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After reading several articles about the built-in Workflow in SharePoint, I wanted to reach out and set a more advanced example. Many articles always state the obvious approval workflow, or check in/out. Well there is much more that can be done with ease. Why other authors do not discuss these, I don’t know, lack of knowledge, who knows. So here we go.

1. Using workflow with data in a document or form library.

When storing a document in SharePoint, by default there is not any meta-data entered. These have to be configured with custom columns. Not a difficult ordeal. Simply create a document library, and add columns to the library. Now when you upload a document you will be asked to enter the information pertaining to the document.

So now you can select a type of article like Customer, Management, HR, etc. This tells users more information about that document without opening it. You can add as many columns as needed to describe the data. This also creates more content for the search to index, better qualifying your document for best results.

Now once you have selected a type you now have data to work with. Using SharePoint Designer you can create a workflow for that library. You can make this workflow react based on that information. For example, when a document is uploaded and the article type is HR, then you can start an approval process only to HR, or whomever is selected in the data. A workflow can also write the data associated with the file if that is needed.

If this were an InfoPath form you would add the columns in the InfoPath publishing wizard.

Instead of uploading you can use your own document template living in SharePoint. Notice what happens in Word when you create a new document directly from SharePoint. You have the option of completing these fields directly in Word and they will be published into SharePoint with the document when it is saved. Requirements can also be configured in SharePoint.

***Caution – If a workflow is enabled using this information variables must be set in the workflow to guarantee that the document is complete and ready for the process to start. Even creating a column that must be checked for the workflow to start would be sufficient.

2. Manipulating data in SharePoint Lists

One of the nice features of SharePoint is the ability to create your own custom lists. This is a very simplified usage of forms without using InfoPath. It has many limitations however that we don’t need to discuss. We will go ahead and use a guestbook list as an example here. This guestbook will be for a wedding and we will have thank you emails sent automatically 7 days after the wedding.

Start by creating a custom list in SharePoint. “Title” is a default column name in SharePoint, and can be changed to a different name on the list. We will change that to Last Name and create several other colums, First Name, Relationship (drop down list), email address, and guest names. Additionally we will need to create a calculated value column which reads:

=Modified+”7″

This formula will make a date that is 7 days after the modified date.

Your list should look something like the image to the right. Now open SharePoint Designer and create a new worflow. Set the condtion to be a compaison of data and set as Email Date is equal to Today. This will make the workflow wait to send email until then.

The action needs to be set to email a message. The “To:” field is the email address entered in the form. You can even get creative with the names. Remember the guest names that were asked to be entered? Well you can set an else if condition also which states that if the guest name field is not empty to send a different message which would include all the names in the greeting.

These are two very simple examples of uses with SharePoint workflow. Many other functions are available without writing code. All of these features can be used to create many different applications for SharePoint like a support ticket system, remiders and more. Many of these are never mentioned and should be.

Advanced? Check out the things you can do with adding a third party workflow solution like K2 BlackPearl!

Part 2 of SharePoint Workflow next week!

All businesses use paper in one way or another for purchasing, receipts, orders, time sheets. These forms are usually custom printed with a logo, and pertaining information for that company. Some of these forms once they are completed are either stored in a box or manually entered into a computer. Why not just knock out 90% of that hassle and have the forms digital from the start. Not only will you save money from buying paper, you will also be one step closer to being a greener company which is a big deal these days.

Several options are available right off the bat without really having to have some professional design help. Microsoft Office has many contributed templates that others have submitted available to download for free. Some of these templates are word orders, time sheets, asset tracking, etc. Adding your logo is very simple. Microsoft has made InfoPath very simple to use for the basic functions. If you can use Microsoft Word, then you can customize basic features of InfoPath. Once this form is filled out it can be saved and sent where it needs to go via email or folder share.

More advanced option would be to save the form directly in SharePoint. Speaking of SharePoint, what about a simple Punch In/Out site on MOSS or WSS where employees just go to a site on your intranet and click a button. When the day is done, go back to the site, click punch out, and supply information if needed. Let SharePoint calculate the time spent on the job. SharePoint knows who is visiting the page so there is no need to identify the employee. You can also just simply create a custom list in SharePoint where a user enters the required information.

An even more advanced option for larger organizations is to build custom forms for orders, time sheets, and others that are stored in SharePoint and require an approval process. Many of which could be attached to a workflow to automate the process. For example when a time sheet is submitted for approval, it is sent automatically to the manager, and then once approved there all the time is recorded in SharePoint and payroll only has to verify the information and get a check completed.

There are many different variables that can be programed to ease business. Many of which only need to be done once and then they run for years so the overhead is very low and the ROI is very high due to maintenance. This also increases the time spent everyday doing business. Instead of manually taking down all the information for an order and then walking over and faxing or handing over to another person, have a computer do it instantly for each order. That saves a huge amount of time and money for business owners.

Find out more by looking at our solutions or contact us for more details.

Written by: Cory (cory@jimirig.com)

Recently I was searching the web for workflow and found many different types. Workflow is automation to be plain and simple. Think of it sort of like an assembly line, different parts get put together by a machine and then BAM! you have a finished product or process. Adobe has workflow, Microsoft, IBM, K2, and they all serve a different purpose. Here at Jimirig, we specialize in Microsoft workflows, and K2 workflow, using Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft InfoPath. The way that we use it is for business process automation. We aren’t building cars. Business workflows are organzied to streamline some activities in business and create more effiecient processes. Workflows can also be designed to make business decisions. An example of that would be purchase orders, if the requested amount is less than $10,000.00, approve, if more, notify a manager for approval. That is a very simple example since the technology can do much more.

Some businesses depending on that they do could use a different technology to achieve efficiency. Some may be fine just using SharePoint workflows, which can do many things with documents, lists, etc. Document approvals, email notification, retention. Others may need more “umph” for the process and may use more advanced workflow built on the Micrsoft Windows Worfkflow Foundation in .Net or K2 BlackPearl for even more robust workflows which can tap into different systems like SharePoint, BizTalk, SAP, or Oracle. All depends on the situation. Workflow is still a young technology so-to-speak even though it has been around for quite some time.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A workflow is a depiction of a sequence of operations, declared as work of a person, work of a simple or complex mechanism, work of a group of persons,^[1] work of an organization of staff, or machines. Workflow may be seen as any abstraction of real work, segregated in workshare, work split or whatever types of ordering. For control purposes, workflow may be a view on real work under a chosen aspect,^[2] thus serving as a virtual representation of actual work. The flow being described often refers to a document that is being transferred from one step to another.

A workflow is a model to represent real work for further assessment, e.g., for describing a reliably repeatable sequence of operations. More abstractly, a workflow is a pattern of activity enabled by a systematic organization of resources, defined roles and mass, energy and information flows, into awork process that can be documented and learned.^[3][4] Workflows are designed to achieve processing intents of some sort, such as physical transformation, service provision, or information processing.

Workflow concepts are closely related to other concepts used to describe organizational structure, such as silos, functions, teams, projects, policies and hierarchies. Workflows may be viewed as one primitive building block of organizations. The relationships among these concepts are described later in this entry.

The term workflow is used in computer programming to capture and develop human to machine interaction. Workflow (management) software aims to provide end users with an easier way to orchestrate or describe complex processing of data in a visual form, much like flow charts but without the need to understand computers or programming.