Dynamic Workflow

What is Dynamic Workflow?

The dynamic workflow features in BLUE allow project owners to make live changes to tasks, sub-processes, and approval cycles in their projects. The options consist of being able to Insert tasks, Redo a task, cycle or sub-process, Rewind a set of tasks or tasks within a sub-process, or edit approval cycle tasks within the Approval Cycle Builder. These changes are controlled by the project owner and take effect immediately or when a project is resumed.

Inserting Tasks

Depending on your site’s configuration, you may have the option to insert an Upload Reference Files or Standard task into your project, using the Insert Task option.

If your project is in Draft mode, you will see the Insert Task option on any sub-process or task in the project.

If your project has not yet completed, and there are active project items, suspend the project in order to insert a new task. While the project is suspended, you can only select a project item that is pending or in progress to insert a new task.

Note: Inserting a new task at an in progress task will only allow you to insert the task after that task.

To insert a new task, select a location for the new task by clicking on a pending or in progress project item in the Tasks list. You will be able to choose where to insert the task in relations to the selected task.

After choosing Insert Task, the Insert Task dialog opens.

Enter the information for each of the following fields for the new task that you are inserting.

Task Name	Enter a name that best describes the task and what it will be used for. (Required)
Tasks	Choose either a Standard task or an Upload Reference Files task. (Required)
Insert	Choose the location from the selected project item where you want the inserted task to appear. You can select Before, In Parallel, or After the selected item. (Required) Note: When the project is in Draft, all three options will be available. Once the project is in progress, the insert location options will depend on the status of the selected project item. For example, if the item is already in progress, you can only select to insert a task After the selected project item.
Swimlane	Select a swimlane that will be assigned to the new task. The list will display all swimlanes that were configured in the template. (Required)
Group	Select an owner group for the task. This list is compiled from all groups configured in the template for the selected swimlane. (Required)
User	Select a user that will be assigned as the task owner for the new task. This list of users is generated from the group that was selected. (Required)
Duration	Add the duration for the new task in number of days. The default duration is 1 day and will adhere to all rules set by the selected schedule for the project. (Required)
Instructions	Add any instructions that the task owner may need to execute the new task. (Optional)

Click OK. The new task will be inserted into the project and will follow the standard project settings (due date, duration, notifications, assignments, etc.). Inserted tasks, like all other project items, cannot be deleted. Depending on the template’s settings, you may be able to bypass inserted tasks.

Redo

If a task was completed by mistake, or the wrong file was uploaded, project owners, sub-process owners and workflow admins who have permission can choose to re-open or Redo a task or sub-process that has already been completed, as long as the Redo setting is enabled on the template and the project is suspended (and is not completed yet). See Process Templates for more information.

Note: Redo only affects the project item that is redone, and not the tasks after it. Any tasks that follow the task or sub-process that is being redone remain in their previous state, meaning that you could have different parts of your workflow that are in progress at the same time. For example, if task 1 is complete and task 2 (which follows) is in progress, then you redo task 1, they will both be in progress at the same time.

To Redo a completed task or sub-process, a project must still be in progress and the task or sub-process must be completed.

Eligible project items, for which the Redo action will be available:

– Standard task

– Upload Reference Files task

– Complete Form task

– Automation task

– Auto Transfer to Library task

– Auto Transfer to MediaBeacon task

– Manual Transfer to Library task

– Sub-Processes

Project items that will not have the action for Redo available, but can be redone if they are within a sub-process:

– Milestone

– System Decision

– Approval Decision

– Select Base Artwork from Library task

– Base Artwork Review task

– Create Packshots task

Approval Cycles will have the action to Redo once all the items in the approval cycle have been completed. These may include Upload for Approval tasks, Review tasks, and Approval tasks. When the Redo option is selected, the completed approval cycle will cancel the completed cycle and create a new cycle. All tasks within that cycle will be re-opened.

Redoing a cycle is allowed when there is no transfer to library task associated with the cycle (via Approval Candidate ID).

Redoing a sub-process is allowed when the transfer to library task associated with the cycle (via Approval Candidate ID) is inside the sub-process.

Redoing a task in a project

This project shows that there are several completed tasks and the sub-process, “Regional Artwork Process,” is still in progress because all of its tasks have not yet been completed. The project owner can choose to Redo any of the eligible items that have a “Completed” status.

