Creating Decision Workflow Step Sources

Before creating a decision workflow step source, see Decision Workflow Step Worksheets . It contains the information required to properly configure the workflow step source.

To create a new decision workflow step source:

  1. From the Workbench shortcut bar, select Configuration > Workflows.

  2. Open a workflow.

    The Workflow window opens and the Workflow Step Sources window opens.

  3. Select the Workflow Step Sources window.

  4. In the first Filter by field, select Requests, Packages, or Release Distributions, depending on the type of workflow.

  5. Under Workflow Step Sources, select Decisions.

  6. Click New.

    The Decision window opens.

  7. From the Decision tab, type the information, as listed in the following table.

    8. Field Name

    Description

    Name

    The name that describes the workflow step source. The step can be renamed when added to the workflow.

    Workflow Scope

    Describes the type of workflow that will be using this step source. Use the list to select a workflow scope. The following lists the possible values:

    • ALL. For all workflow types.

    • Requests. For Demand Management request workflows.

    • Packages. For Deployment Management package workflows.

    • Release Distributions. For Deployment Management release workflows.

    Reference Code

    Automatically populated with information entered in the Name field.

    Description

    Description of the workflow step source.

    Validation

    Validations determine the transition values for the workflow step. Use the list to select a validation (New or Open).

    Decisions Required

    Defines the number of decisions required for the workflow step. Select from the following possible values:

    • One. If selected, the workflow step can progress if any user who is eligible to act on this step makes a decision.

    • At Least One. If selected, the workflow step waits for the voters to vote, and requires that your set a timeout period. If all voters designate the same value decision before the timeout period, the decision is accepted and the workflow proceeds forward. If any of the voters designate different values before the timeout period, the step immediately results in a No consensus. If at the end of the timeout, only a few voters (or only one voter) have cast their vote, the cumulative decision of the voters that voted is used. If at the end of the Timeout no one has voted, the step results in a Timeout.

    • All. If selected, the workflow step waits for all of the voters to vote, makes it mandatory that all voters vote, and requires that you set a timeout period. The workflow step waits until the timeout period for the voters to vote. If all voters vote, the decision is considered. If some or none of the voters voted, the step remains open or closes due to a timeout, depending on the configuration.

    You can define Specific Errors in workflow steps such as Timeout and No Consensus as either Success or Failure in the Define Transition window.

    When using All or At Least One, all users must unanimously approve or not approve one of the validation's selections. Otherwise, the result is No Consensus.

    Timeout

    A timeout specifies the amount of time that a step can stay eligible for completion before completing with an error (if Decisions Required is All, One, or At Least One). Timeouts can be by minute, hour, weekday or week. Timeout parameters for executions and decisions are a combination of a numerical timeout value and a timeout unit (such as weekdays).

    If this workflow step remains eligible for the value typed in the timeout value, the request, package, or release can be configured to send an appropriate notification. This field is often used with the At Least One and All settings for Decisions Required.

    Timeouts can be uniquely configured for each workflow step in the Layout tab. The timeout value specified in the workflow step source acts as the default timeout value for the step. When adding a workflow step to the workflow using this workflow step source, you can specify a different timeout value for the workflow step.

    Icon

    A different graphic can be specified to represent steps of this source for use on the workflow Layout tab.

    The graphic needs to exist in the icons subdirectory. All icons are in .gif format.

    Enabled

    The workflow step source must be enabled in order to add the workflow step to the workflow layout.

  8. Click the Ownership tab.

  9. From the Ownership tab, specify the security groups that can edit this workflow step.

    For detailed information about how to configure the Ownership tab, see Configuring Ownership of Workflow Step Sources.

  10. Click the User Data tab.

    Product entities, such as packages, workflows, requests and projects, include a set of standard fields that provide information about those entities. While these fields are normally sufficient for day-to-day processing, user data fields provide the ability to capture additional information specific to each organization. User data is defined under the User Data tab. If there are no user data fields, the User Data tab is disabled.

  11. Click the Used By tab.

    12. The Used By tab displays reference information concerning the workflow step.

  12. Click OK.

    The new workflow step source is now included in the Workflow Step Sources window. It can be used in any new or existing workflow with the corresponding workflow scope.