3.2.2 Workflow

The “Workflow” tab summarizes the information required for carrying out workflows and confirming workflow statuses.
Workflows are created when launching the service catalog or upon manually or automatically executing schedules. In addition, workflows can be executed directly with the API and can be used in user-specific applications, etc. For details on the API, see “Detailed API reference information > Standard API functions” in “JP1 Cloud Service/Operations Integration API Reference”.
Workflow consist of multiple steps prepared in advance. You will navigate to the next window upon completing each step. To navigate to the next step, click on the “Action” button located at a set position in the window.

(Figure) Workflow tab window

The “Workflow” tab consists of (①) Operation button and (②) Workflow list.

(Table) Workflow tab window components

Components		Description
①	Operation button	This button is used to carry out operations for workflows which have been checked in the workflow list. Terminate Workflow: Cancel the workflow. Enable by selecting an incomplete workflow in the workflow list. To end a subflow, it is necessary to end the workflow that called it (one workflow above). If, for some reason such as a glitch or other such problem, the workflow which called the subflow is in a completed status, the subflow can be ended using the "Terminate Workflow" button. Completed status as used here refers to any of the following: Succeeded, Failed, Abandoned, Canceling, Canceled or Timeout. For details on statuses, see "(Table) Status icons and their meanings".
②	Workflow list	A list of workflows is displayed. For details on displayed items, see "(Table) Workflow list items".

(1) Workflow list

Details on the workflow list are shown below.

(Table) Workflow list items

Item	Description
	A checkbox for selecting target operations.
Ticket Number	Displays the ticket numbers for request tickets which were created automatically upon execution of a workflow. Click to navigate to the "Ticket details" window.
Context ID	Displays the ID for identifying workflows. Click the link to display the window from which you can perform workflow operations. Windows for operating workflows must be created in advance depending on the task at hand. Subflows^*1 are marked with the icon. When a workflow that includes a subflow is processed more than once, a new context ID is issued for each iteration.
Parent Context ID	In the case of subflows^*1, the context ID of the workflow that called the subflow (one workflow above) is displayed. In the case of main workflows, the field is left blank.
Root Context ID	The context ID is displayed. In the case of subflows^*1, the context ID of the root workflow (the topmost workflow) is displayed.
Workflow ID	The ID for identifying workflow definitions is displayed.
Workflow	The display name of the workflow definition is displayed.
Title	The name of the workflow is displayed. The names of each workflow can be edited; however, the input fields may not be left blank.
Assigned To	The users assigned to the current activity are displayed.
Assigned Group	The group assigned to the current activity is displayed.
Customer	The name of the customer user who made the request from the service catalog is displayed.
Requester	The first and last name of the user who made the request from the service catalog is displayed.
Opened	The date and time on which the workflow was created are displayed din Japan Standard Time (JST).
Status^*2	The status of the workflow is displayed. For more information on the items and icons displayed alongside statuses and their respective meanings, see "(Table) Status icons and their meanings".
Step^*2	The status of the activity for each step is displayed. For more information on the meanings of icons displayed alongside steps, please see "(Table) Step icons and their meanings".

*1: For details on subflows, see "Designing a workflow".

*2: Immediately after executing a workflow from the service catalog, the status will temporarily be set to "Pending" and the steps may not be displayed. Also, the status may not change from "Requested" or "Running" to the next status. If the status does not change to the next status after at least 10 minutes, cancel the workflow and create a new one.

A figure showing the relationships between the various context IDs is presented below.

(Figure) Relationships between context IDs

(Table) Status icons and their meanings

Icon	Status	Description
	Succeeded	A status indicating that the workflow has successfully been completed.
	Failed	A status indicating that the workflow was not completed successfully.
	Abandoned	A status indicating that the workflow was abandoned due to abnormal termination.
	Canceling	A status indicating that the workflow is changing to the "Canceled" status.
	Canceled	The workflow was canceled.
	Requested	A status indicating that workflow execution has been initiated.
	Scheduled	A status indicating that the execution of the workflow has been scheduled and it is in standby. The workflow will be automatically executed in line with the scheduled instructions.^*
	Pausing	A status indicating that the workflow is entering the "Pending" status.
	Paused	A status indicating that the execution of the next step is pending input from the user.
	Resuming	A status indicating that the workflow is transitioning from the "Pending" status and will resume.
	Pending	A status indicating that the workflow is pending execution of the next step.
	Running	A status indicating that one of the steps of the workflow is currently being executed.
	Retrying	A status indicating that one of the steps of the workflow is currently being retried.
	Delayed	A status indicating that execution of the workflow is delayed.
	Timeout	A status indicating that one of the steps of the workflow has timed out.
	Null	A status indicating that an unexpected error has occurred.