The Upload Marketing Reference Materials task has the incorrect file, which was uploaded by mistake, so the project owner wants to have the task owner redo the task and update the files.

To Redo this task, suspend the project and choose Redo Task.

In the confirmation dialog, click OK to continue.

The task status becomes Suspended.

Resume the project. 

The selected task is re-opened and its status becomes In Progress. Because only one task can be redone at a time, no other project item will change because of this Redo. However, depending on the where in the project the project item was re-opened, there could be several project items in progress at the same time, but the project itself cannot be completed until all items have been completed.

The new start date on the Upload Marketing Reference Files task changes from the previous start date to the date the task was re-opened and the due date may also be adjusted, based on its planned duration and defined schedule.

The Completed Date and Completed By fields are cleared and will be added back once the task is completed again. All other task properties remain the same, including the task owner, ID, and duration.

The task owner can now make corrections to the task and complete it again.

When a project item has been redone, attributes and files will NOT be changed or removed by the system. The task owner is responsible for making any changes on the task.

When redoing tasks:

– Attribute values will remain on the task

– Uploaded or attached files will remain on the task / references tab

– Annotations on files are not removed

– Transferred files will remain in their previously transferred locations and must be verified

– Actions that were completed via automation tasks will not be undone

– All audits that were previously applied will remain the same

– Subscribers that were added on the project item will remain the same

– An audit “Project Redo” captures the Redo action of the project item

Redoing a sub-process in a project

Once a sub-process has been completed, it will be eligible for the Redo option. Below, the BLUE Natural sub-process has been completed. The project owner can choose to Redo the entire sub-process, which will re-open all tasks within the sub-process.

Any tasks related to transferring the file to the library (such as the transfer to library task, Automation or Standard tasks) that need to be redone when redoing a sub-process must also be inside the sub-process so that these tasks are redone as well.

To Redo this sub-process, suspend the project.

Click on the sub-process row. Select Redo Task from the sub-process actions menu.

On the Redo Task confirmation dialog, click OK to continue.

All previously completed tasks within the sub-process are re-opened and the sub-process status will become Suspended. Its Completed Date gets cleared.

Resume the project.

The first task in the sub-process becomes In Progress, while the subsequent tasks update to Pending.

If the sub-process contains a completed approval cycle, a new cycle will be generated, and the completed cycle will be canceled. The completed tasks within the canceled cycle will retain their dispositions and the approval tasks will show a disposition of canceled. In this example, the re-opened cycle is Cycle 2.

The Redo action cannot be undone, once the task is re-opened, it must be completed to finalize the project.

Rewind

While the Redo action can be used to re-open one project item at a time, the Rewind action allows project or sub-process owners to re-execute a range of completed tasks in an active project from that point onward. If the Rewind setting is enabled on a process template, the Rewind to Task option will appear in the actions menu of the selected project item. See Process Templates for more information on the Rewind template setting.

To Rewind a consecutive set of completed tasks or sub-processes, a project must still be in progress and the selected project item must already be completed.

Eligible project items, for which the Rewind To Task action will be available:

– Standard task

– Upload Reference Files task

– Complete Form task

– Automation task

– Select Base Artwork from Library task

– Auto Transfer to Library task

– Auto Transfer to MediaBeacon task

– Manual Transfer to Library task

– Create Packshots task

– Sub-Processes

Project items that do not have the action for Rewind available, but can be redone if they are within a sub-process:

– Milestone

– System Decision

– Approval Decision

Approval Cycles will have the action to Rewind once all the items in the approval cycle have been completed. These may include Upload for Approval tasks, Review tasks, and Approval tasks. When the Rewind to Task option is selected, the completed approval cycle will cancel the completed cycle and create a new cycle.

Rewinding tasks or sub-processes in a project

In some cases, the project owner may need to have a set of completed tasks or sub-processes rewound, so that task owners can work on them again. For example, a file might have been mistakenly uploaded, and the approval process might have already been completed. The Rewind option in an active project will allow the project owner to re-open a task and everything after it, like rewinding back to a certain point within the workflow.

In the following example, the project owner wants to rewind to the Upload Project Reference Files task, because the wrong file was uploaded and this affects the process that follows.

