Getting Started with Project Request Workflows

This getting started article will help system administrators and project managers to create and manage Project Request Workflows using the Project application admin interface. The user must have administrator permissions to the specific Project application.

Overview

Project Request Workflows are used to stage submitted project requests through a series of steps for review, evaluation, and approval or rejection. Workflow steps are created and defined in the Workflows section of the Project application admin interface (see the Project Request Workflow Template article for more information). 

Submitted project requests can either be automatically assigned to a workflow via an automation rule or manually by opening the request in Work Management.

Where to Find This

This feature appears in the Project application admin interface.

Navigate to manage Project Request Workflows as follows:

• Project Application Admins: Work Management > View Applications > Project application, > gear icon > Admin > Workflows > Project Request Workflows
• Global Admins: TDAdmin > Applications > the Project application > Workflows > Project Request Workflows

Using Project Request Workflows

Creating a New Project Request Workflow

1. To create a new workflow, navigate to the Project Request Workflows page and click +New. 
2. Name the workflow and optionally give it a description
3. Click Save.

A new screen will display, where you can:

• Edit the workflow’s general information.
• Add or configure workflow steps.

The following sections describe the configuration of workflows and workflow steps in detail.

Configuring Workflow Steps

When a new project request workflow is created, all steps in the workflow template at that time will be automatically added to the workflow, in an inactive, unconfigured state. Users can determine which steps will be active in a particular workflow, and how the actions in those steps will be configured.

To configure a workflow step:

1. In the Project application admin interface, navigate to  Workflows > Project Request Workflows.
2. Click the Name of the desired workflow.
3. Click the Steps tab.
4. Click Edit to configure the relevant step.

Workflow Step Options

The below fields can be used to customize what actions are available when a workflow step is active:

• Assignments – The list of default reviewers/approvers for the workflow step.
• Assignment Options – The list of people who may be selected as reviewers/approvers for the step upon approval of the previous step.
  • Note: The Assignments and Assignment Options columns cannot both be blank, as workflow steps require a responsible party. If nothing is supplied for Assignments, the approver must select an item from Options upon step approval. If there are no Assignment Options, then the approver cannot be changed. When both are provided, the step has a default responsibility that can be optionally modified.
• Scorecard – Allows for a specific scorecard to be selected and associated with the workflow step.
• Options:
  • Active – Whether the workflow step is active.
  • Approve Request – Indicates if the project request can be approved at this step, i.e. a fast track that will skip all remaining steps and mark the request Request Approved.
  • Reject Request – Indicates if the project request can be rejected at this step, i.e. a fast track that will skip all remaining steps and mark the request Request Declined.
  • Return to Requestor – Whether the request can be sent back to the requestor during this step. If this action is available, the request will be marked Unsubmitted and sent back to the requestor to edit and/or provide more information through the Client Portal.
  • Reject Step – Indicates if an approver can reject the workflow step, which will return the workflow to its previous step and the responsible party. Please note that this is only applicable at the second workflow step, as the first step does not have this option.
  • Forward – Whether the request can be forwarded during the step. This allows another user to access and contribute to this workflow step. The user to whom this project request is forwarded will have the same permissions as the reviewers/approvers. Once this step is completed, that user will no longer have those permissions. Project requests can only be forwarded to another TeamDynamix user who has access to the Portfolio Planning application.
  • Edit – Whether the request can be edited during the step. If this is disabled, required sections cannot be enforced for this step.
• Sections – When the Edit action is available, a Sections link will appear in the Sections column of the table on the Steps tab. Click on this link to see a list of project request sections that can be made editable and/or required. Select the appropriate sections and click Save.

Adding a Workflow Step

When a workflow is created, all current steps in the workflow template are automatically added to the workflow. If a particular workflow needs additional steps, or if steps were added to the template after the workflow was created that the user wishes to add to the workflow, this can be done as follows:

1. In the Project application admin interface, navigate to  Workflows > Project Request Workflows.
2. Click the Name of the desired workflow.
3. Click the Steps tab.
4. Click the Add button on the toolbar and select both a Step and an Order.
   The steps listed are those that have been added to the workflow template but have not yet been added to the workflow itself.
5. Optionally select a Scorecard to be associated with the step.
6. Click Save.

Editing the General Information of a Project Request Workflow

To edit a project request workflow:

1. In the Project application admin interface, navigate to  Workflows > Project Request Workflows.
2. Click the Name of the desired workflow.
3. On the General tab, click the Activate/Deactivate button in the toolbar to change the active status of a workflow.
4. Click the Edit button and modify the Name or Description of the workflow.
5. Edit the Active status.

Note: In order for a workflow to be active:

• At least one step must be active.
• A Ready for Reporting step must be selected and active.
• At least one active step must allow Reject Request.
• At least one active step must allow Approve Request.

6. Select the Ready for Reporting step to specify that requests using this workflow will be included in reports after the selected field has been completed. In many workflows, the Ready for Reporting step comes first, so that when it advances to the second step, planning and other project management activities can begin.
7. Click Save.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why do workflow template steps work the way they do?

A. Each workflow template step creates a status for a project request. The same step may be used in several workflows, and you may want to report on all project requests in a given step across workflows. This is why template steps are created separately from workflows. However, once you have created the workflow, the workflow "locks in" the steps available at the time of creation, so it won't be modified after creation.

Q. What does "Ready for Reporting" mean?

A. "Ready for Reporting" means that, after that workflow step, the project request should start showing up in the capacity planner and other parts of TeamDynamix. The idea is that the request now contains "correct" information, which is whatever is needed to make a decision. The idea behind "Ready for Reporting" is that people should not make decisions about project requests before the request's information is accurate.