*Support for this status is scheduled for the future.

(Table) Step icons and their meanings

Icon	Description
	A status indicating that the step was successfully processed.
	A status indicating that the step did not process successfully (failed).
	A status indicating that the workflow is pending execution of the next step.
	A status indicating that the processing for the step has not yet begun.
	A status indicating that the step was rejected by the user.
	A status indicating that the step is currently being executed.
	A status indicating that the workflow is changing to the "Canceled" status.
	A status indicating that the step has been canceled.
	A status indicating that the step was abandoned due to abnormal termination.
	A status indicating that the step timed out.
	A status indicating that execution of the step has begun.
	A status indicating that the execution of the step is delayed.
	A status indicating that the workflow is entering the "Pending" status.
	A status indicating that the execution of the next step is pending input from the user.
	A status indicating that the workflow is transitioning from the "Pending" status and will resume.
	A status indicating that one of the steps of the workflow is currently being retried.

More information regarding user operations and the stages leading up to the execution of a workflow is shown below. For more information on the service catalog, see “Service catalog”. For more information on the “save” and “start” action buttons, see “(Table) Action button type (UI version 1.0)” or “(Table) Action button type (UI version 1.1)”. For more information on the work item management function, see “Work item management functions”.

Also, the “save button processing” and “start button processing” in the figure below include Ops I’s standard processing for when the action button is clicked. For details, see “(Figure) Processing that can be added to standard action buttons”.

(Figure) Relationship between user operations and workflow execution stages

① Before saving:
The window for the first step of the workflow is displayed. Workflow-related information is not saved in Ops I.

② Create:
Workflow information is saved in Ops I and a context ID is issued. Awaiting commencement of workflow. The status of the workflow at this stage is "Pending".

③ Start:
Requires that the workflow be executed. The status of the workflow at this stage is "Requested". Transitions automatically to ④ .

④ Execute:
The workflow has been executed. The status of the workflow is "Running". The status will then subsequently change depending on the tasks defined in the workflow, user operations, etc. Actions buttons other than "save" and "start" are used from this stage onward.

You can open the workflow operation window directly by directly entering the following URL.

To open the window for creating a new workflow

URL of Ops I/sys_task/task_catalog?workflowId=workflow ID
To open the workflow list

URL of Ops I/sys_task/workflow/workflow_list
To open the window for operating workflows that have already been created

URL of Ops I/sys_task/workflow/workflow_list/workflow_detail/context ID
To display on the request application
Replace "sys_task" in the URL with "sys_request".

(2) Workflow operation window

Click on the links of workflow context IDs displayed in the workflow list to display the “Workflow operation” window created in advance. You can also use the breadcrumb trail displayed at the top of the window to switch the displayed window for each step. The content displayed in the activity does not show the values specified during past activity operations, but instead shows the current data model values. When displaying steps that have already been processed, the information in the “Workflow operation” window is shown as inactive.

(Figure) Workflow operation window example

(3) Workflow operation window (when using Stepper)

For workflows using Stepper, the appropriate operating personnel can be assigned for each step in accordance with the schedule and skills required for the work task. Add the definitions to the YAML file for the UI to enable the use of Stepper. For details, see “Designing a workflow” and “UI”.

(Figure) Stepper window

The “Stepper” window consists of a “Workflow steps list” (①) and “Schedule input area” (②) for each step.

(Table) Stepper window components

Components		Description
①	Workflow steps list	A list of steps for the workflow. Click the respective steps to display a schedule for the steps selected in the schedule input area.
②	Schedule input area	Used to set descriptions of the work tasks for each step, the planned start date, assigned agent, etc.

