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Can I Customize a Workflow?

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Created by Zachary Suetta, last modified by Łukasz Kaleta (inactive) on Aug 25, 2016

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A workflow is the step-by-step procedure necessary for successfully completing a given service. You can define the sequence of activities in a way which best suits a given service, such as a simple translation or a more complex operation which requires multiple providers.

This section provides the list of questions and answers which might come up while defining the workflow's structure.

Before you start reading the following sections, make sure that you are familiar with the Creating the Task Workflow Definition guide.

Can I modify the workflow on-the-fly?

The ability to quickly modify a workflow at any time during a given project is a standard feature. There is no further configuration required.

I want to deliver files from all language combinations at once

You can:

Use a bundle project workflow and have the system automatically send all files to the client upon the workflow's completion. A bundle project workflow is a project workflow that supports bundles. This type is recommended when all of a project's tasks should be performed in a single workflow and the task's respective files are intended for specific users and activities included in the whole project.
1. Select a bundle project workflow for a project
2. Select the Workflow Graph tab.
3. Select the Notify Customer tickbox in the Project Output panel.
4. Click . Now the system will automatically deliver all files to the customer after the final activity in the workflow is complete.
Use a bundle task workflow and manually deliver multiple files.A bundle task workflow is a task workflow that supports bundles. This type is recommended when a task's files are intended for specific users and activities included in that task.
1. Select a bundle task workflow for a project.
2. Select the Workflow Graph tab for a given task.
3. Deselect the Notify Customer tickbox in the Task Output panel.
4. Click .
5. Repeat for all tasks which will have the ready files you want to send together to the customer.
6. After the all the tasks are finished, select the Tasks tab in the left-hand panel.
7. Click .
8. Select Deliver All Files. You are taken to a new page.
9. Select the Accept All Possible Files tickbox in order to accept all possible files in the selected task's Output Files folder. A file which can be accepted has the following description in the table:
10. Select the Send E-mail to the Customer the tickbox in order to have the system automatically send a notification to the customer which explains how he/she can access the ready files .
11. Click to have the selected ready files be available to the customer in the Customer Portal or the FTP, depending on his/her rights.

I want to pre-process all files for many language combinations. Can I also post-process the files together?

Yes, you can. Select a bundle project workflow because this will allow you to manage all the files together.

I want the providers to finish the job without uploading any files

To do so, perform the following steps:

Select the Workflow Graph tab.
Click of the workflow job which includes activities that do not require a provider to upload a file in order to finish it.

A new window appears.
Select the Files tab.
Deselect Require All Files to Finish tickbox.
Click .
Repeat for any workflow jobs that contain activities which do not require providers to upload any files.
Click . Now the providers assigned to activities within this workflow job will not need to upload any files in order to finish their activities.

I want the providers to leave additional notes for the project manager

Bear in mind that the providers use the Partner Zone and not the FTP.

When a provider includes a note for a finished activity, Notes from Provider Icon appears in the activity's panel.

Click Notes from Provider Icon to read the note. When you click on this, you are taken to that activity's Instructions tab. The message appears in the Notes from Provider field.

Can my providers see the files from the previous job as well as the original input files?

The additional providers do not receive the original input files by default. If you have more than one provider in your workflow, all of them can see the files not only from the previous job, but the original input files as well. To get this scenario, you need to prepare the workflow as follows:

Select the Workflow Graph tab.
Click of a job which follows the first workflow job.

A new window appears.
Click . Additional fields appear.
For From Job, click on the drop-down list and select "Task Input".
Click .
Repeat for any additional jobs which require the original task input files.
Click . Now the providers assigned to activities within later workflow jobs will receive both the original task input files and the files from the previous workflow jobs.

Can I modify only the files which require changes?

If you want to modify only a few files and leave the rest unchanged, you need to set up this in the workflow. The process is recommended for jobs such as quality assurance, where it is possible that some files are ready and do not require any further modifications.

