Workflows are a series of forms (sent as forms) assigned to various people at different points in time as a result of an action or change in the system. The forms are sent in a specific order based on the day of the event with the subject person always being the person who's profile triggered the event, the respondent can vary.
There are a number of events on platform that can trigger a workflow which we will explain in this article. Each event can have numerous workflows attached to it, but only one workflow can be chosen per a triggered event (i.e. different on-boarding workflow depending on the persons work type). Attaching a workflow to these events ensures you are retrieving all the necessary data and eliminates the risk of a missed step in a process.
This article covers:
- How to Create a Workflow
- How to Edit a Workflow
- How to Trigger a Workflow
- Scheduled Forms from Workflows
How to Create a Workflow
1. Navigate to Engagement >> Workflows.
2. Select Create Workflow.
3. Select the Triggering Event from the dropdown list.
4. Name the new Workflow.
The name chosen here will be visible when triggering a workflow. Keep this in mind when a single event has multiple workflows attached to it ensuring the name is descriptive to the event it is intended for. You can also add further description if required.
5. Select Create.
6. To add forms to the Workflow, click Add Form.
7. Select the first form you would like to add to the workflow from the Form Design dropdown.
It is recommended that all forms you intend to use within a workflow are created prior to creating a new workflow. Refer to Creating a New Form Design for further information on how to do this.
8. Schedule the form.
- Forms can be sent before the event, on the day of the event, or after the event.
If a form is to be sent prior to the date of event and the event is actioned on the system with less days to the event than allocated to the form, it will be sent as soon as the action is made on the platform, ensuring no points of data collection are missed. Refer to example below.
9. Select Add.
As forms are added to the Workflow, they will populate in the timeline shown.
Forms that are triggered off the back of a completed form will also display in the timeline. To see what form is triggered off a specific form in the workflow, click on the arrow to the left of the parent forms title.
To edit or remove a form from the workflow, you can do so with the edit and remove options to the right of each form shown on the timeline.
10. Once all desired forms are added to the workflow, select Save.
Workflows can be changed at anytime. When making a change to a workflow, keep in mind already triggered workflows will not reflect these changes. The changes will be active in any new workflows triggered after the change has been made.
On-Boarding Workflow:
- Form: New Hire Personal Information (14 days before job start date)
- Form: New Hire Payroll Information (10 days before job start date)
- Form: Policies and Procedures Compliance Form (7 days before job start date)
- Form: New Employee Orientation Form (0 on job start date)
- Form: Anti-Bullying Compliance Form (0 on job start date)
- Form: Week One Check-In (7 days after job start date)
- Form: Induction Feedback (14 days after job start date)
Sarah is starting a new role at a new organisation. Prior to her first day, she will receive two forms to complete, one 14 days before and the second 7 days before.
John, the system administrator at Sarah's new organisation, has added Sarah to the platform 8 days before her start date.
As a result, Sarah will receive the New Hire Personal Information and New Hire Payroll Information today. Had she been added to the platform in advance, she would have received them on their intended days. Tomorrow, 7 days before job start date, Sarah will receive the Policies and Procedures Compliance Form as scheduled.
How to Edit a Workflow
1. Navigate to Engagement >> Workflows.
2. Select the Workflow Name of the process you wish to amend.
3. Select Edit Workflow.
4. Select Add a Form if you wish to add a further form design to the process.
- Select the relevant Form Design from the drop down.
- Select the Schedule (i.e. when the form design should be sent in relation to the trigger event)
5. Select Add.
6. Select Edit next to any existing forms that you wish to amend the scheduling for.
7. Select Remove next to any forms to wish to take out of the process (this will only remove the form from the workflow - it will remain in Form Designs and can be re-added at a later date if required)
How to Trigger a Workflow
Workflows are triggered automatically by their related activity in the system. However, you can also trigger a workflow manually if required from the Workflow page. This is handy in the event you skip a workflow by mistake or need to start a workflow halfway through (e.g. On-boarding a new staff member).
1. Navigate to the Engagement >> Workflow.
2. Select Trigger beside the desired Workflow.
3. Enter the date you wish to start the Workflow on (e.g. for an onboarding workflow enter the start date of the new hire and all of the forms will be lined up relative to this date).
4. Select the Job and Person you wish to be the subject of the Workflow.
5. Select Trigger.
Scheduled Forms from Workflows
Once a workflow is triggered, any forms that aren't immediately sent out will be "scheduled" and will sit under the Scheduled tab in Engagement >> Tasks.
By clicking on three dots to the right of them, you have the option to issue the form now, edit, or delete it.
When editing it, it will give you the option to change the send date, respondent, and subject of the form.
If the form settings have "Supervisor" set as the respondent type, scheduled forms will also dynamically change their respondent to whoever the current supervisor of the subject is. This is useful if there has been a change in reporting from the time when the form was scheduled, up until it actually gets sent out.