Using SharePoint to augment and enhance an existing business process.

1. Augmenting Business Process
with SharePoint
Donald Donais

2. Avtex IT Pro Consultant
ddonais@avtex.com
Blog – Tales from IT Side
http://talesfromitside.wordpress.com
Twitter
@dondonais
LinkedIn
Don Donais
Donald Donais

3. • Business Process Management
• Crawl, Walk, Run Approach
• Crawl
 OOB SharePoint Workflows
• Walk
 SharePoint Designer 2010
 3rd Party Vendor Workflow Products
Overview

4. Business Process Management
A series of
Actions, directed
toward a specific
aim or goal
What is a
Process?
Activities or set
of Activities that
accomplish
Business Goals
What is
Business
Process?
Systematic
approach looking
at org workflow
more effectively,
by reducing
human error
What is
Business
Process
Mgt?

5. • June 20th, 2011 Assoc. for Information and
Image Management (AIIM)
• SharePoint Survey – Expectation for future
users
• #1 – “Lack of strategic plans on what to use it
for” with to SharePoint
** https://www.nothingbutsharepoint.com/sites/eusp/Pages/SharePoint-and-BPM-
Whats-your-Strategy.aspx
BPM Survey

6. Which of the following types of add-on packages
planning to use with SharePoint?
Survey Continued
#3
#2
#1
Workflow
/BPM Search
/Analytics Secure
&
Rights
Mgt

7. Which of the following process have you
automated with SharePoint
Survey Continued
#3
#2
#1
Project
Mgt Internal
IT
Support
Other
LOB
Processes

8. Tips when Automating Business
Process
• Make sure to define the process
• Define reasons for automation
• Necessary to define initial investment and maintenance costs
• Do not automate every step in the process
• Take the time to analyze potential ROI from process
automation
• Make sure to consider the human element within process

9. Approaching SharePoint Workflows
Crawl, Walk, Run…

10. Crawl
• Out of the Box Workflows

11. Walk
• Introduce SharePoint Designer 2007-2013
 Workflows
 CodePlex Actions
• Introduce 3rd Party Workflow Tools 2007-2013
• Use Visio Services to Visualize Business
Processes 2010 & 2013

12. Run
• Develop more robust workflows
• .NET workflows
• Integrated systems
• Custom .NET Actions and Conditions for
SharePoint Designer
• Advanced 3rd Party Workflow Tools

13. Why Workflow?
• One version of the truth
• Flexibility
• Auditability

14. Basic Workflow Capabilities
• Start Workflow Manually or Automatically
• Visibility into Running Workflows
• Collection of Historical Workflow Data
– Status of approval, errors,…
• Stop (or Terminate) a Running Workflow
• Tight Integration with Office

15. Understanding The Workflow Lifecycle
• Association
 When a workflow is associated with a list
 Data can be associated with the workflow
• Initiation
 When the workflow is first started on a list item
 Data can be associated with the instance of the workflow
• Running
 Status page reflects state of the workflow
 User primarily interacts via Tasks
• Termination
 End an instance of a workflow
• Remove Association
Association Initiation Running Termination
Remove
Association

16. Workflows 2007
Out of the
Box
SharePoint
Designer
2007
Visual
Studio
2005 &
2008

17. Workflows 2010
• Out of the Box
 New Site Level Workflows
 Customizable with SharePoint Designer
 Visualization with Visio 2010
• SharePoint Designer
 Parallel Execution Paths
 Reusable Workflow
 Visualization/Design with Visio
 Exportable to Visual Studio
• Visual Studio Workflow
 Built-in Deployment/Debugging Tools
 Workflow Events
 Pluggable Workflow Services

18. Workflows 2013
• Out of the Box
 Visualization with Visio 2013
• SharePoint Designer
 Visual Designer
 Can use Stages to develop Workflow
 Web Service calls from within the Workflow
 Loops & GoTo actions added
 Finally- Copy and Paste is available!
• Visual Studio Workflow
 Built on Windows Workflow Foundation 4
 Visual Designer environment like SPD
 Forms are not created in InfoPath – ASP.NET forms