Select the Workflow Graph tab.
Click of the workflow job which includes activities that do not require a provider to upload a file in order to finish it.

A new window appears.
Select the Files tab.
Select the Copy Missing Output Files from Input on Finish tickbox.
Click .
Repeat for any workflow jobs that contain activities which do not require providers to modify all the files they receive in order to finish an activity.
Click . Now the providers assigned to activities within this workflow job will not need to modify all the files they receive in order to finish an activity. For example, you selected the Copy Missing Output Files form Input on Finish for a translation activity. The provider receives 4 files: Document 1, Document 2, Document 3 and Document 4. The provider uploads only one file, FinishedDocument, and confirms that the activity is finished. The project manager will see only FinishedDocument in the translation activity's Output Files folder.

Can the client receive ready files automatically after the last job in the workflow?

If yes:
1. Select the Files and Directories tab.
2. Select the Auto-accept Workflow Output Files tickbox.
3. Select the Notifications tab.
4. Select the Auto-notify Customer after Files Acceptance tickbox.
5. Click . Now whenever you select this workflow, the system automatically accepts all activity's output files and notifies the customer that the files are ready after all output files are accepted and the workflow is finished .

If no, you want the project manager to first check them and then have them sent automatically:
1. Select the Files and Directories tab.
2. Deselect the Auto-accept Workflow Output Files tickbox.
3. Select the Notifications tab.
4. Select the Auto-notify Customer After Files Acceptance tickbox.
5. Click . Now whenever you select this workflow, the project manager must manually accept all activity's output files, but the system automatically notifies the customer that the files are ready after all output files are accepted and the workflow is finished .

If no, you want the project manager to first check them and do not want to have them sent automatically:
1. Select the Files and Directories tab.
2. Deselect the Auto-accept Workflow Output Files tickbox.
3. Select the Notifications tab.
4. Deselect the Auto-notify Customer after Files Acceptance tickbox.
5. Click . Now whenever you select this workflow, the project manager must manually accept all activity's output files and notify the customer that the files are ready.

If no, you do not want the project manager to check them and do not want to have them sent automatically:
1. Select the Files and Directories tab.
2. Select the Auto-accept Workflow Output Files tickbox.
3. Select the Notifications tab.
4. Deselect the Auto-notify Customer after Files Acceptance tickbox.
5. Click . Now whenever you select this workflow, the system automatically accepts all activity's output files, but the project manager must manually notify the customer that the files are ready.

I want to allot a specific percentage of the whole task to each job

If yes:

Select the Time and Requests tab.
Go to the table in Automatic Deadline Calculation section.
Enter the percentage of the overall task that should be allocated to a given activity. The percentage is used to determine an activity's start date and deadline. For example, a workflow has two tasks: translation and proofreading. You enter "60" for translation and "40" for proofreading, which means that 60% of the project's time span should be allocated to the translation activity, and 40% allocated to the proofreading activity. You select this workflow for a task which has the start date of 9 May, 9;00 and the deadline of 12 May, 18:00. Your company's working hours are 9:00-18:00. The system automatically sets the translation's activity start date as 9 May, 9:00 and the deadline as 11 May, 12:00 and the proofreading's start date as 11 May, 12:00 and the deadline as 12 May, 18:00.
1. Enter only a value; do not include a percentage sign (%) at the end.
2. You do not need to enter only percentages. For example, if you enter "6" for translation and "4" for proofreading, the system automatically allocates 60% of the project's time span to the translation activity and 40% to the proofreading activity.
1. The number of items in the table is dependent on the number of jobs in the workflow.
2. The name of each item in the table is the name you entered for that job in the Workflow Job window.
3. The location of the items in the table is relevant to their order in the actual workflow: the initial activity appears at the top of the table and the final activity appears at the bottom.
Click . Now whenever you select this workflow for a task, the system automatically sets the activities' start dates and deadlines in accordance with the Automatic Deadline Calculation information.

