Getting Started
Workrunner is designed to provide a single comprehensive web interface that encompasses all facets of a process lifecycle – analysis, modeling, simulation and continuous enhancement – and to eliminate the need for people to learn and use multiple different systems and applications. With a flexible architecture, it allows for rapid and frequent modifications to active processes and makes it easy to migrate older applications into service-oriented structures.
Organization¶
Organization in the Workrunner has a management structure that determines relationships between the different units, groups and the members. Also it assigns roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out different tasks.
Process Modelling¶
Process modelling is the analytical representation and illustration in the Workrunner. Process modeling is used to map out a system’s current processes to create a baseline for process improvements and to design future processes with those improvements incorporated. A process model is completely an anticipation of what the process will look like.
Background Jobs¶
A background job is a the Workrunner job that runs behind the scenes and without any user interaction. Typical tasks for these processes include logging, system monitoring, scheduling, and user notification.
Key Concepts¶
This page introduces some of key concepts related to designing a business process with Workrunner and terminology used.
Process¶
Put simply, a process is a way of doing your work. It's a structured way of organizing activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product.
For example: When your computer is malfunctioning you may call a technical guy on the phone and wait for him to come over, or you may start Incident Request process that is automatically assigned to the relevant technical person and instantly trace the current status of your request.
Using a clearly-defined process flow saves you from chaos while doing your work. All of your daily business activities can ultimately be defined as a process.
In Workrunner everything you do is about starting a new process or completing an assigned task from your inbox. Even defining a new user or terminating a workflow instance is controlled by a process.
Folder¶
Processes are categorized in a security controlled folders. Folders are generally used to access start points of process or reporting business data. Folders can be contain other folders to build a hierarchical organization. You can create new folders any time or automatically created when you install a process from app store.
Process Definition¶
In Workrunner everything you define, stored in a process definition in a XML format. Process definition contains the all of required information (diagram, databases, reports, web service connections) to run. Process definitions are also versioned under processes for switch to different versions of process any time.
Business Data¶
Every process exists to produce a result. In Workrunner from beginning to end result of process transported in XML format called as data model. Data model may contain unlimited fields and lists. You can also store more complex data structures like hierarchies.
Generally business data is empty when workflow is started but while workflow advances data is filled by people or integrated systems.
Work List¶
Work List is a list of work items that assigned to people. Work items are filtered by tags to distinguish for easy access. All of new assigned work items are tagged with "Inbox" but you can remove it to review later. Until work item is complete by you or another user all of waiting work items are tagged with "All Waiting" and you cant remove this tag. When you complete a work item its tagged with "Sent" tag. If you need to list of all work items without any state filter you can use the "All" tag.
Some of work items are automatically tagged with "Watched" by process design and you can remove if no longer needed.
Additionally you can use your custom defined tags to filter work items.
Work Item¶
Work Item is a step in workflow, while workflow advances in process every step creates a new work item that assigned to people or system. Work item may be assigned to one or more user. Until it's complete by a user stays in user's work list. Some of work items are assigned to system to execute automated tasks and does not have interactive action with any user.
Document Archive¶
Document archive stores the all document based data. Documents may be generated by processes or manually imported by people. All of documents may contain one or more attached file and search profile. You can search documents by full text index or specific search fields.
Life Cycle¶
This page explains the life cycle of creating an application in the Workrunner. Applications are created and run with agile methodology steps in the Workrunner.
Agile methodology in the Workrunner uses adaptive approach where there is no detailed planning and there is clarity on future tasks only in respect of what features need to be developed. There is feature driven development and the Workrunner adapts to the changing product requirements dynamically.The product is tested very frequently, through the release iterations, minimizing the risk of any major failures in future.
The following steps describe how to work agile methodology life cycle in the Workrunner.
Requirements Analysis¶
Requirements analysis step starts to design process diagram in the Workrunner. Task is created for each process step in the diagram and task links are created.Process diagram shows an application working digit.
Second step is data model design. Also data models define how data is connected to each other. Process is divided section, sub section and elements after to define features for each elements in the data model.
Design¶
Design step corresponds to form design in the Workrunner. Form design section is connected data model of elements and to utilize elements for create form content.
Implementation and Testing¶
Implementation and testing steps are actualized at the same time in the Workrunner. The following steps explain how to test and implement process.
- Send form to user.
- If process run, you will see task in to your inbox. When you open task, you will see designed form.
- Enter information in to form, click action button.
Evolution¶
Evolution step is last loop structure in the Workrunner. When faced any process problem, it is solved by using life cycle steps without stopping the process.