Workflows in Genius Project – Genius Project Help Center

The workflow is an integral part of document management. It is the modeling of a work process that defines how documents inside a workgroup pass from one status & participant to another according to a predefined set of rules. These predefined rules:

Assign each status a name that clearly defines its function,
Specify how to proceed to the next status,
List all of the available statuses following the current one,
Indicate who the document will be assigned to as it moves from one status to the next,
List who will be notified of a document’s status change and who will be able to edit the document.

In Geniusproject, creating a workflow consists of first defining all of the possible document statuses, and then linking them together as a workflow.

It is possible to define workflows for several types of documents in Geniusproject:

Project request documents,
Cost documents,
Plan documents,
Project progress report documents,
Risk documents,
Deliverable documents (default workflow available),
Issue report documents (default workflow available),
All Generic documents whose types are defined in the Keywords & Labels setup document.

Defining a Workflow

To begin it is necessary to create a workflow definition to specify the type of workflow being created, i.e. Contract.

Navigate to the Setup & Administration module of the Projects database, Setup tab. Select «Workflow» from the «Setup» view.

Click New workflow from the action menu bar.

A new “Workflow settings – Definition” document will open.

Fields	Use
Name	The name of the workflow. i.e. Contract
Default status	The default status upon creation of each new document following this workflow. Documents are considered as actively passing through the workflow cycle as soon as a default status is set; therefore it is automatic when the status is defined in the setup. Only one default status can exist per workflow. It is not required to specify a default status for a workflow. The 'Workflow - Status' setup documents must be defined in advance in order to select a status.
Initial status	If the default status field has been left blank, and an initial status has been defined, the user will be able to set the workflow status for each new document when they are ready. Only once a document has been placed in the initial status will it be considered as actively passing through the workflow cycle. Only one initial status can be available per workflow. If there is no default status, the initial status will be the status which will begin the workflow. The 'Workflow - Status' setup documents must be defined beforehand. If both default and initial statuses are defined, the default status overrides the initial status.
Project leaders managers	When checked, project leaders will have administrative workflow rights for all documents following this workflow for their projects. They will see the administrator menu allowing them to change a document’s status (i.e. changing to any status, whatever the current status).
Comment	Free text to enter any needed comment about the workflow.

Complete the form but note that the default and/or initial statuses can only be defined once the workflow’s statuses are defined (see below).
Save and close the document.

Defining Statuses

Once the workflow definition has been created, it is time to list all of the possible statuses a document can pass through when following the workflow.

A best practise when going through this exercise is to define all workflow statuses on paper, and then create them in Geniusproject beginning with the final status and ending with the first status.

To define a status:

Remain in the Workflow view,
Select the newly created workflow definition by placing a check in the box next to its title, and click New status on the action menu bar

The ‘Workflow settings – Status’ document will open; complete the form:

Fill out the fields accordingly, starting with the ‘General’ tab.