The Automatic Deadline Calculation operates on working days and hours. To set your company's working hours, go to System > Configuration > General Configuration > Advanced Configuration > Provider > Availability.

Automatic Deadline Calculation is not applied when:

Creating a quote.
Creating a project from a template.
Converting a quote into a project.
Adding additional activities within one workflow job.
Copying tasks.

Can I allot for the project manager's final review a specific number of hours?

Yes, you can. To set up this scenario, perform the following steps:

Select the Time and Requests tab.
For Postpone Task Deadline for (in working hours), enter the number of hours the final activity must be finished prior to the task's deadline. For example, you enter “3” into the Postpone Task Deadline for (in working hours) field . You select this workflow for a task which has the deadline of 12 May, 18:00. The system automatically sets the final activity's deadline as 12 May, 15:00.
Click . Now whenever you select this workflow for a task, the system automatically sets the final activity's deadline earlier than the task's deadline.

I want to have the standard instructions for the workflow

To get the standard instructions in your workflow, follow the steps:

First you will need to create a template which includes the custom instructions. Go to the Notifications tab.
Go to E-mail/SMS to Provider: New Activity and click .

A new page appears.
For Type, select E-mail/SMS to Provider: New Activity.
For Name, enter a unique name for the template with the instructions sent to providers. For this example, "Standard Instructions for New Activities" is entered.
For Subject, enter the the subject of the email sent to the providers.
For Template Definition, enter the instructions. If necessary, use the available tags in the right-hand panel. Use the above filter to limit your search for a tag. Begin typing the tag's name into the field, and the systems limits the tags in accordance to the entered text.
Click . The template with the automatic instructions is created, and you are returned to the Notifications tab.
For E-mail/SMS to Provider: New Activity, click on the drop-down list and select the template which has the instructions.
Click . Now the system will automatically suggest the standard instructions whenever this workflow is selected.

Can I set up the standard providers for the workflow?

If yes, there should be one specific provider for every time,
1. Select the Workflow Graph tab.
2. Click of the job which will have a standard provider.
  
  A new window appears:
3. For Default Provider, select the radio button of the provider who will automatically be selected for this job whenever this workflow is chosen. The options are:
  - None – No default provider is used and the provider is chosen by either the project manager or the provider assignment method selected on the Availability Requests tab, if applicable.
  - Provider (Price Profile) – The provider selected as default for a specific job in this workflow. The provider is chosen by his/her price profile, which means that the selected price profile is used as the default for the job whenever the specific workflow is chosen for a task.
    - To select a provider to be used as the default for the job in this specific workflow, click . A window with the Provider Browse appears. Select the desired provider's price profile.
    - To remove a provider as the default provider, click .
  - Automated Activity Action – An operation performed entirely by the XTRF system. When you select this radio button, a drop-down list appears. Click on the drop-down list and select an action.
    To create an automated activity action, go to System > Configuration > Workflows > Automated Activity Actions .
  - Current PM – The provider account linked to the project manager who is creating the job at the present time.
    To link a provider account to a user, go to System > Configuration > Users . After locating the desired user, select the In-house Activity tab.
4. For this example, the Provider (Price Profile) radio button is selected and the provider Steve Smith and Price Profile 1 are chosen.
5. Click . The provider's name appears in the workflow job.
6. Click .
7. Now whenever you select this workflow for a task, the system will automatically assign this provider to the activity included in this workflow job.

If yes, one provider is chosen from a specified set,

Select the Workflow Graph tab.
Click of the job which will have a specified list of providers to choose from.

