Agenda
What Are Workflows?Types of Workflows in SharePointWorkflow Creation ToolsOut-of-the-Box Workflows & DemoSharePoint Designer Workflows & DemoWhat to Watch Out For
What are Workflows?
A managed process that executes a series of steps to achieve a business outcome
Think of process flow diagrams, a workflow manages the execution of each step in the process Manages the flow, logic, and execution instead of a human
Employee Manager
Director
Accounts Payable
Account SystemSuppliers
Pay to $
Payroll
ExpenseReport
Expense > $5,000
Approved
Reject/Request Change
Approved
Benefits of Workflows
Improve organizational efficiency of workReduce the time processes take to completeEnsure everyone involved with the process knows where the
process status and who has the ballRemind people of tasks they have to complete if they are
overdueProvide insight into which steps in a process take the
longest to completeProvide audit trails of approvals
Types of SharePoint Workflow
Types of SharePoint Workflow
VS=Visual Studio
K2NintexHarePoint…more
Types of SharePoint Workflow
List/Library WorkflowSite Reusable WorkflowGlobally Reusable Workflow
Not global to farm, just site collection
Reusable Workflows
Use when you want: Same workflow logic to run on more than one list or library
Want central control over changes
Need workflow portability
Be aware of: Changing the workflow definition changes all workflow instances
Use good naming conventions
2010-style reusable workflows can only directly interact with site columns
2013-style reusable workflows can only directly interact with default list/library columns
SharePoint 20-what-style-huh?
2010-style workflows Several useful, well-built sub-processes (e.g. Approval Process)
Many 3rd-Party add-ons (e.g. HarePoint Workflow Extensions)
Linear execution (no looping)
No copy/paste within or across workflows
2013-style workflows Looping
State machine
Copy/paste
Sub-processes not as built-out or configurable
Workflow Creation Tools
Web Browser
SharePoint Designer
Visio
InfoPath (2010-style workflows)
Visual Studio
3rd-Party Tools & Add-Ons
Out-of-the-Box Workflows
Approval – Routes a document or item to a group of people for approval.
Collect Feedback – Routes a document or item to a group of people for feedback. Reviewers can provide feedback, which is then compiled and sent to the person who initiated the workflow. By default, the Collect Feedback workflow is associated with the Document content type, and therefore it is automatically available in document libraries.
Disposition Approval – Manages document expiration and retention by letting participants to decide whether to keep or delete expired documents. The Disposition Approval workflow supports record management processes and is intended for use primarily in a Records Center site.
Collect Signatures – Routes a document that was created in a Microsoft application to a group of people to collect their digital signatures.
Three-state – Designed to track the status of a list item through three states (phases). It can be used to manage business processes that require organizations to track a high volume of issues or items, such as customer support issues, sales leads, or project tasks.
DEMO
OOB Workflow Limitations
Limited email customizationNo process customizationLimited information gathering optionsNo control over workflow logicCan’t alter library or list items
SharePoint Designer Workflows
Customize workflow logic
Pull data from libraries and lists
Send emails
Dynamically build workflow email bodies
Manage approval processes
Add/Update/Delete list items
Write messages to the Workflow History log
Use task forms to gather information
DEMO
SharePoint Designer Workflow Limitations
Limited to actions availableLimited text processing capabilities in 2010, somewhat
better in 2013Line-of-Business system integration optionsScheduled executionNo interaction with lists outside of immediate site (2010)Must use REST web services to work with lists outside of
immediate site (2013)
Watch Out For
Workflow History purgingSharePoint Designer workflow size limitationsHTML in workflow emailsUse of InfoPath (it’s being end-of-life’d)No version control (cannot easily revert back to previous
version)
Don’t Let the Negativity Get You Down!
SharePoint workflows are very useful even without code95%+ of the workflow use cases I’ve encountered can be
done with OOB workflows or SharePoint DesignerBasic workflows are easy to build and useUpgrade well from version-to-version (knock on wood)
Q&A
THANK YOU
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