Workflow for efilecabinet On-Premise User Guide Page 1 of 32
Introduction: Workflow is a simple way to manage and automate the Workflow associated with the processing of documents. Workflow steps are visually assigned to documents, or groups of documents, and email notification is available to inform both employees who are logged into efilecabinet On-Premise as well as those on the company email network as designated by the efilecabinet On-Premise user. Notifications can be sent at any stage of the Workflow design. For example, you can notify an employee that you ve received a document and it is currently processing with a message like: I have received <Document Name> for processing. I expect processing to be complete within 5 business days. You may also wish to notify an employee when a document has finished processing: <Document Name> has been successfully processed. Email notifications are No Reply messages composed by the user and sent from efilecabinet On-Premise. Workflow is a powerful application that can potentially automate your in-house processes, saving information workers many hours every week in document processing procedures while keeping employees informed during the Workflow process. Workflow for efilecabinet On-Premise is available with Professional and Premium efilecabinet On-Premise Accounts. For questions about Workflow, contact efilecabinet at 877-574-5505. Page 2 of 32
Table of Contents 1.0 Creating Workflow... 4 2.0 Determining Workflow Order... 15 3.0 Starting a Workflow... 19 4.0 Managing Workflow... 25 5.0 Profile Routing... 27 6.0 Setting Retention... 31 Page 3 of 32
1.0 Creating Workflow To create Workflow, click on the Manage Workflow Icon in the Administration Tab at the top of efilecabinet On-Premise. A new window will appear. Click on the New Workflow Icon. The New Workflow Window will display, which includes the Workflow Toolbox and Workflow Name field. Page 4 of 32
In the Workflow Name field, assign the new Workflow a name. You may want to name the Workflow according to the category of documents that would be assigned to this Workflow. Examples include Tax Documents or Financial Planning Documents. The default is New Workflow. Storing Files Assign a location for the file by clicking on the New Store Icon in the Toolbox and dragging it to the canvas. The Store Files Window will appear. You can change the Action Name, give users the ability to change whatever you select as presets, or select a profile that will be applied to the stored file. To pick a storage location, click on the blue magnifying glass icon in this window. Note: This checkbox to allow users to change your presets will appear in all steps, providing you with this option throughout the Workflow process. Page 5 of 32
You will be prompted to pick a storage location. Select the path where you want the file to go. Navigate through the file view to find the drawer or folder where you want to store items, or search drawers in the search field to find the location. Click OK. Editing Workflow To change the settings on a Workflow step after the initial setup, right-click on the icon and select Edit. Assigning Users or Groups To assign a stored file to a specific user or group, click on the Assign Icon and drag it to the canvas. Page 6 of 32
The Assign User Window will display. If you wish, you may give this action a new name and add a message in the message box. Click the checkbox labeled Automatically assign to selected user/group. Select a user or group from the dropdown list. When you have finished, click Save. Note: For a reminder on how to add users or groups, see the headng Adding Users or Groups below. Adding Users or Groups To add users or groups, click on the Manage Users Icon in the Administration Tab. Users may be added by clicking on the New User Icon in the Manage Users toolbar. Groups may be added by clicked on the New Group Icon. Page 7 of 32
Setting Permissions To apply security permissions on the Workflow file, click on the Set Permissions Icon and drag it to the canvas. The Permissions Window will display. To pre-define file permissions, select the user(s) or group(s) that should receive permissions. Click on the blue arrow. This will move the user or group to the pane on the left. By default, the user or group will be given full administrator permissions (VOEDA). To limit this access, double-click on the appropriate user/group, modify the permissions accordingly, then click OK. Once you are satisfied with the permissions for each user/group, click Save in the bottom right corner. Copying To copy the files currently in the Workflow to a designated area, click on the Copy Icon and drag it to the canvas. Page 8 of 32
The Copy Window will display. To pick a storage location, click on the blue magnifying glass icon in this window. Navigate through the file view to find the drawer or folder where you want to store the item, or search drawers in the search field to find the location. Click OK. Moving Files To move files that are currently in Workflow to a different location, click on the Move Icon and drag it to the canvas. Page 9 of 32
The Move Window will display. To pick a storage location, click on the blue magnifying glass icon in this window. Navigate through the file view to find the drawer or folder where you want to store the item, or search drawers in the search field to find the location. Click OK. Entering Profile Data To provide users with reminders about entering profile information for a file, click on the Enter Profile Data Icon and drag it to the canvas. The Enter Profile Data Window will display. You may write a specific message to your user that will remind them to enter the profile information. You may also allow them to change the selected profile. When you are finished, click Save in the bottom right corner. Page 10 of 32
