of the ISO 9000 series quality management standards in terms of sustainable repeatability of processes.

When describing a business process in the Workflow system, screen forms and contextual help for system users are immediately created.

Typical examples of business process templates for use in PDM/PLM systems are:

the process of development and approval of design, engineering or technological documentation for ESKD/SPDS (including multiple submission of documents for approval);

• the process of making changes according to the ESKD;
• the process of exchanging information with counterparties and related departments;
• task issuance process.

Of course, a formal description of a business process does not negate the possibility of free routing and messaging, which are also used in Workflow systems.

Business process verification

An important point when modeling business processes is checking the validity of the created process. In this case, the process is checked for the absence of necessary screen forms, specified performers and transition conditions between tasks (stages), the presence of unfinished actions, etc. The Workflow editor of the Lotsia PDM PLUS system includes tools for automatically checking business process templates, which greatly simplifies the procedure for creating and controlling them.

Starting a process instance

After a business process template has been created, it can be used for execution unlimited quantity business process instances. At this stage of the system's operation, the variables from the business process template are replaced with values ​​specific to this process instance.

For complex business process templates that have different options for how performers work with them, dynamic parallelization of work and conditional transitions can be used. Dynamic assignment of performers, replacement of performers, redirection of work, etc. can also be carried out.

At the same time, the performer participating in the process, when transferring a task to him (transition of the process to the stage in which he participates) this user) a corresponding message appears in his personal window of tasks and messages, which can be duplicated by a special notification that is triggered even if the Lotsia PDM PLUS system is not running on his computer.

Business process status monitoring

One of the undeniable advantages of Workflow is the ability to both monitor the state of a running process at any time and receive a summary report on the execution of all processes.

Lotsia PDM PLUS allows you to visually determine the state of any process on the map, as well as receive a report on execution control.

The system administrator can also set up specialized reports to monitor the execution of business processes of interest to him.

For all business process cards and free messages, a correspondence history is automatically maintained, from which at any time you can view, for example, the entire chain of movement of the document you are interested in, including information about the time of receipt and reading of the corresponding messages.

All these features greatly facilitate the organization's compliance with the requirements of the ISO 9000 series standards in terms of logging user actions and monitoring execution.

Using specialized functions

In addition to the features standard in professional Workflow systems (such as newsletters, access rights management, etc.), Lotsia PDM PLUS includes a number of customizable specialized functions. One of them is the possibility of organizing electronic voting. At the same time, voting participants can vote on several issues within one vote, express a dissenting opinion and make comments. Voting results can be processed in various ways and displayed in a visual form.

Built-in email client and integration with data entry tools

One of the advantages of the Workflow system Lotsia PDM PLUS is the presence of a built-in mail client. In practice, this means support for the POP3 and SMTP protocols. Multiple external email accounts can be configured for each user in Lotsia PDM PLUS. Thus, both internal and external correspondence are stored in one database and are conducted completely transparently. The most valuable thing here is the automatic linking of internal and external correspondence on a specific issue into an end-to-end chain of correspondence history. A typical example: an external message is forwarded to an internal recipient, its response is forwarded back to the external recipient, the external recipient replies again, etc. etc. In this situation, Lotsia PDM PLUS will automatically connect all these messages with each other and visually display the entire chain of letters in the correspondence history.

At the same time, the ability to use the built-in incoming mail manager is very convenient. Thanks to it, the user can choose which external emails should be placed in the Lotsia PDM PLUS database.

External messages received in Lotsia PDM PLUS can be routed in the same way as messages from internal recipients.

Integration with information input tools makes it possible to immediately place a scanned document into the system and use it in a business process (or send it along a predefined route).

These functions make it convenient to exchange information with organizations that do not have PDM/PLM systems.

Workflow and business process reengineering

There comes a time in the work of any enterprise when its business processes require revision and modernization. Using Workflow can also help during the business process reengineering stage.