Fields	Use
Label	The status name. Mandatory
Code	The status code determines each individual status’ place in the list of statuses. i.e. 1-10. This is transparent to the end user and is only for setup purposes. Mandatory.
Generic status	Defines the status of the document in the system. Possible values are: Stand-by: the document is not yet ready to be processed. To accomplish: someone must perform an action while the document is in this status. In progress: an action is being performed while the document is in this status. To be approved: the document must be approved while in this status.
	Denied: the document has been denied. Completed: the workflow is completed. Cancelled: the workflow was cancelled. The generic statuses are used for Deliverables and Issue report documents.
Final status	Used to indicate if this is the final status of the workflow. This option is only editable if the generic status is set to 'Completed' or 'Cancelled'; if it is set to any of the other generic status options, the value for this field will be ‘No’ and will not be editable. If the value is set to 'Yes', the fields 'How to change to the next status?', 'Approval system', 'Multiples assignments' and 'Selection' are hidden.
How to change to the next status?	This option is used to define how a document will be changed from the current status to the next status. The options are: Status list: The user will see a list of statuses to choose from. Approve/Deny: The user will be able to approve or deny the document in this status.
Approval system	The rules of approval when one or more people are requested to approve a document. Options are: One master: the document’s status changes as soon as one resource changes the status. This option is automatic if the workflow’s mode is 'Status list' or if 'Multiples assignments' is 'No'. Parallel: visible only if 'Multiples assignments' is 'Yes' and the workflow’s mode is 'Approve/Deny'. All of the assigned resources can update the document concurrently. Do not use this option if users are working on different replicas of the database, because this can lead to replication conflicts. Serial: visible only if 'Multiples assignment' is 'Yes' and the workflow’s mode is 'Approve/Deny'. The first resource on the list is assigned to the document. Once the resource approves or denies the document, it is assigned to the next resource of the list. This process continues until all resources in the list have reviewed the document, except when the option 'Document denied' is 'From first deny'.
Multiples assignments	Defines whether the document can be assigned to multiple people for approval. Indication of who the assigned resource(s) will be is done on the ‘Resource responsible’ tab. Yes: allows the document to be assigned to multiple resources at once, and to select from the multiple assignments' options on the ‘Resource responsible” tab. For example: Author and Project leader and Roles. No: only allows the document to be assigned to one resource for approval
Selection	Visible only if 'Multiples assignments' is set to 'Yes'. Indicates how the system will indentify the multiple resources assigned to approve the document. Options are: By the user: the user will select among the list of possible resources. All the possible values: the document is assigned to all of the resources on the list. The user does not have to select resources.
Reply delay	Indicates how much time the assigned resource (see the 'Responsible resources' section) has to process the document. The value must be numeric and is measured by one of the following unit options: None: if a value was entered in the main field, then it will be removed. Days: the number of days the user has to process the document Hours: the number of hours the user has to process the document When the designated time has passed (plus possibly a certain amount of additional days depending on the settings in the General setup document) the document is considered as delayed and a bomb icon is displayed in the view beside it (see E-mail notifications, calendar integration and alarms for more information). Note: When defining workflows for Deliverable documents, this parameter should be set to 'None' not to override the planned dates specified in the document, especially for the My work views
Icon number	A number corresponding to an icon found in the table of available icons when clicking on the icon. The selected icon should be indicative of the current status and will appear beside the document in the 'Workflow' and 'Documents' views when it is in this status.

Once the fields are completed, move on to the ‘Requirements to access this status’ tab.

Validation Formula

This status is available only if the result of each formulas is @True or if there is no formula defined (a user with the role [COP_MANAGERS] always views all the statuses).

The list of unavailable statuses is displayed in the dialog box allowing a user to change a document status.

Fields	Use
Message	Message displayed if the formula result of the formula is not true. Mandatory.
Formula	The validation formula. The formula's format is the Formula language (see the 'Lotus Domino Designer Help' for more information). The formula must return either @True or @False. Examples: ActualCost > 10000 SignatureField != "" Clicking on the icon checks the syntax of the selected formula.
Button icons	The icon allows for the addition of a pair 'Message' - 'Formula' defined above. The icon allows for the removal of a pair from the list. The icon allows for the replacement of the selected value with the value in the corresponding input field above. The and icons allows the user to change the order of the values. An entire row must be selected by clicking in the left box.

Move on to the ‘Responsible resources’ tab. A status can be assigned to just one or several resources. If assigned to several resources it is possible to limit the choices to a subset of possible values to be selected by the user. The possible assignments are defined on the Responsible resources tab.

The following table only shows the message 'Not applicable to a final status' when the field 'Final status' is set to 'Yes'.