(Table) Input items for the schedule input area

Components	Required	Description
Title	Yes	The names defined for each step in the Workflow YAML file are displayed. These can be changed.
Status	No	The four statuses shown below are displayed in the drop-down menu. Select the appropriate status. Not started yet In progress Pending Closed If a workflow containing subflows is to be processed more than once and Stepper is displayed at a step prior to the second or any subsequent execution of a subflow, the status for the previous processing will be displayed. For details on subflows, see "Designing a workflow".
Description	No	Enter a description of the work task.
Planned Start	No	The planned start date Specify the planned start time in the "hh:mm (a\|p)m" field under "Planned Start".
Planned End	No	The planned end date Specify the planned end time in the "hh:mm (a\|p)m" field under "Planned End".
Start	Automatic display	The date that the workflow step actually started and ended This item is filled in automatically when a step is executed and is shown just for reference by the user. If a workflow is executed more than once and the same step is executed multiple times, the start date will show the date of the first execution, and the end date will show the date of the last completed execution. Using the example shown below where the same step is executed twice, the start date shows as 2/6 10:00 am and the end date shows as 2/7 03:00 pm. 1st execution: Start date: 2/6 10:00 am to End date: 2/6 12:00 pm 2nd execution: Start date: 2/7 01:00 pm to End date: 2/7 03:00 pm
End	Automatic display
Assigned Group	No	Click the icon to select the assigned group.
Assigned To	No	Click the icon to select the assigned agent.
Operation Time	No	Enter the time required for the work task.

For steps with a completed status, “Planned Start”, “Planned End”, “Assigned Group” and “Assigned To” items cannot be edited. Completed status as used here refers to any of the following: “Succeeded”, “Failed”, “Abandoned”, “Canceled” or “Timeout”. However, steps that have a completed status resulting from a rejection of the step can be edited.

[Selecting an assigned group]

Assign groups in the “Assigned Group” window. Click the icon for the assigned group in the “Stepper” window to navigate to the “Assigned Group” window.
Select a group that you want to assign to a work task from the list of groups displayed in the “Assigned Group” window and click the “Assign” button to assign that group accordingly. If “Assigned To” is selected first in the “Stepper” window, only the group to which the selected agent belongs will be displayed.

[Select an “agent”]

The “Candidate” window that is displayed when the icon for an agent in the “Stepper” window is clicked is shown below.
The “Candidate” window displays users, groups to which the users belong, and user schedules. This window also displays information such as the skillset sufficiency rate of a candidate with respect to the skills held by the candidate to the skillset defined for each step. This allows you to select the most appropriate agent for a given work task. For details on skillsets and skills, see “Resources”.
Click a user that you want to assign to a work task from the displayed list of users and then click the “Assign” button to assign that agent accordingly.
To display users in the “Candidate” window, you must first configure the management relationships between groups. (For more information on this topic, see “Configuring management relationships between groups”.) Upon doing this, the users of the groups for which a management relationship has been configured will be displayed in the “Candidate” window.
If “Assigned Group” has been selected first, users who belong to the selected assigned group and those who belong to groups for which a management relationship has been configured will be displayed.

(Figure) Candidate window (when navigated to from a workflow)

(Table) Candidate window components

Components		Description
①	Skillset Requirement	In the YAML file for the Workflow, the label names of the skillsets defined for the selected steps will be displayed. If no skillsets have been defined, "Not specified" will be displayed.
②	Duration	Enter the period. The number of experiences counted during the entered period will be displayed in the "Experiences" field shown in ⑥.
③	Search window	Enter keywords such as user names or the names of skills and click the icon to perform a filtered search of users.
④	Switch display button	Use this button to switch the schedule list between displaying by day, week or month.
⑤	Skillset Sufficiency	If a user has all the required skills in a skillset, this will display as 100%. If "Not specified" has been set for "Skillset Requirement", the field will be left blank.
⑥	Experiences	The number of experiences in a workflow counted during the period entered in ② will be displayed.

[Configuring management relationships between groups]

To display users in the “Candidate” window under “Assigned To”, you must first configure the management relationships between groups in the “Add Schedule” window. Doing this allows you to view groups and users for which a management relationship has been configured. The method for configuring management relationships between groups is shown below.

1. Assign users to groups in the "System Configuration" window to form groups of users.

2. Select the groups that you want to configure the management relationship for in the "System Configuration" window and then, in the "Related Groups" window under "Related Groups", select "Manage" or "Managed" for the "Relation Type" for the relevant groups. The management relationship can also be set to "Manage/Managed". For example, by setting the relationship of a group that has been set to "Manage" to "Managed" in the "Related Groups" window, the management relationship can be set to "Manage/Managed". Or, you can also double-click the name of the relation type of a group that has been set to "Manage" or "Managed" in the list of groups under "Related Groups" to set the management relationship to "Manage/Managed".

For details on forming user groups as per step 1, see “Adding users”. For details on managing group relationships as per step 2, see “User management” and “Adding groups”.
The schedules for assigned personnel can be viewed in the “Schedule” tab. For details, see “Schedule”.