To analyze and optimize business processes, you can use accumulated statistics on completed processes. In this case, in order to reduce the load on the working server of the PDM/PLM system, it makes sense to upload process data into a separate database and analyze it using special tools (OLAP, etc.). But primary analysis can also be carried out using the report generator included in the Lotsia PDM PLUS solution.

Based on the data obtained, it is possible to determine critical points (critical tasks, departments, performers, etc.) of processes and then change business process templates in order to optimize them.

These capabilities of the Workflow subsystem make it easier to support the requirements of the ISO 9000 series standards in terms of auditing business processes.

Positive experience of implementing Workflow

As the experience of implementing the Workflow subsystem of the Lotsia PDM PLUS solution shows, labor productivity due to the implementation of business process automation increases on average several times, and for individual tasks (for example, issuing tasks to related departments in design organizations) - tens of times.

Unfortunately, the format of a journal article does not allow us to talk in detail about all useful functions Workflow subsystems, those who wish to familiarize themselves with them in more detail can do this at free seminars regularly held by the Lotsia Soft group of companies.

Believe it or not, the iPhone can be automated. The tools for this are of course not as powerful as for macOS, but with apps like Workflow, which is available in App Store for £2.99/$2.99, you can do quite a bit.

Workflow is more similar to automation apps for IFTTT than macOS apps like Keyboard Maestro. You combine actions from a ton of different apps.

In the previous tutorial, I gave a very general idea of ​​Workflow. Now I'd like to go a little deeper and look at advanced functionality, such as a variable. If you haven't read the first tutorial yet, I strongly suggest you do so before continuing.

Introduction to Variables

Variable is one of the most significant features in Workflow. Instead of using the results of ongoing actions once, a variable allows you to save them for later use.

The variable can save texts, pictures, URLs and any other types of content that can be worked with in Workflow.

Creating variables in Workflow is a simple process: every result automatically becomes a miracle variable. You don't have to do anything special; they are all already here at your disposal.

Creating "I'll be home in X minutes" actions

I'll start using the variable in relative simple example. I'm going to create an action that determines how long it will take to get to some specific location, in this case your home, and sends the result to a specific contact.

Open Workflow and click Create Workflow to create a new workflow. For this task type you need Normal workflow. Let's call it "I'll be home in..."

Create a new workflow.

The first thing to do is determine where the house is located. Open maps by clicking Maps and add Street Address to your workflow. Enter your address.

Adding your home address to workflow.

Go ahead, go back to Maps, and add Get Travel Time to your workflow. Select Current Location and Driving, unless you usually walk or bike home. Click the play button to test.

Testing the travel time result.

You should see how long it will take you to get home from your current location. I'm currently in France, so driving home to Ireland will take 19 hours, 30 minutes.

Adding a message

Start typing the message you want to send. Something like: “Hi! I’ll be home in X minutes. See you soon. Kisses.”

When you need to enter the time, click the Travel Time button in the Variables Bar; it displays all the possible variables that you can use in your workflow.

Introduction of a variable.

Last step- set up a workflow for sending messages.

Add the Send Message action and select a recipient. For demonstration I'm using mine contact information and location.

Adding a send message action.

Click Done to complete the action. Now that you've launched it in Workflow, it will automatically detect your travel time and prepare a text to send to your loved ones to let them know you're on your way home.

Launch a ready-made workflow.

Let's move on

This is a pretty good action, but it is not all we can do. First, we can adjust it so that, among other things, it will send your current location in case of traffic jams or other unforeseen circumstances. And secondly, we can add this action to your iPhone screen.

Open this activity again in Workflow. Click Edit to change it. Start by adding a Get Current Location action.

Change action.

Add a Current Location variable to the message at the appropriate location. If you don't see it in the variables menu, click on the Magic Wand to see a list of all possible miracle variables and select the one you need.

Adding a current location variable.

When you're done, click Done and test the action.

Finally, add it to your phone screen for quick and easy use.

First click on the Settings icon in the action and then on Add to Home Screen home screen).

Adding an action to your phone screen.

Customize the icon to look the way you like and click Done.

Logo customization. Completed action on my screen.

