Question

A workflow to help staff choose a template?

Workflow Version 9

Updated September 12, 2014

asked on September 8, 2014

Has anyone already designed a workflow that would help staff decide which template to choose on a new document? If so, would they be willing to share their design?

I would like the workflow to walk staff through a number of questions which they would answer with Yes or No, which would guide them through a bunch of decision choices until they get to the right template choice. This would be for beginners and would only be activated by them, if they felt they needed the help.

The attached document is a flow chart that gives an idea of the types of choices they would need to make.

Template Decision Flow Chart.pdf (115.56 KB)

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replied on September 8, 2014

You could also create this flowchart as a business process. Each 'node' of the flowchart would become a business process step with a wait condition and routing decision. The instructions for that step can entered in the BP step. The wait and routing activities could either be decided by a Yes/No field you add and have your staff change, or by actually having them edit the template field if they should or add a 'No' tag if they shouldn't.

I've modeled a barebones version of the first two steps of your flowchart, and attached what the instructions might look like inside the BP details.

Which Template to Use.png (31.04 KB)

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Which_Template_to_Use_Instruction.png (57.35 KB)

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replied on September 11, 2014

Kevin, I'm wondering if a combination of the BP as you suggest, plus the creation of fields in the WF such as mentioned in my last post might be the best option? I'm trying to find the solution with the fewest steps for my staff. It would mean they wouldn't be using my preset templates, but I'm not sure that would really be a negative.

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replied on September 11, 2014

Hmm it sounds like you have more experience with dynamic fields than I do. What you suggested sounds like it would work well, and it being a business process would ensure that the new employees can call it when they need it and it won't start running at other times, so it sounds good to me!

One final thing you could do if you wanted to be sure and cover all your bases is also have the workflow also link the flowchart to the document they're calling the workflow on. That way you could have slightly shorter dynamic fields/instructions but still have the flowchart easily available if they get really stuck.

I'm excited to see what you come up with!

LinkToFlowChart.png (7.53 KB)

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replied on September 12, 2014

Kevin, I can use dynamic fields in the template fields, and a similar process in LF forms, but the flow chart is just an excel spreadsheet. I don't see how the Link to Flow Chart would help them, as they can just pick up the paper copy to refer to. This process I'm thinking of would be for those who don't like the Flow Chart (knowing that different individuals have different learning skills -- some are visual, some are logical or tactile learners, etc).

When you say, "...what you suggested sounds like it would work well..." were you referring to the idea of having them pick out a bunch of fields out of a list and letting WF just add those fields to the document? I like this idea, but I'm not sure how to set up WF to let them pick (like radio buttons)... unless maybe I incorporate the LF Forms process into the BP with the Form results somehow being picked up by the WF in order to create the fields or attach the resulting template.

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replied on September 12, 2014

What I was thinking of was you assigning a new template to the blank document with one field, the "TemplatePickerField", which would be a multi-value text field (possibly dynamic). Each line would be a short description of what the document would have to be for each template to be applicable, and if they chose that answer, the WF would assign the corresponding template. The dynamic fields would help with flow charts with multiple branches, such as correspondence.

I've attached what I thought it might be and non-dynamic multi-field idea.

Also I had to suggest Link to Flow Chart as the paperless alternative :)

TemplatePicker.png (14.82 KB)

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Multi-value_field.png (2.91 KB)

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replied on September 12, 2014

Ahhh... I think I'm going to have to mull this one over. I have to put this aside for today, but I'll explore the multiple ideas mentioned throughout all of these posts and see if I can't narrow it down to the simplest solution. I'll post again when I've got something.

Thanks to both of you for your ideas!

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replied on September 8, 2014 • Show version history

Try a processing queue for people to assign templates to documents after it's inside the repository. Add a toolbar icon in the document viewer for them to click and have it pass the entry ID into a LF Form for referencing. You can then implement the flow chart as a way of presenting them options and then the fields for a template that should be assigned to the document. When they submit, have a workflow take that information, find the Entry based on ID, and then apply the proper metadata information.

This would be my recommendation on how you might want to implement a solution like that. Or you can just give them that flow chart and have them use it while assigning metadata

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replied on September 11, 2014

I'm sorry, I just can't image this process. It does remind me, though, of how smoothly the dynamic fields process works, where choices out of a short list bring you to another group of choices, and another group of choices, until you end up with the right choice. I know I can do that within a template and within LF Forms (and have done both), but I don't know how to do that for this purpose.

I wonder if a WF could create the template when... Have a WF activated on every new document that would simply ask them to pick fields out of a list that would apply to their document. When they click finished, the template opens and they fill in the spots. Possible? Or are there reasons not to do this?

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replied on September 12, 2014

After looking at this again, I realize you're suggesting I actually use LF Forms for this instead of Workflow? I guess I could have them use the form process to arrive at the decision, have it display the final answer (which would be just an instruction to "... use the Legal Document template...". They would then close and go to their document to make that choice and fill in the fields.

I wouldn't want any actual form created out of this though, it's just to help them make the decision so... how would they close out without LF Forms creating anything or sending anything? Just not have a submit button, or...?

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replied on September 11, 2014

Hi Connie,

If your question has been answered, please let us know by clicking the "This answered my question" button on the response.

If you still need assistance with this matter, just update this thread. Thanks!

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A workflow to help staff choose a template?

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