19. Site Content Types
Lists and Libraries
Lists
Publishing
•Approval
•Collect Feedback
•Collect Signatures
•Disposition Approval
•Approval
•Collect Feedback
•Collect Signatures
•Disposition Approval
•Three State*
•Translation Management
•Publishing Approval
*WSS 3.0
Out Of the Box SharePoint 2007

20. Site Content Types
Lists and Libraries
Lists
Publishing
•Three State*
•Approval – SharePoint 2010
•Collect Feedback – SharePoint 2010
•Collect Signatures – SharePoint 2010
•Disposition Approval
•Three State*
•Approval – SharePoint 2010
•Collect Feedback – SharePoint 2010
•Collect Signatures – SharePoint 2010
•Disposition Approval
•Three State
•Translation Management
•Publishing Approval
* SharePoint Foundation
Out Of the Box SharePoint 2010 & 2013

21. Out of the Box Workflows

22. SharePoint Designer 2007
• Next version of FrontPage!
• UI comprised of multiple panels
• Only Compatible with SharePoint 2007 (all versions)
• Allow Users to Create Workflows
• Associate Workflow to List or Library
• Workflow Designer
• Conditions & Actions – Augmented by
CodePlex

23. SharePoint Designer 2010
• Redesigned for SharePoint 2010
• New UI
• Only Compatible with SharePoint 2010
• Allow Users to Create New Workflows
• Associate Workflow to List, Library or
Reusable (Content Types)
• Import/Export to Visio
• New Workflow Designer Wizard

24. SharePoint Designer 2010 and Visio Workflows

25. Let’s set it up!
• Sales Documents Process
• If Expense is >$1000 then . . .
• Automatically approved if less
• Manager Approved and email Sales and VP of
Sales

26. • Bring in the Reinforcements!
• You are here because:
 Missing Specific Feature
 SharePoint Designer Missing Action
 Custom Data or Actions Needed
 Existing Windows Workflow Investment
 State Machine Workflow Requirement
 Expose the Full Power of .NET
• Word of Warning – There is a steep learning
curve
Custom .NET Workflow

27. • Windows Workflow Foundation
• Its not just a SharePoint Platform
 Built into .NET 3.0
Custom .NET Workflow – The Platform

28. • Workflow a Core .NET Feature
 Workflow can be ‘hosted’ anywhere
 SharePoint was Microsoft’s first host (CRM 4 uses
it now too)
• Custom applications can host it as well
• Standardized Format
 XML based file format (XOML)
• Widespread Availability
Workflow – Platform Implications

29. • Nintex
 Workflow
 Forms
 Live
• K2
 Blackpearl
 Blackpoint
 K2 SmartForms
3rd Party SharePoint Workflows

30. • Visual Designer
based in SharePoint
• Implement workflow
logic without code
 Also has Visual
Studio integration
• Rich visual designer
from SharePoint
• Connect to AD or
LOB data sources
K2

31. • Expand workflows
beyond SharePoint
Designer
• Implement workflow
logic without code
• Rich visual designer
from SharePoint
• Connect to AD or LOB
data sources
Nintex

32. • Small Installation Footprint
• Start in SharePoint, stay in SharePoint
• Document Assembly and Conversion
• User Defined Actions (UDA)
• Lazy Approval
• Workflow Change Approval
Nintex

33. Nintex Workflow 2010

34. SharePoint Workflow:
• Workflow Resource Center | SharePoint 2010 (Dev):
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/hh295805
• Workflows in SharePoint Server 2010: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-
us/sharepoint/ff819861
SharePoint 2010:
• SharePoint 2010: http://sharepoint2010.microsoft.com
• SharePoint MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/sharepoint/default.aspx
Resources

35. SharePoint 2013:
• Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 Preview Evaluation Resources:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/hh973398.aspx
• SharePoint 2013 MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/jj162979(v=office.15).aspx
Workflow 3rd Party Vendors:
• Nintex: http://www.Nintex.com
• K2: http://www.K2.com
Resources Continued

36. Questions?

37. Donald Donais
ddonais@avtex.com
Blog – Tales from IT Side
http://talesfromitside.wordpress.com
Twitter
@dondonais
LinkedIn
Don Donais