A new window appears:
Select the Availability Requests tab.
For Provider Filtering Rules, click on the drop-down list and select the filtering rules used to limit the number of candidates for the activity request. Depending on its configuration, a filter selects a specified number of candidates based on how suitable the providers are to its settings. For this example, "ZS Provider Filter" is selected.
For Default Request Deadline, decide the final date permitted for the provider's response to this activity request. If you want to include a deadline, perform the following:
1. Select the date from which the deadline date will be determined . The available dates are:
  1. None – There is no deadline requested.
  2. Now – The exact moment the availability requests are sent.
  3. Activity Start Date – The supposed date the activity is to begin. To set a new date, go to the Start Date field in the Main Data tab in the Activity Display .
2. Enter the number of days and/or hours used to determine the exact deadline date. For example, an activity's start date is 15 March, 11:00. The project manager selects "Activity Start Date" and enters "3" for days and "2" for hours. The request deadline will be 18 March, 13:00.
  1. To have the request deadline be determined by business days and hours, select "use working days and hours". For example, an activity's start date is Friday, 15 March. The project manager selects "Activity Start Date" and enters "3" for days. The request deadline will be Wednesday, 23 March.
    You can set the date earlier by entering a minus sign (-) before the number. For example, an activity's start date is 15 March, 11:00. The project manager selects "Activity Start Date" and enters "-3" for days and "-2" for hours. The request deadline will be 12 March, 9:00.
For this example, "Now" is selected and "3 days and 2 hours" is entered.
Click . The provider filter for availability requests appears in the workflow job.
Click .
Now whenever you select this workflow, the system automatically suggests the filtering rules to be applied to the availability requests.

Can I get the the standard receivables for the workflow?

If Yes,

Select the Receivables tab.
Click or , depending on the type of receivable you want to include. For this example, is selected. A new window appears after you click on this button.

For a description of the window, refer to: Task Receivable.
Enter any necessary information.
Click . The window closes.
When all activities in a given workflow are finished, the system can automatically change all related receivables' statuses to . To have the system automatically perform this operation, select the Automatically Change Receivables Status to 'Sent' when Workflow Is Finished tickbox.
Click . The receivable will now appear for any quote or project task which uses this workflow.

I want to have the standard translation memory files or term bases for the workflow

To get the standard translation memory files or term bases for the workflow, perform the following steps:

Select the Resources tab.
Select the Use Default TMs tickbox if you want the system to automatically add the customer's default translation memory files whenever this workflow is used.
Select the Use Default Terminology tickbox if you want the system to automatically add the customer's default terminology files whenever this workflow is used.
To create or modify a customer's TM and terminology files, go to the Workflow Resource tab in the customer's Customer Display
Click to create a filter used to determine which default translation memory and terminology files are selected by the system whenever this workflow is used.
Click . Now the system automatically adds a customer's default TM and and terminology files to a project whenever this workflow is selected.

Can the clients check the files and send corrections as a standard procedure?

Yes, and the client can modify the files:
1. Select the Workflow Graph tab.
2. Click to create the customer review workflow job. The specific you click on determines the exact placement of the job in the workflow. For this example, the customer review is placed after the translation activity.
  
  When you click on this, a new window appears.
3. For Activity Type, click on the drop-down list and select "Customer review".
4. For Name, enter a unique name for the customer review. By default the system automatically enters the name of the item you selected for Activity Type.
5. Click . The window closes, and the job appears in the workflow.
6. To provide the customer with the rights to read and modify files included in the bundle assigned to their review job, go to the customer review column at the bottom of the tab and click on the text until Read/Write appears.
7. Click . Now whenever you select this workflow for a customer who has review rights, the system will automatically assign the customer's linked provider to the customer final review job. The customer can access and upload the modified files from the Partner Zone using the login credentials of the linked provider.
  For information on providing a customer with review rights and the linked provider, click here: Customer Review.

If yes, but the customers cannot modify them, instead having only the the right to add comments, if necessary,
1. Select the Workflow Graph tab.
2. Click to create the customer review workflow job. The specific you click on determines the exact placement of the job in the workflow. For this example, the customer review is placed after the translation activity.
  
