Examples of Typical Basic Usages of Workflows

A user can be offered precisely the data which is relevant to him without the distraction of having to find the correct business objects and extract the relevant information himself.
Example: A user is responsible for entering telephone numbers of new employees. A special workflow presents him a starting point which leads to a modified simplified filter screen (e.g. first name, last name, title, department, location) and then a list which contains these fields and the telephone number. To enter the number, he is presented a simplified edit screen which contains only these fields. Only the telephone number is editable. Only the buttons Cancel and Save are available as options to leave the edit screen.
A user can be reminded / prompted to perform a task which has been assigned to him – he can also be guided through that task.
Example: A workflow can inform a cost center manager that an employee has applied for a new PC. The cost center manager is prompted to review the application (immediately or later) and can respond to the application by either approving or rejecting it. The workflow can then end the application process or, if appropriate, start the acquisition process. Using e-mails, the user who applied for the PC can be kept up-to-date informed about the progress.
Nonstandard tasks can be embedded into the Valuemation GUI, thus increasing the integration with the true business processes.
Example: An interface to the bookkeeping system is used to pass new information to the bookkeeping system. The user has an extra button called 'Update Bookkeeping' in the edit view besides the Save and Cancel buttons. Also special print templates can be defined in Valuemation (without Workflows) – using workflows, these templates can be called from within the appropriate screen and filled with the relevant information. Thus special forms and documents can be produced from within the dialog.
Standard (and nonstandard) tasks can be combined to form a more complex customer-specific task. Some tasks involve processing more than one business object in a certain order. To assist the user and ensure that no parts of the task will be forgotten, a workflow can be implemented.
Example: New users may need a few things to be arranged before they can start their work. A typical workflow might assign a person to a location, cost center and system, make sure that a UserId, network access and authorization are prepared, an e-mail account is set up, the correct software is installed on that person's PC etc. If all of these tasks cannot be performed within Valuemation itself, then the tasks can at least be initiated and coordinated by e-mails or sub-workflows. The workflow can print out all the relevant information and remind the system administrator to drop by on that user first day with the printed form.
Standard functionality can be adapted (without calling extra functions).
Example: A workflow could be used to automatically forward a printed version of a PC configuration to a separate audit department anytime the system is configured. The user does not have to remember the audit – this happens automatically when he completes the configure operation.
Standard functionality can be extended. Simple customer specific information can be stored in Valuemation. Using workflow, this information can be used to improve the business processes.
Example: For every vendor, the user notes whether orders to that vendor are dispatched by a letter, e-mail or fax. The appropriate address information is also stored. When an order is approved, a workflow allows the user to select the Button 'Dispatch to Vendor' – the workflow then checks what format to use, finds the appropriate address information, prints templates, and either prints an order on paper, sends the order straight to the fax, or sends an e-mail. The User does not have to take care of any of these – the workflow takes over all the details.