To rewind to this task, suspend the project.

Select the task or sub-process you want to rewind to. In task details, choose Rewind to Task.

Note: You can rewind back as far as the beginning of the project, and all completed project items after it will be re-opened.

In the confirmation dialog, you will see a list of tasks that will be affected and rewound. Click OK to continue.

The project item you are rewinding to becomes Suspended. The Completed Date is cleared.

Resume the project.

The selected project item and all items after it will be re-opened. In this example, the Upload Project Reference Files task becomes In Progress and the tasks after it are set to Pending.

The start date on the task updates to the current date, and the due date may update as well based on its planned duration and defined schedule. The Completed Date field is cleared and will be add back as project items are completed again. All other properties remain the same, including task or sub-process owner, ID, and duration.

Once project items have the Rewind option applied and statuses are changed, attributes or files will NOT be changed or removed by the system. The task owner is responsible for making any new changes on the tasks.

When rewinding to a task or sub-process:

– Attribute values will remain on the task

– Uploaded or attached files will remain on the task / references tab

– Annotations on files are not removed

– Transferred files will remain in their previously transferred locations

– Actions that were completed via automation tasks will not be undone

– All audits that were previously applied will remain the same

– Subscribers that were added on the project item will remain the same

– An audit “Project Rewind” captures the Rewind action of the project item

Approval cycles that were rewound

If the selection of items that were rewound contained a completed approval cycle, a new cycle will be generated. The completed tasks within the canceled cycle will retain their annotations and dispositions. In this example, the re-opened cycle is Cycle 2, which is a new cycle after rewinding to the Upload Project Reference Files task.

Choosing locations to Rewind to

Depending on the completed project item selected for Rewind, there may be different outcomes for what exactly will be rewound. Listed here are some examples of Rewind locations:

PROJECT LOCATION	REWIND OUTCOME
First task in the project	Choosing this location will rewind ALL completed tasks and sub-processes to the beginning of the project, essentially, the entire project will be re-opened. The selected task will be in progress, all subsequent project items will be pending.
A task before one or more sub-processes	Choosing this location will rewind ALL completed tasks within all sub-processes (parallel and sequential) that follow the task. The selected task will be in progress, all subsequent tasks and sub-processes will be pending.
A sub-process in parallel with one or more sub-processes	Choosing this location will rewind up to the first task in the selected sub-process and will not rewind any tasks in the parallel sub-processes. The first task in the rewound sub-process will be in progress, all subsequent tasks within the sub-process will be pending, all parallel sub-processes will remain the same.
A parent sub-process with one or more nested sub-processes	Choosing this location will rewind up to the first task in the selected sub-process and will rewind all tasks in the nested sub-processes. The first task in the rewound sub-process will be in progress, all subsequent tasks will be pending. The tasks in the nested sub-process will be pending.
A nested sub-process in parallel with one or more nested sub-processes	Choosing this location will rewind up to the first task in the selected nested sub-process and will not rewind any tasks in the parallel nested sub-processes. The parent sub-process will be reset to In Progress because it now has active project items (the nested sub-process) within it. The first task in the rewound nested sub-process will be in progress, all subsequent tasks within the nested sub-process will be pending, all parallel nested sub-processes will remain the same.
A nested sub-process before one or more nested sub-processes	Choosing this location will rewind up to the first task in the selected nested sub-process and will also rewind all tasks in the subsequent nested sub-processes. The parent sub-process will be reset to In Progress because it now has active project items (the nested sub-processes) within it. The first task in the rewound nested sub-process will be in progress, all subsequent tasks within the nested sub-processes will be pending. All subsequent nested sub-processes will be pending.

Other Notes and Limitations for Rewind

Approval Cycle Builder

Although a process template contains an initial layout for projects, a project or sub-process owner may need to make modifications to the tasks within a pending or in progress approval cycle, including moving, adding, or deleting tasks. If configured for your site, this can be done in an active project by using the Approval Cycle Builder.

To modify items in an existing approval cycle, the project must be in draft or suspended and the approval cycle tasks must not have been completed. Note, if the approval cycle is partially completed, only the non-completed tasks can be modified using the “Edit Approval Cycle” option in the actions menu of an approval cycle task. Audits are captured when inserting, moving, and deleting tasks.