  When you click on this, a new window appears.
3. For Activity Type, click on the drop-down list and select "Customer review".
4. For Name, enter a unique name for the customer review. By default the system automatically enters the name of the item you selected for Activity Type.
5. Click . The window closes, and the job appears in the workflow.
6. To provide the customer only with the right to read files included in the bundle assigned to their review job, go to the Customer review column at the bottom of the tab and click on the text until Read Only appears.
7. Click . Now whenever you select this workflow for a customer who has review rights, the system will automatically assign the customer's linked provider to the customer final review job. The customer can access ready files and if necessary, enter comments from the Partner Zone using the login credentials of the linked provider.
  For more information on providing a customer with review rights and the linked provider, refer to the Customer Review article.

Can I as the project manager check the files after every job?

If yes, and you want project managers to be able to modify files uploaded by providers and overwrite them,
1. Select the Workflow Graph tab.
2. Click of a job which follows another in the workflow.
  
  A new window appears.
3. Select the Job Starting tab.
4. Deselect the Automatically Start this Job when Possible (All Preceding Activities Are Ready) tickbox.
5. Click .
6. Repeat for any workflow jobs that should not start automatically.
7. Click . Now whenever you select this workflow, the system will not automatically start the workflow jobs after the previous ones are finished. The project manager can review the files and if necessary, modify and/or overwrite them. What is more, the next job in the workflow will not start until the project manager manually changes its status.

If yes, and you want project managers to be able to modify files uploaded by providers but not be able to overwrite them. You want the system to store the files separately,
1. Select the Workflow Graph tab.
2. Click of a job which follows another in the workflow.
  
  A new window appears.
3. Select the Job Starting tab.
4. Select the Automatically Start this Job when Possible (All Preceding Activities Are Ready) tickbox.
5. Click . The window closes.
6. Now we will add a separate workflow job for the project manager. In this workflow job, the project manager can modify the files but cannot overwrite them. The project manager's modified files will be stored separately from the ready files of the previous workflow job. Click right of the workflow job you just modified.
  
  A new window appears.
7. For Activity Type, select the kind of activity which most suitably represents the project manager's review of the files. For this example, "PM" is selected.
8. For Name, enter a unique name for the workflow job.
9. For Default Provider, select Current PM. Now the project manager who creates the project will automatically be assigned to an activity in the workflow job whenever the workflow is selected.
10. Click . The window closes, and the project manager job appears in the workflow.
11. Repeat for any other workflow jobs that must be reviewed by the project manager before the following workflow job can begin.
12. Click . Now whenever you select this workflow, the system will not automatically start the workflow jobs after the previous ones are finished. The files are assigned to the project manager's workflow job, where he/she can review and if necessary, modify the files but cannot overwrite them. The project manager can upload modified files which will be stored separately from the files of the previous workflow job.

If no, you want project managers to check files only after the last job in the workflow,
1. Select the Workflow Graph tab.
2. Click of a job which follows another in the workflow.
  
  A new window appears.
3. Select the Job Starting tab.
4. Select the Automatically Start this Job when Possible (All Preceding Activities Are Ready) tickbox.
5. Click . The window closes.
6. Repeat for any workflow jobs that should start automatically.
7. Select the Files and Directories tab.
8. Deselect the Auto-accept Workflow Output Files tickbox.
9. Click . Now whenever you select this workflow, the system will automatically start the workflow jobs after the previous ones are finished and the project manager will need to accept the files before sending them to customer.

If no, they should never check files after any job,
1. Select the Workflow Graph tab.
2. Click of a job which follows another in the workflow.
  
  A new window appears.
3. Select the Job Starting tab.
4. Select the Automatically Start this Job when Possible (All Preceding Activities Are Ready) tickbox.
5. Click . The window closes.
6. Repeat for any workflow jobs that should start automatically.
7. Select the Files and Directories tab.
8. Select the Auto-accept Workflow Output Files tickbox.
9. Click . Now whenever you select this workflow, the system will automatically start the workflow jobs after the previous ones are finished and the project manager will not need to accept the files before sending them to customer.