Collaborating Using Workflows
Workflows can formalize a data manipulation process performed in Backoffice, often involving multiple employees. The workflow identifies a series of steps that must be carried out, often by specific individuals or roles. It codifies the decision process that ensures that consistent, correct information is displayed on the live website.
In SAP Commerce Cloud, every workflow has to be based on a workflow template. For example, consider a workflow template for product approval. The template will define the steps needed, while individual workflows generated from this template will relate to specific products. One workflow for product A, one workflow for product B, and so on.
To get started, SAP Commerce Cloud comes with three product management-relevant workflow templates:
- A workflow for product creation.
- A workflow for product approval.
- An ad-hoc workflow for delegating a simple task that requires approval.
Of course, additional workflows can be created to mimic other business processes, and templates can be adapted to match company processes.
For example, a workflow handling customer complaints might direct the complaint to the correct agent and have its resolution validated by a manager.
For a more detailed example, the process of creating a new product might involve input from employees responsible for product management, product pricing, product marketing, and stock maintenance, followed by validation of the data by someone in a position of authority. A workflow can ensure that all input steps are complete before validation. Validation can, in turn, be configured to allow the approver to request that an input step be corrected. Only once all the workflow’s actors have signed off on the product will it be published to the live site.
Here's a graphical representation of this workflow, based on what you would see when selecting the Show Flow button in the Backoffice collaboration pane, or when editing a workflow using the Template Designer:
Example Product Editing Workflow
The diagram before this shows an example workflow to manage product editing. It involves the following steps:
- The workflow is created by Milly, acting as Product Manager. She attaches one or more products before starting the workflow.
- The workflow begins with two tasks in parallel:
- The task of providing product details is assigned to Robert, the detail manager
- The task of entering prices is assigned to Harriet, the price manager
- Once both users have completed their tasks, the workflow assigns the product approval task to the Product Administrator.
- Milly, this time acting as Product Administrator, selects one of three possible outcomes:
- She rejects the product detail editing, reviving Robert’s task.
- She rejects the prices created, reviving Harriet’s product pricing task.
- She approves the product, which ends the workflow.
The following diagram shows the workflow details info seen by Milly, the workflow’s creator, and by Robert, the user assigned to one of its tasks.
Workflow Key Features
Consider the following important workflow features:
- Every workflow is based on a workflow template, which controls its behavior.
- An active workflow’s state includes the items attached to it, in other words the products to be worked on as part of this workflow, and which step it is currently on.
- You cannot edit a running workflow’s behavior. To alter its structure, edit its template before creating a new workflow from it.
- Create workflow instances either manually or automatically (using a script, or scheduled periodically or at a specific moment in time).
- Every task can be assigned to individual users or any user in a particular group.
- Task or workflow completion can be configured to trigger an email notification.
- Administrators can see all active workflows in the Collaboration Center overview.
- View a workflow’s structure in Backoffice using the Show Flow button.
- Edit workflow templates in Backoffice using the graphical Workflow Designer.