Fields	Use
Resources	The resources that will be or can be assigned to the document when it arrives in this status, depending on the choice made in the field 'Selection'. No assignment: The document is not assigned. Automatic when the document is in a final status (no possible next status). Author: The document’s author. Resources: All the resources published in the database. Do not change: Keep the same assignment as the in previous status. Roles: All the resources having the roles selected in the 'Roles' field below for the concerned project. Names: The resources selected in 'Names' field below. Formula: The resources returned by the evaluation of the formula defined in the 'Formula' field below. <List of participants>: All the fields of the 'Participants' section of the Project description document, as listed in the Keywords & Labels setup document. The possible assignments will then come from the contents of the selected fields at the time the status is changed. Resources added in the fields afterwards will not be added to the assignments. The default status is always assigned to the document author. The options 'Resources', 'Do not change' and 'No assignment' cannot be selected for the default status. The option 'Resources' with the selection mode 'All the possible values' will assign the document to all the database resources
Roles	If roles were defined in the project using Role documents, the document can be assigned to resources having one of the selected roles in the concerned project.
Names	Allows the selection of specific resources directly from the resources published in this database.
Formula	This formula must return an array of resource names. The format of the name must be the same as in the 'User name' field of the 'Resource' document (abbreviated user name). The formula's format is the Formula language (see the 'Lotus Domino Designer Help' for more information). Clicking on the icon checks the syntax of the selected formula. Clicking on the icon tries to execute the formula. But it will not return any usable result if based on fields that resides in the concerned document.

Continue on to the ‘Remark’ tab to define whether users can, or must include a remark when submitting a document to this status.

Fields	Use
Remark	The user may enter a remark when he/she moves a document to this status. Options are: None: the user cannot enter a remark Mandatory: the user must enter a remark, at least one character Optional: the user has the option to enter a remark, but it is not required Radio button.
Type	How the remark will be captured. Options are: Free text: the user inputs free text. Predefined list: the user can choose from a predefined list of remarks. Checkbox: if both options are selected, then the user will have the option to choose between a predefined remark or free text, or both.
*Predefined remarks (1 line per remark)**	Visible only if the field 'Type' is set to 'Predefined list'. The list of remarks that will be available to the user to choose from Each line is considered as a remark. Lines are separated with a carriage return.

Move on to the ‘Next status’ tab to define what status a document will be submitted to from this status. If this status is the final status for the workflow, the following message will be displayed.

If “Status list’ is selected for the 'How to change to the next status?’ field on the ‘General’ tab, then only one field will be available to configure:

Fields

Use

Next status

One or several statuses can follow the current status.

If no status is defined in this list, the current status is considered as a final status in the workflow, and should be put in the corresponding generic status.

If ‘Approve/Deny’ is selected for the 'How to change to the next status?’ field on the ‘General’ tab:

Fields	Use
Next status if accepted	Only visible if the option 'Approve/Deny' was selected in the 'How to change to the next status?’ field on the ‘General’ tab. The status the document will be in if it is approved.
Next status if denied	Only visible if the option 'Approve/Deny' was selected in the 'How to change to the next status?' field on the ‘General’ tab. The status the document will be in if it is denied.
Document denied	Only visible if the option 'Approve/Deny' was chosen in the 'How to change to the next status?' field on the ‘General’ tab. From first deny: the document is denied as soon as one resource denies it. If there is at least a denial at the end: if the document has been assigned to multiple resources to review, it is denied when everybody has processed the document and at least one resource has denied it. If there is a denial majority at the end: if the document has been assigned to multiple resources to approve, it is denied when everybody has reviewed it and there are more denials then approvals.

Customizable Labels

Fields	Use
Action Approve	The text that will appear in the workflow dialog box once the [Approve] button was clicked.
History Approved	The text that will appear in the workflow history once the document was approved.
Action Deny	The text that will appear in the workflow dialog box once the [Deny] button was clicked.
History Denied	The text that will appear in the workflow history once the document was denied.

Move on to the Update of the document tab. If the field ‘Document editable in this status’ is set to no, then it will be the only field on the tab.

Otherwise

Fields	Use
Document editable in this status	Indicates whether the document can be modified while in this status or not. The document may still be in edit mode when using the [Edit] action, however the contents will be locked.
Resources authorized to modify the document	Visible only if the field 'Document editable in this status' is set to 'Yes'. Indicates who is authorized to edit a document when in this status. Possible options are: Assigned resources: The resources assigned to the document. The author: The author of the document. Project leader & substitutes: The project leader and the project leader substitutes.
Roles authorized to modify the document	Visible only if the field 'Document editable in this status' is set to 'Yes'. If roles were defined for the project the document belongs to, project resources with one of the selected roles will be authorized to modify the document.
Roles of the ACL authorized to modify the document. (only for IBM Notes version)	It allows the resources having one of the selected roles in the database ACL to modify the document. Visible only if the field 'Document editable in this status' is set to 'Yes'. If roles were defined in the database ACL, resources with one of the selected roles will be authorized to modify the document.
Keep a version of the document before passing in this status	If this option is set to 'Yes', a version of the document is kept before going to the next status.

