putting workflows to work for you tools for beginners...putting workflows to work for you –tools...

Putting Workflows to

Work for You – Tools for

Beginners

Barbara Bunting, Senior Consultant, Acuity Business Solutions

VI-55

Key Takeaways

©2016 Deltek, Inc. All Rights Reserved 2


Key Takeaways

Learn how workflows can help automate tasks in Vision

Learn how to set up workflows

See examples of a few workflows in Vision

Learn where to get more information

Introduction



Acuity Business Solutions

More than 25 years of helping project-based businesses such as Architecture, Engineering and

Environmental firms, Government Contractors and Professional Services firms find opportunities,

win business, deliver projects, and manage their organization

Over 800 clients in 30 states nationwide

Deltek’s Most Award Winning Premier Partner

Our goal is to help our client’s achieve a significant return on their project investment


Acuity Business Solutions

Barbara Bunting, Senior Consultant

17 years working with Deltek systems

Specializes in:

– Resource Planning

– iAccess

– Project Management training

– Process development

– Info Center design

– Security / System Administration

– Workflows

– CRM

Audience



Audience

Who knows what a workflow is?

Who has written a basic workflow?

Who has written a workflow with a SQL expression?

Who has written a stored procedure?

Workflow Basics



What Are Workflows?

Allows you to automate processes based on certain conditions

– Change employee status to Terminated if Termination Date field is populated

Allows you to generate alerts via email and/or Dashboard

– Send a reminder when a license is about to expire

Helps to enforce business processes and rules via warnings or errors

– If opportunity is at a selected stage, prompt the user to enter the selection date if missing

Creates Vision activities to document change or to remind users to do something

– Record the old and new client name in an activity when a contact changes companies

Available for Info Center records (not Planning) and Billing Terms

Not all fields are available for standard workflows


Benefits of Workflows

Reduces mistakes

Prompts for missing data at applicable times

Standardizes data entry

Saves time and reduces redundancies

Notifies employees of certain action items


Types of Workflows

User Initiated

– Triggered by a specific user action (adding, changing, or deleting a record or portion of a record)

– Requires separate workflows for Change, Insert/Associate, or Delete/Remove

Scheduled

– Runs at regular intervals via the process server and are triggered when certain conditions are met

– Can be triggered using a workflow button

Approvals [7.5 & 7.6 feature]

– Absence Requests

– AP Invoice Approvals

– Employee Expenses [7.6]

– General Ledger Budgets

– Item Requests

– Purchase Order Change Order

– Purchase Order Releases

– Purchase Orders

– Purchase Requisitions

– Request for Price Quote


Process Server

Scheduled workflows can be set to run on a specific date/time or at regular intervals

Process server is set up in Configuration > System Settings > Servers

– Cloud customers will not have access to set this up themselves

Schedule workflows to run at night

– Don’t want to change records during the day when users could be changing records

– Doesn’t drain system resources

Stagger the time that workflows run

Have IT restart the process server on a regular basis (nightly, weekly, monthly, etc.)

Make sure the process server is disabled for test databases or that the email server has been

removed in Configuration for test databases

Events vs. Actions



Workflow Events vs. Workflow Actions

Event: Something that triggers a workflow

Action: What happens when a workflow is triggered

An event can have many actions

– Event: Opportunity Status is changed to Won

– Actions:

• Update the Date Closed to today [column change]

• Create a new project record [function]

• Email the Project Manager [alert]


Basic Workflow Actions

Validate Error

Prompt user with an error message and do not allow the record to be saved until the error is

corrected

Validate Warning

Prompt user with a warning message but allow the record to be saved

Email Alert

Send an email message to a specified email address, a user, everyone in a given security

role, or to the person listed on a record in an employee lookup field (i.e. PM)


Basic Workflow Actions (cont.)

Dashboard Alert

Send a dashboard alert to a specified email address, a user, everyone in a given security role,

or to the person listed on a record in an employee lookup field (i.e. PM)

Column (Field) Change

Updates a given field according to the conditions you specify in the workflow

Create Activity

Creates an activity when the workflow event occurs


Advanced Workflow Actions

Stored Procedure: executes a stored procedure against the Vision database

Function: calls defined Vision methods to do a specific task

Invoke Custom Method: calls a custom DLL

Invoke Web Service: integrates data between Vision and other systems

Tips & Tricks



Tips & Tricks

Always make sure to test things in your test system before using it in your production

system

Always verify the results

Scheduled workflows must have at least one condition

Scheduled workflows can be run for one record by using a workflow button

Validate Warning/Validate Error actions must have at least one condition

If you can’t find a field in workflow, look at the name in the Screen Designer

Enable the Workflow Log in Configuration > General > System Settings > Miscellaneous to view

whether actions succeeded or not


Tips & Tricks (cont.)