Adding Comments To add a standard comment to every document that is processed by this Workflow, click on the Add Comments Icon and drag it to the canvas. The New Comments Window will display. To pre-define a comment, enter your message in the space provided. If you check the box Allow user to override action during Workflow, as in all previous steps, the user can enter a custom message for each file that the Workflow processes. When you are finished, click Save in the bottom right corner. Adding Alerts To create reminders or notifications for users, click on the Add Alerts Icon and drag it to the canvas. Page 11 of 32
The Add Alerts Window will display. Click on the green plus sign to add an alert. The New Alert Window will appear. Here you can set a date/time for the alarm, select the user that will receive the alert, and provide a custom message in the space provided. When you are finished, click Save. Page 12 of 32
Sending Messages To send messages in email form at any point in the Workflow, click on the Send Message Icon and drag it to the canvas. The Send Message Window will display. Select a recipient from the Add Recipients dropdown menu and click Add. Continue this process for as many recipients as you wish to add. A maximum of 5 recipients is recommended. Type the message you wish for the recipients to receive in the space provided. When you are finished, click Save. Page 13 of 32
Deleting To delete files currently in Workflow, including single files or multiple files at once, click on the Delete Icon and drag it to the canvas. The Delete Window will display. There are no fields to complete, unless you want to give a user the choice to not delete the file, in which case you will check the box in this window. Click Save. Page 14 of 32
2.0 Determining Workflow Order Setting a Start Point The Start Point will tell efilecabinet On-Premise which item is the first to be done. The default starting icon is the first Workflow action you add to the canvas. Right-click on the icon you wish to designate as the start point. Select Set as start. The icon representing the Start Point will then be distinguished by a green border, while all other items in the Workflow retain a black border. In order to determine the Workflow path, right-click on the first item and select Add connection. Page 15 of 32
Point to the item you wish for the first item to link to. Click on this second item to link it. Repeat for as many items as you have in the Workflow. Multiple Paths It is possible to create multiple paths within the Workflow. For example, if Janet prepares the files for an organization, she can send them to Sally for approval. If Sally finds there was an error made, she can send them back to Janet for corrections. You can point the Workflow back to accommodate a back and forth passing of documents before continuing on. The double arrows acknowledge that relationship. Page 16 of 32
You can also decide to have the file copied after it has been assigned to a specific user. This allows for complex Workflows and can help you accomplish any task you have in your office. Removing a Link Removing a link from the Workflow is equally easy. Right-click on the item you would like to remove the links from. Select Clear Connections. This will remove any arrows that point from this item to another item. Any links pointing to this item are left intact. For example, the arrow leaving New Copy would be removed, while the two arrows coming into New Copy would remain. Page 17 of 32
Saving the Workflow When all of your Workflow processes are set up and mapped, click the Save Icon in the top left-hand corner of the screen. Page 18 of 32
3.0 Starting a Workflow Introduction: Once you have saved the Workflow, there are two main ways to start it, depending on what function you set up as your starting point. There are two methods if Store is your starting point, and there is one method for any other starting point type. Method 1: Starting a Workflow with Workflow Plus The most common starting point to use is Store. If this is your starting point, you can begin the Workflow by clicking on the Workflow Plus Icon located under the Home Tab. The Select Workflow Window will appear, listing all of the Workflows that you have created. Select the one you want to use, and click OK. Page 19 of 32
You will then be taken to the Windows Directory. Find and select the file you want to store in efilecabinet On-Premise, then click Open. To complete the process, see Completing the Process of Starting a Workflow below. Method 2: Starting a Workflow Using the Store Icon Another way to launch a Workflow when Store is your starting point is by clicking on the Store Icon under the Home Tab. You will then be taken to the Windows Directory. Find and select the file you want to store in efilecabinet On-Premise, then click Open. Page 20 of 32
The efilecabinet Store Document Window will appear. To start a Workflow from this screen, click on the Save to Workflow Icon in the bottom right corner. The Select Workflow Window will appear, listing all of the Workflows that you have created. Select the one you want to use, and click OK. To complete the process, see Completing the Process of Starting a Workflow below. Page 21 of 32