Repeat these steps for each new status to be created as part of the workflow. Once all statuses are defined, the Workflow - Definition document must be edited again to set the default status and/or the initial status.

Creating Workflow Actions

In addition to creating the different statuses, it is also possible to create a series of actions to be triggered whenever a document enters, leaves or is saved in a new status.

To define an action and all of its parameters:

Navigate to the Setup & Administration module of the Projects database, Setup tab
Select Workflow from the Setup view
Locate the desired Workflow definition from the list and expand it to display all of its statuses.

The association of a workflow to a document type is done in the Document type setup documents.

Select the status the new action will be created for by placing a check in the box next to its title.

Click New action on the action menu bar.

A Workflow settings – Action document will open.

Fields	Use
Active	Yes or No Select Yes to enable the action
Order	Indicates in which order actions should be executed if there are several for a single status.
When	Used to set the trigger for the action. Options are: When arriving in this status: Once a document has been placed in this status, the action will be executed When leaving this status: When a document is leaving this status, the action will be executed When saving in this status: Once a document has been placed in this status, the action will be executed
When the previous/next status is	Only visible if the 'When' field is set to 'When arriving in this status' or 'When leaving this status'. If the 'When' field is set to 'When arriving in this status', it can be specified in which of the previous statuses the document must have been in, in order for the action to be executed. If the 'When' field is set to 'When leaving this status', it can be specified in which of the next statuses the document must have been sent to, in order for the action to be executed. If left empty, the action will be executed regardless of what the previous/next status is.
When the condition is fulfilled	Allows entering a formula that must evaluate to @True or @False. The action will be performed only if the result of the formula is @True.
Action	The type of action to be performed if the condition set in the previous field is true. Options are: Run a formula: will run the formula defined in the following field. Send an e-mail: will send an email notification. If several types of notifications must be sent (to accomplish, for information, etc.) then one action must be created for each notification type. Run an agent: will execute the specified agent. Create a document: will create a Generic document. Change the status of an existing document: will trigger the workflow of another document. The contents of the next table will depend on the selected value.

Run a Formula

Only if the selected option in the Action field is Run a formula, will the formula fields be visible.

Fields

Use

Description

Description of the formula that will be launched.

Formula

The formula's format is the Formula language (see the 'Lotus Domino Designer Help' for more information).

Different formulas can be separated with a new line. Each formula is executed in its own context, so keep the formulas using temporary variables on one line.

From the 'Lotus Domino Designer Help': @Functions that affect the user interface do not work in the Evaluate method. These include: @Command, @DbManager, @DbName, @DbTitle, @DDEExecute, @DDEInitiate, @DDEPoke, @DDETerminate, @DialogBox, @PickList, @PostedCommand, @Prompt, and @ViewTitle.

To change a field value only use the syntax function @SetField. The syntax 'FIELD xxx :=' is not supported.

Examples:

temp := Cost1+Cost2; @SetField("TotalCost"; @If(@IsError(temp); 0; temp))

@SetField("CloseOriginal"; "1");

Clicking on the icon checks the syntax of the selected formula.

Clicking on the icon tests the selected formula, but will not give the actual result if dependent on the user or on fields in the document.

Send an E-mail

If the selected option in the Action field is Send an E-mail, the e-mail option fields will be visible.