Create a “self” field in the Employees IC to use for workflows/emails/alerts

Use “This change was made by [:ModUserFullName].” when documenting changes

Lock fields that are populated via workflow to avoid overwriting the auto populated information

Checkboxes

– Have a value of Y (checked) or N (unchecked)

– Cannot use Empty or Not Empty

– Must use Equals Y/N or Not Equals Y/N

– To set a checkbox to unchecked, change it to N; don’t use the Empty Field option for Column

Change


Know Your Vision Tables and Columns

Help > Data Dictionary

Uncollapse until you see

Tables

Look through the tables until

you can find the field

(column) that you need


Tips for Organizing Workflows

Add the name of the person that wrote the workflow to the end of the description in case questions

come up in the future

Add a brief descriptor to the beginning of the workflow for easy sorting

– Alert

– Button (makes it easy to find the workflow when linking it to a button in screen designer)

• If you change a workflow description that is associated with a button, you will need to

relink the workflow in the Info Center before it will work again

– Column Change

– Stored Procedure

Workflow Examples


Employees IC: Creating a “Self” Field



Create the “Self” Field

Create a new field title Self

– Configuration > General > User Defined Components

– Tab: wherever you’d like to put it; you can hide the field

– Label: Self

– Data Type: Employee

Hide or lock the field since it will be populated via workflow


Workflow

Create a scheduled workflow to populate Self with Employee

– Configuration > Workflow > Scheduled Workflows

– Application: Employees

– Insert a row and enter the description

– Click on the Conditions ellipse and select the CustSelf column with an operator of empty


Workflow (cont.)

Workflow Actions

1) Click Insert

2) Select Column (Field)

Change

3) Select the CustSelf field

(towards the bottom of the

list)

4) Click on the SQL

Expression ellipse

a) Find the Employee field

b) Click Add Column

c) Click Save

5) Click OK


Schedule the Workflow

Click the Schedule button in the toolbar

Main tab Recurrence tab

Click OK

Employees IC: License Expiration



Employee Licenses

Create a scheduled workflow to monitor the license expiration date

Schedule it to run nightly

Can check for expiring or expired licenses


Workflow

Create a scheduled workflow to check the license expiration date nightly


– Application: Employees


– Click on the Conditions ellipse and set the conditions as follows

• The In Days operator will check for licenses expiring in exactly 30 days


Workflow (cont.)

Workflow Actions

1) Click Insert

2) Select Dashboard Alert (or Email Alert)

3) Select the Users, Roles, or Employee fields

as needed (NOTE: the Self field is now

available as an Employee Field)

4) Use the Summary Insert Field to create the

Summary message

5) Use the Alert Content Insert Field to create

the Dashboard or Email message

6) Click OK

Schedule the workflow to run daily (at night)


Workflow (cont.)

Create a separate workflow to check for expired licenses

– Copy the “will expire” workflow

– Modify the description

– Edit the conditions

• The Days Ago operator will check for licenses that expired exactly 1 day ago

– Edit the message as needed

– Schedule the workflow to run daily (at night)

Projects IC: Carry WBS1 Change to Lower WBS Levels



Update Project Manager

Change the Project Manager at the WBS1 level and update all lower WBS levels


Option #1: User Initiated Workflow

Create a user initiated workflow

– Configuration > Workflow > User Initiated Workflows

– Application: Projects


– Click on the Conditions ellipse and select the ProjMgr column with an operator of has changed


Option #1: User Initiated Workflow (cont.)

Workflow Actions

1) Click Insert

2) Select Column (Field) Change

3) Select the ProjMgr field

4) Click on the SQL Expression ellipse

a) Find the ProjMgr field

b) Click Add Column

c) Click Save

5) Check the Apply changes to lower

WBS levels checkbox

6) Click OK


Option #1: User Initiated Workflow (cont.)

