Using SharePoint Designer 2013 to create Workflows Present and Future

1. Using SharePoint Designer
2013 to create Workflows:
Present & Future
Penelope Coventry

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3. Speaker Bio
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PPP Consulting Ltd
Microsoft MVP SharePoint Server
MCSE: SharePoint
Independent Consultant
Author/Co-author of 10+ SharePoint Books
Trainer
Worked with SharePoint since 2001
Based in UK, work in Europe & US
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Blogs/Web Site
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http://www.sharepointdesignerstepbystep.com/
Twitter: @pjcov

4. Agenda
Change Request Process
Advance Task Actions
Loops
SharePoint 2013 Solution

5. Change Management Process:
How You Think It Works
1.IT Support Raises Change Request
2.Change Request Approved by
Technical Reviewer (TR)
3.Change Request Approved by
Change Control Board (CCB)
4.Change
Completed
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6. Change Management Process:
What Really Happens
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IT Support raises change request
Technical Reviewer wants more information
IT Support provides information
Technical Reviewer approves change request
Change Control Board rejects change request
IT Support amends change request
Technical Reviewer rejects change request
IT Support who is dealing with the change is on leave
and change request passed to another IT Support
Person
And so on…
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7. Demo: Change Management
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Change Request
Technical
Review
Change Control
Board
Research
Needed

8. Change Request Solution: Walkthrough
SHAREPOINT 2010 WORKFLOW

9. Agenda
Change Request Process
Advance Task Actions
Loops
SharePoint 2013 Solution

10. Key Component:
Advanced Task Actions
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Not available in SharePoint Foundation
Deprecated in 2013 but still present in 2010-style
workflows
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Based on in-the-box approval workflows
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Start Approval Process
Start Feedback Process
Start Custom Task Process (build your own)
Can modify in SharePoint Designer
Included as Sub Process within your Workflow
Your Workflow pauses until Task Action Completes
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11. Start Task Action Behaviour
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Behaves like Built-in Workflow, e.g.,
Approval – SharePoint 2010
Includes
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Basic Workflow Conditions/Actions
New category of task actions
Needs to be Configured
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Reviewers
Serial (Default) or Parallel
Dates for Task Completion
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12. Task Process Model
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13. Three Levels Of Customization
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Behaviour of Over All Task Process
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When the Task Process Starts
When the Task Process is Running
When Item is Deleted
When Item is Changed
When the Task Process is Cancelled
When the Task Process Completes
Behaviour of Single Task
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Before a Task is Assigned
When A Task is Pending
When A Task Expires
When A Task is Deleted
When A Task Completes
Completion Conditions for Task Process
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Run every time an individual Task item is completed.
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14. Task Behaviour Actions
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End Task Process
Set Content Approval
Status (as author)
Wait for Change in
Task Process Item
Wait for Deletion in
Task Process Item
Set Task Field
Rescind Task
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Append Task
Delegate Task
Escalate Task
Forward Task
Insert Task
Reassign Task
Request a Change
Send Task Email
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15. Customizing the Start Approval Process
SHAREPOINT 2010 WORKFLOW

16. Agenda
Change Request Process
Advance Task Actions
Loops
SharePoint 2013 Solution

17. Looping
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Needed:
Variable
Loop
Switch
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No
While /
For / Until
Yes
Steps:
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Set Variable to Initial State Immediately Before Loop
Put a Switch inside Loop
Switch Evaluates Variable and Branches Accordingly
When you need to Change State,
Change the Value of Variable
Wait for looping to occur
Make Sure at Least One of the States Causes Loop
to End

18. Can You Do This In SharePoint 2010
Workflows?
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One Column to Store Current State
One Startup workflow, One Workflow for each State
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• (except the workflow that caused the change to take place, of course)
Each Workflow First checks State Column
• Workflow Instance Terminated if Not Target State
This isn’t practical, though
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Last Step of Each Workflow sets Column Value
All State Workflows Started by Modifying an Item
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It effectively Starts all State workflows (other than the
current one) with Every Change
Complicated to Provide an Audit Trail
Look to Use Advance Task Actions and One to Two
associated (Secondary) Workflows

19. What is A Secondary Workflow?
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When a Workflow (Primary)
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Adds New List Item
Changes the metadata of a List Item
Second Workflow is Triggered by:
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Addition
Change
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20. Using a Secondary Workflow
Primary
Secondary
New CR or CR Status
Changed to
CR Pending
Technical Review
Needed, Primary
Workflow Sets CR
Status
Primary
Workflow
Stops
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Task Item Fields
useful in a
Secondary
Workflow
Secondary Workflow,
sends email to
Change Requester &
waits
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Task Completed
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Workflow Item ID
Workflow List ID
Workflow Name
Secondary
Workflow
Stops
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21. Reusable Workflows
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Greatest Improvement incorporated into SPD
Workflow Templates
Created against a content type
Associated to a list or library
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Needs more thought than when creating a list
workflow
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Uses that content type
Available only within site where reusable workflow created
Associated columns
Association form as well as possibly initiation and task
forms
Basis for Global reusable workflows
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22. Master & Secondary Workflows Working Together
SHAREPOINT 2010 WORKFLOW

23. Agenda
Change Request Process
Advance Task Actions
Loops
SharePoint 2013 Solution

24. How to Redesign the Solution
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Benefits
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Reduce complexity
Eliminate need to end workflow and ask user
to restart
Technique
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Remove task processes
Replace with stages and Start Task actions
Establish transitions between stages

25. Start Task Action

26. What is a Stage?
State
Power On
Transistion
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Button Clicked
Event
Power Off
Button Clicked
Stages (States)
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Logical set of a tightly-coupled group of activities
Transitions
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Conditions that move the workflow to the beginning of
another stage
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27. Benefits of Stages
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Fits both short and long process flows
Users can validate their role in a stage
Easy to add stages without major rework

28. Sequential v Stage Workflows
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Sequential
• Predictable
• Wait, then proceed
• Author controls
process
• Decisions happen
within workflow
• Workflow directs
actions
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Stage
• Event-Driven
• Stay at one stage until
it changes
• Participants control
process
• Decisions happen
outside the workflow
• Workflow governs
actions
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29. Benefits of Stages
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You can avoid:
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A lot of If-Then-Else conditions
A lot of looping
Very confusing diagrams
“GoTo” statements
The “current stage” is useful for
live status updates

30. SharePoint 2013 CR Workflow
Initialise
variables
Technical
Review
Process
If any value equals
value
Yes
If any value equals
value
CCB Review
Process
CR Approved
Workflow
Completed
No
No
If any value equals
value
Yes
Yes
CR Denied
Yes
If any value equals
value
No
Yes
Research
Needed
No
If any value equals
value
No
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31. Redesign Change Request Solution
SHAREPOINT 2013 WORKFLOW

32. Questions
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33. Useful Links
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Workflows in SharePoint 2013
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SharePoint 2013 workflows in Visio
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http://blogs.office.com/b/visio/archive/2012/11/12/sharepoint-2013-workflowsin-visio.aspx
How to create a SharePoint Designer 2013 workflow with app step
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http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sharepointdesigner/archive/2012/11/22/exampleworkflow-with-app-step-usage.aspx
Demand Management, Now with SharePoint Designer
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http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/jj556245.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj163986.aspx
http://blogs.office.com/b/project/archive/2012/09/18/demand-managementsharepoint-designer-project-server.aspx
What’s new in Microsoft Office Developer Tools for Visual Studio 2012,
from a workflow development perspective
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http://www.sharepoint-reference.com/Blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=28
Getting started developing Project Server 2013 workflows
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http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ee767694.aspx

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