Let's wrap it up

Variables are a great way to add functionality to your workflow. Instead of simply relying on a straightforward sequence of actions, you can accumulate information and use it at any time.

Workflow makes working with variables very easy. You don't need to create a variable or declare it, thanks to the variable miracle, every result is available for use.

In this tutorial I showed a very simple way to use two variables to create text message, which shares your location and travel time. But Workflow has even more advanced variable functions, which we'll explore in future lessons.

I think everyone will agree that with the advent of the iPhone work has become easier. This compact device allows us to carry out everyday work tasks quickly, easily and wherever we are. Thanks to third-party app developers, the iPhone is becoming more useful every day. There are even applications that are created exclusively for this. This article will talk about a process automation program called and several useful scenarios for its use.

Reminders

Standard iOS reminders have the ability to trigger them based on time or arrival at a specific location, but Workflow allows you to customize your reminders much more precisely. Moreover, it is possible to interact with existing reminders by setting a script that will be executed at a specified time. Workflow can also work with third-party task lists, offering the same functionality. By the way, if you add some reminders regularly, this process can also be automated.

Link Shortening

Many of us often have to send links on Twitter or using instant messengers, and sometimes it is better to shorten these links. Launching a browser for this and looking for a service that will help you is extremely time-consuming and inconvenient. The Workflow extension for Safari allows you to quickly shorten a link and copy it to your clipboard.

View source code

Scanning QR codes

You should not keep a separate application for scanning QR codes on your smartphone, which can come in handy at any time and at the same time may not be used for years. A special thread in Workflow calls the camera and then reads the code.

Opening tweets in Tweetbot

Many iPhone users use an amazing Twitter client. However, when you receive a link to a tweet or user page, you see a terrible mobile web version. Workflow is able to solve this problem by directing all such links to your favorite client.

Saving photos from Instagram

In addition to the huge number of selfies on Instagram, there are a large number of interesting and beautiful photos, however, there is no way to save them to your device. Workflow can save photos from Instagram directly to the gallery using a copied link. Active Instagram users will find many other useful scenarios, but most of them involve automatically publishing certain content.

Despite the many advantages of the built-in Safari browser, some people prefer to use Chrome on their iPhone. If third party applications do not support the ability to immediately open links in Chrome; using the browser is not entirely convenient. However, Workflow can help in this case too.

Of course, this is not all the capabilities of Workflow. They are almost limitless; you can find popular scenarios in the application gallery. In order to create your own, you will have to have a good understanding of what exactly you want to automate, since the choice is huge. A nice feature is that you can display each scenario as a separate icon on the home screen. Everything that you previously did in several steps can be done with one tap.

Workflow cannot be called simple. This program is aimed at advanced users, and there is no point in posting tutorials for certain scenarios. To use Workflow to its fullest, you need an understanding of how things work, which can only come with experience. Give it a try. The program can be installed from the App Store for 199 rubles, and the time it can save you is priceless.

Based on materials from iDB

And I'm not exaggerating. Workflow is an iOS application that contains about 100 templates various actions. With it, you can create GIFs, add various actions to your home screen, make PDF pages directly in Safari, and much more.

In its design, Workflow is very similar to Launch Center Pro. Both applications provide great opportunities to automate anything. However, Workflow has several advantages.

Firstly, the relevance of the application. For example, Workflow supports extensions in Safari. Secondly, a built-in “store” of templates. You can create new templates, share them with other users and download their creations. There is a “Featured” tab, which contains the best templates.

Another advantage of Workflow is its simplicity. For example, let's say you want to make a new template that takes multiple photos and then combines them into a GIF. To do this, just drag and drop the “Take Photo” and “Make GIF” actions onto the template creation field.

The application supports work with most services. Of course, there is Evernote, Dropbox and the rest.

And of course, the main feature is a gallery or template store. Don’t let the word “shop” fool you, all the templates here are absolutely free. There are several categories: extensions, working with the clipboard and sharing.