Open the project record

Make a change to the Project Manager field information

Save the record

The change will carry to the lower level(s)


Option #2: Scheduled Workflow

Create a scheduled workflow




– Click on the Conditions ellipse and select the WBS1 column with an operator of not empty

• We want a condition that will always be true; WBS1 (Project Number) can never be empty


Option #2: Scheduled Workflow (cont.)

Workflow Actions

1) Click Insert

2) Select Column (Field) Change

3) Select the ProjMgr field

4) Click on the SQL Expression ellipse

a) Find the ProjMgr field

b) Click Add Column

c) Click Save

5) Check the Apply changes to lower

WBS levels checkbox

6) Click OK


Option #2: Scheduled Workflow (cont.)

Open the Projects Info Center

Open screen designer (very bottom right above the system clock)

Add a workflow button by clicking the icon 3rd from the right

Move the button to the desired location

Rename the button by editing the Caption field

Link the scheduled workflow in the Workflow field

Click OK

Button allows you to update at any level

– Update WBS1; click to change WBS2/WBS3

– Update WBS2; click to change WBS3

Projects IC: Approved Contract Notification



Approved Contract Notification

Open the Project record > Contract Management tab > Contracts grid

Project Manager or Project Administrator enters the additional service information

This allows for tracking of outstanding/pending contracts


User Initiated Workflow

Create a user initiated workflow

– Configuration > Workflow > User Initiated Workflows



– Click on the Conditions ellipse and select the ContractStatus column with an operator of has

changed AND equals Approved & Signed


User Initiated Workflow (cont.)

Workflow Actions

1) Click Insert

2) Select Dashboard Alert (or Email Alert)

3) Select the Users, Roles, or Employee

fields as needed

4) Use the Summary Insert Field to create

the Summary message

5) Use the Alert Content Insert Field to

create the Dashboard or Email

message

6) Click OK

7) Set the following conditions:



The workflow fires when the

– Contract Type equals Change Order or Additional Services

– User changes the Contract Status to Approved & Signed

– Record is saved



Click Navigate to Record to open the project record

Also dismisses the alert

Ideas



Workflow Ideas

Billing Terms

– Document changes to billing terms

Clients

– Alert when a new client record is added or when an existing record is modified

– Change relationship from Prospect to Existing when a project is associated with the client

– Document when a record has been reviewed and who reviewed it

Contacts

– Record the old and new client name in an activity when a contact changes companies

Employees

– Alert employee when license or certification is about to expire

– Generate an alert when it’s the employee’s anniversary or birthday


Workflow Ideas (cont.)

Opportunities

– Change probability based on stage change

– Close an opportunity based on certain criteria

– Track when the stage was last changed and provide reminders as needed to review the record

Projects

– Populate lower WBS levels with information from WBS1

– Populate Prof. Serv. Compl. Date with Last Posted Activity Date when project is set to

Dormant

– Kick off a project closeout process when the project status changes to Dormant

Vendors

– Generate notifications when insurance certificates are about to expire

– Track W-9 information (i.e. when form was sent, if it was received, generate mailing

labels/email reminders, etc.)

Please submit a survey for this session via the

mobile app.

53

Learn More

Get plugged in

• Join a user group (regional, virtual)

• Interact in Kona – Client Advisory Council

(CAC) and more! ([email protected])

• Join the MVP program

Visit the Vision kiosks in the Expo Hall

Follow the Vision Blog @ http://bit.ly/Vision_Blog

Attend a live VPM, CRM, Resource Planning,

demo or sign up for an upcoming webinar at

Deltek.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://bit.ly/Vision_Blog


Contact Information

Barbara Bunting, Acuity

Business Solutions

[email protected]

Office: 717.840.6076

mailto:[email protected]

Come See Us


Visit Acuity Business Solutions at our Booth #9 in the Expo Center

Come See our Other Presentations:

• VI-09 Customer Spotlight – Empowering PM’s through Project Set Up

• VI-28 To Unposted or Not Unpost – What Really Happens

• VI-30 Extending Workflow with Simple SQ: for the Non-Programmer

• VI-58 Tips & Tricks – The Forgotten Features of Vision

• VI-09 Customer Spotlight – Empowering PM’s Through Project Setup

or visit us at acuitybusiness.com

putting workflows to work for you tools for beginners...putting workflows to work for you –tools...

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