Method 3: Starting a Workflow When Your Starting Point is Not Store If your document is already stored in efilecabinet On- Premise and your Workflow Process does not start with store, select the file you want to send through the Workflow in the center pane. A new icon set will appear in the Home Tab. Click on the Start Workflow Icon. The Select Workflow Window will appear, listing all of the Workflows that you have created. Select the one you want to use, and click OK. Page 22 of 32
Completing the Process of Starting a Workflow When you have selected a file and Workflow, the window for your Store Workflow function will display. It will populate the store location that you specified during the setup stage. In the fields provided, you can enter profile information for the document. If you allowed Overwrite permissions during the setup process, you can change the store location or the profile. If you need to pull data from the document, you may click View to see it. Page 23 of 32
When you are done entering information, click on the icon in the Next pane. In this case, the next step is New Assign. The icon will represent the next step in your Workflow. Each Workflow step has its own Display Window. As it is displayed, fill out any applicable information and click the icon in the Next pane until you reach the end of the Workflow. Page 24 of 32
4.0 Managing Workflow Managing Workflow When a Workflow document is assigned to you, you can see those items by clicking on the Advanced Workflow Button, located at the bottom left corner of efilecabinet On-Premise. This will change the Cabinet Tree View Pane to the Advanced Workflow Pane. You can change the sorting by clicking on the top dropdown menu, then choosing your sorting preference from the list. Page 25 of 32
The second dropdown menu allows you to change the order from ascending to descending. If you have a document assigned to you, double-click on the applicable item. It will launch the Workflow Function Window for the step you are on. After you complete your part, click on the icon in the Next Pane to continue the item s progression. Page 26 of 32
5.0 Profile Routing The Profile Routing Icon allows you to predetermine the Workflow for each document based on a matching set of values. For example, all Title documents can be automatically routed to the specific person in your office who handles all Title work. In the forthcoming examples, the routing is determined by sales region. If a contract comes in from the west or the east, it is automatically assigned to the sales rep that handles that area. To predetermine the Workflow, click on the Profile Routing Icon and drag it to the canvas. Note: You will need to have your Assign to User/Group steps already set up. For a review of assigning users or groups, see Chapter 1: Creating Workflow. The Profile Routing Window will display. Page 27 of 32
First, define the routes in the dropdown menu labeled Default action to route to. In this example, the default route will send the document to the user defined as Janet. In the dropdown labeled When document has this profile, select the profile for this document. In this example, the default profile is Drawer. In the dropdown labeled and this attribute, select an attribute (value) that the document must match for this routing to occur. In this example, the attribute is Sales Region. Select the alternate (non-default) route criteria by clicking Contains and adding the value in the text box to the right. In this example, the criteria is West. Select where you want the document to be routed if this criteria is matched in the Route to this action dropdown box. In this example, if the criteria is matched, the document will go to Sally. If it doesn t match, it will go to Janet. Select Add Route to finalize the routing criteria. You can add more routing if you wish. Once you have completed that, click Save. Page 28 of 32
The Profile Routing Window will display the Action Name of all the available selections. To assign a specific user Action Name, right-click on the Assign Icon on the canvas. Note: To make setup easier, it helps to rename the Action Name to match the name of the individual user being assigned. If multiple users are created without renaming them from the default, New Assign, it can become difficult to know which user is which, and the routing may appear to not function properly. Change the textbox under Action Name to the user s name. (In this case, the name is Sally. ) Select that user from the Assign User dropdown menu. Click Save. Once this has been completed for all users involved in the Workflow, their names will display in the Workflow visual. Page 29 of 32
Routing connections will automatically be applied from the Profile Routing icon to the applicable routing icons, such as Janet and Sally. Your Workflow will now display with predetermined routing. In this example, the document is first stored. It is then routed, based on a predetermined value such as sales region, to specific users before it completes the Workflow cycle. Page 30 of 32
6.0 Setting Retention The Set Retention Icon allows you to specify how long you want to keep a cabinet, drawer, folder, or file in your database until it is moved, copied, or purged. This time length is called the Retention Date. Click on the Set Retention Icon and drag it to the canvas. The Set Retention Window will display. Set the Retention Date by specifying how many Years, Months, or Days in the future you want the document retained. Page 31 of 32
Next, select an Action from the dropdown list. You can choose to Purge, Move, or Copy the file when the retention date is reached. The checkboxes under Protect From make it so that the file cannot be edited or deleted until it has reached its retention date. Click Save in the bottom right corner. Page 32 of 32