There are dozens of different actions to create your own templates. But, to be honest, I’m used to trusting other, more knowledgeable people in this regard, and I found in the store everything that could ever be useful to me. However, if you have an idea for your own template, you can bring it to life without any problems.

Here is a short list of what the application can do:

1. Create GIFs from your photos.
2. Add icons of your favorite contacts to your desktop.
3. Make a PDF from a page in Safari.
4. Tweet the song you're currently listening to.
5. Download all images from a web page.
6. Find the nearest cafe with one click (does not work in Ukraine).

And much more. If you're missing the features of an iPhone or iPad, then Workflow is what you've been looking for. This is a great automation app that is also very easy to use.

But for iOS there is also a tool that allows you to create your own process by automating some actions.

Workflow recently won the prestigious Apple Design Award 2015. For what? Let's take a closer look at the application.

First, I will list the main features of the application, and then I will describe each point in detail.

Workflow Key Features

1. The user can specify a sequence of actions that the system will perform at his request.

2. Programs are called from the application itself, or they can be called from other applications as extensions.

3. The application contains ready-made examples of the most popular and interesting things. For example, creating Gifs from photos or searching for images on a web page.

Ready-made programs for Workflow

These are the programs that are immediately included in Workflow. That is, any user can download them for free inside the program and use them for their intended purpose. All programs are located in the Gallery section. To get the program, you need to click on it and then click the “Get Workflow” button.

I will list the most interesting ready-made programs in my opinion:

• Photos to Gif— creating GIF animation from the last 5 photos in the album.
• Upload last photo— uploading the last photo to Dropbox.
• Image of the Day— downloading a photo of the day from the NASA website. Beautiful pictures of space are published there.
• Tip Calculator— tip calculator. You can change it into a tax calculator. ;).
• Image Roulette— the program selects a random word and searches for a random photo on the Internet using this word.
• Expand URL— the short link on the clipboard is replaced with its standard counterpart.

There are also three sections in Gallery:

Sharing — various programs for sharing. For example, Cross-Post allows you to share a photo and a signature in three places at once social networks: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Great Action Extension- something that expands possibilities standard programs. For example, viewing HTML code in Safari (by the way, it does not work correctly).

Clipboard— working with the clipboard. For example, translating text in a buffer.

In principle, there are enough ready-made programs to understand the principles of Workflow. It is by testing built-in applications that I suggest users begin getting acquainted with the program.

Creating your own applications in Workflow

Workflow, like Automator in OS X, gives room for experimentation. You can set tasks and create your own algorithms based on them. As an example I created similar program the one I already did in Automator. That is, an application that will compress photos in bulk.

For this I use 4 processes:

1. Select Photos - selecting pictures from the album
2. Resize Image - resizing by width
3. Convert Image - this function is convenient for compressing images so that they occupy an adequate size
4. Send Email - sending pictures by email

As a result, the program reduces the selected photos and sends them to my email.

There are a lot of possibilities in the program, there are even basic programming functions. The same search for the “IF” condition.

How do programs work in Workflow?

Applications can be launched in three different ways:

• From the Workflow program itself. Programs can be assigned a color and a name. They are located on a special panel.
• As an extension. That is, you need to indicate in the program that this is an Extension. Then, in applications that have a menu with extensions, you need to select Run Workflow and call the program in the pop-up window.

• From the desktop. This is implemented as follows. The user selects or creates an icon, then he is redirected to a specially generated page. On this page you need to find the item “To Home Screen”. The icon will appear on one of the desktops.

Unfortunately, Workflow is required on iPad and iPhone to open applications! Yes, and Workflow still opens for execution.

Disadvantages of Workflow

• Although there are many functions, some will always be missing. For example, I have never found a function that copies pictures.
• Not all ready-made examples work as they should, but most still work.
• Application on English. You either need to know English at least at school level or figure it out at random.

Video example of creation the simplest program in Workflow:

Conclusion: Workflow is a super app with great implementation! I highly recommend it to curious iOS users.

Share your impressions of the program. I wonder: will anyone create something useful for themselves in it?