Workflow Approval Ideas
Has anyone done a workflow where approvals are given via a logged multiple choice field? My use case: I have a series of approvals needed. So the flow might be, Scope Writer, to Estimator, to Proje...
Forum Discussion
Mike,
Here is how I battled it.
The Project Status table has all the values in your work flow. Hypothetically for you
Sales Department Request
Release to Operations
Scope Writer Approved
Scope Writer Rejected
Estimator Approved
Estimator Rejected
Project Manager Approved
Project Manager Rejected
Program Manager Approved
Program Manager Rejected
Cancelled
Invoiced
Edit permission, dashboards and reports on the Project is now controlled by the Related Project Status which is from a look up relationship between the Project Status Change table and Projects based upon the key field being the Max RID in a summary relationship between Projects and Project Status Change.
And so on until it is in the hands of the Accounting Department where they can mark it Invoiced and then absolutely no one can edit the Project.
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Don Larson
Paasporter
Westlake OH
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Here is how I battled it.
The Project Status table has all the values in your work flow. Hypothetically for you
Sales Department Request
Release to Operations
Scope Writer Approved
Scope Writer Rejected
Estimator Approved
Estimator Rejected
Project Manager Approved
Project Manager Rejected
Program Manager Approved
Program Manager Rejected
Cancelled
Invoiced
Edit permission, dashboards and reports on the Project is now controlled by the Related Project Status which is from a look up relationship between the Project Status Change table and Projects based upon the key field being the Max RID in a summary relationship between Projects and Project Status Change.
- The Sales Department can do anything it wants while it is a Sales Department Request or Scope Writer Rejected
- Scope Writers do their thing while it is Release to Operations or Estimator Rejected. Their Record Picker only has Scope Writer Approved or Scope Writer Rejected as options.
- Estimators work on it while it is Scope Writer Approved or Project Manager Rejected. Their record picker is only Estimator Approved or Estimator Rejected.
- ...
And so on until it is in the hands of the Accounting Department where they can mark it Invoiced and then absolutely no one can edit the Project.
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Don Larson
Paasporter
Westlake OH
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- Ahhh, so having the choices come from a relationship instead. That's pretty slick. Do you log who and when the choice is made somehow? Maybe with dynamic rules? It's easy with a multiple choice field because it can be logged.
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Mike Tamoush
------------------------------- Mike,
There is no log file per se. When the User wants to change the Project Status, they are actually adding a record to the Project Status Change table. The Status of the Project is the value of Related Project Status for the last record added.
This more than a log, it is the Project Life Cycle. You can ask all sort of questions like what status had the longest duration, how many times was it rejected by the Project Manager and so on.
It can be quite revealing to show that Scope Writers do their job in two days on average but estimating is three weeks.
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Don Larson
Paasporter
Westlake OH
------------------------------- Oh yes, I see now what you are doing. Good idea I need to think about that, thanks!
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Mike Tamoush
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