Fields	Use
To the assigned resources	'Yes' or 'No'. If 'Yes', a notification will be sent to the assigned resources. The content of the notification e-mail is determined by the upcoming template field.
Resources	E-mail notifications will\be sent to the selected resources at the time the status is changed. Resources added in the fields afterwards will not receive a notification. Options are: Author: The document’s author. <List of participants>: All of the fields from the 'Participants' section of the Project description document, as listed in the Keywords & Labels setup document.
Roles	If roles were defined in the project using Role documents, it allows for a notification to be sent to the resources having one of the selected roles.
Other	Allows for the selection of specific resources directly from the resources published in this database.
Formula	This formula must return an array of resource names. The format of the name must be the same as in the 'User name' field of the 'Resource' document (abbreviated user name). The formula's format is the Formula language (see the 'Lotus Domino Designer Help' for more information).
Template	The E-mail template that will be used for the notification. The e-mail templates are defined in the 'Portfolio' database. Mandatory.

Run an Agent

The following fields are visible if Run an agent is selected in the Action field.

Fields

Use

Description

Free description of the agent that will be launched.

Agent

An agent name or a formula.

The formula's format is the Formula language (see the 'Lotus Domino Designer Help' for more information).

Different formulas can be separated with a new line. Each formula is executed in its own context, so keep the formulas using temporary variables on one line.

To change a field value only use the syntax function @SetField. The syntax 'FIELD xxx :=' is not supported.

Examples:

temp := Cost1+Cost2; @SetField("TotalCost"; @If(@IsError(temp); 0; temp))

@SetField("CloseOriginal"; "1");

The formula must evaluate to an agent name.

Clicking on the icon checks the syntax of the formula.

Clicking on the icon tests the formula, but will not give the actual result if dependent on the user or on fields in the document.

Create a Document

The following fields are visible if ‘Create a document” is selected in the ‘Action’ field.

Fields	Use
Mandatory document	'Yes' or 'No'. Indicates if the document creation must be performed or if it is optional. If optional, then a confirmation will be asked of the user. In the Web client, this option is ignored and the document is always created.
Type	The type of the document that will be created. Single selection field. The options are the document types specified in the Keywords & Labels setup document.
Template	This field is only visible depending on the selected document type. Options are the available templates for the selected document type in the previous field. The option 'Use the global templates' is available if a ‘Template database’ was identified in the General setup document.
Author	To identify the author of the new document. Options are: Current user: The user performing the status change. <List of participants>: All of the options in the 'Participants' section of the Project description document, as listed in the Keywords & Labels setup document. The authors will be the users specified in the selected fields. Note: Resources added to these fields afterwards will not be included as authors.
Title	The title of the document. Free text; mandatory.

Change the Status of an Existing Document

The following options are available if “Change the status of an existing document’ is selected in the ‘Action’ field.

Note: This action cannot modify the current document. It will raise an error, as the document is instantiated in the interface.

Fields	Use
Type	The type of the document that must be changed. Please note that the selected document type must have an associated workflow in order for this to work.
Document phase	The phase where to look for the document that is to be changed. Single selection field. Options are: Any: the application will look for the document in any phase. Current phase: the application will look in the same phase as the current document. Next phase: the application will look in the phase following the one the current document is in Global phase: the application will look in the [Global] phase; across all project phases
Current status	The status the document must be in to be processed. Single selection field. Options are: Empty: the document will be processed if not already in the workflow. Any: the document will be processed in any status. List of status: the document will be processed only if in the selected status. The list of statuses comes from the workflow associated to the document type.
Next status	The status the document will be placed in. Single selection field. The list of statuses comes from the workflow associated to the document type.
Multiple documents	Indicates what to do if more than one document of the given type is found. Single selection field. Options are: Modify the first document: only the first document matching the criteria will be modified. Modify all documents: all documents matching the criteria will be modified. Do not modify any document: none of the documents matching the criteria will be modified.

Associating a Workflow to a Document

Once a Workflow Definition and all of its statuses and actions have been completed, all that remains is to associate the Workflow with the document type it belongs to. I.e. if the workflow is for a contract revision, then it is not necessary to associate the workflow with the Contract document type.

To associate a workflow to a document type:

Navigate to the [Setup & Administration] module of the Projects database, Setup tab
Select «Document types» from the contextual navigation menu; all of the document types will be listed in the content window

Locate the document type the Workflow is to be associated to and expand it by clicking the icon.
Open the record that is displayed in edit mode

In the Associated workflow field, select the desired workflow from the dropdown list

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