Eligible approval cycle project items which can be modified are:
– Standard task
– Upload Reference Files task
– Milestone
– Complete Form task
– Automation task
– Review task
– Approval task

In addition, Standard and Upload Reference Files tasks can be inserted into the approval cycle, as well as any eligible task type defined for the approval cycle in the process template. Additional review and approval tasks can also be added into the approval cycle.

Project items that are not eligible to be modified in the Approval Cycle Builder (and will not show up) are:
– Select Base Artwork task
– Upload File for Approval task
– Auto Transfer to Library task
– Auto Transfer to MediaBeacon task
– Manual Transfer to Library task
– Approval Decision
– Create Packshots task

Approval Cycle Builder for Packshots Cycles

Packshots approval cycles support all of the same actions as regular artwork approval cycles, including the approval cycle builder. See the list of tasks that are not supported in the Approval Cycle Builder.

Moving tasks in the Approval Cycle Builder

To move existing tasks in an approval cycle using the approval cycle builder, ensure that the project is in draft or suspended mode, select a task in the non-completed approval cycle, and click on the “Edit Approval Cycle” option in the actions menu of the selected task.

The Approval Cycle Builder window will appear. The canvas displays the cycle tasks that are eligible to be modified. The columns indicate which order the tasks will become in progress. In this example, the existing review and approval tasks can be modified.

Note: All changes made in this view are immediate and cannot be undone.

To move an item from one location to another, select the task and drag to a new column. To create a new column, drag and drop into the white vertical bar.

By moving the above tasks, the “Review – Legal” task is now located in the second column and will become in progress after the “Review – Marketing” and “Review – Quality” are completed. The “Approval” task is now in the third column, which is a new column, and will become in progress after the “Review – Legal” task is complete.

On close of the Approval Cycle Builder, the changes are reflected in the project.

Inserting tasks in the Approval Cycle Builder

To insert a new task in an approval cycle using the Approval Cycle Builder, ensure that the project is in draft or suspended mode, select a task in the non-completed approval cycle, and click on the “Edit Approval Cycle” option in the actions menu of the selected task.

Once the canvas is displayed, click on at the top of one of the columns to insert a task.

The Insert Task window will appear. Based on the template, you can insert eligible task types. In this example, we are adding a Standard task to evaluate if additional reviewers are needed.

Enter the information for each of the following fields for the new task.

Task Name	Enter a name that best describes the task and what it will be used for. (Required)
Tasks	Choose any of the task types defined for the approval cycle, a Standard task, or an Upload Reference Files task. (Required)
Swimlane	Select a swimlane that will be assigned to the new task. The list will display swimlanes that were configured in the template. (Required)
Group	Select an owner group for the task. This list is compiled from groups configured in the template for the selected swimlane. (Required)
User	Select a user that will be assigned as the task owner for the new task. This list of users is generated from the group that was selected. (Required)
Duration	Add the duration for the new task in number of days. The default duration is 1 day and will adhere to all rules set by the selected schedule for the project. (Required)
Instructions	Add any instructions that the task owner may need to execute the new task. (Optional)

On click of OK, the new task will be inserted onto the Approval Cycle Builder canvas.

Inserting Reviewers and Approvers in the Approval Cycle Builder

You can quickly insert additional reviewers and approvers into the cycle, if more are needed for the project. To insert additional reviewers or approvers, hover over a review or approval task and click on the icon to Add Reviewer or icon to Add Approver.

The Add Reviewer or Add Approver window will appear with pre-filled fields, based on the task you selected, to quickly insert the new task.

On click of OK, the new task will appear in the same column as the original task. You can move or delete the new task that was inserted.

Deleting tasks in the Approval Cycle Builder

If one or more tasks are no longer needed in the approval cycle, these can easily be removed one at a time. Select the task on the canvas and hover over it until the trash can icon appears.

After clicking Delete, the confirmation screen to remove the selected task will appear. Deleting tasks cannot be undone, but tasks of the same type can be inserted as new tasks into the approval cycle.

Once all changes in the approval cycle are complete and the cycle appears as expected, close the canvas to return to the project. All changes are immediate and the Approval Cycle Builder can be used again, as long as the cycle has not been completed.

Limitations in the Approval Cycle Builder

• The last approval task in a cycle cannot be deleted.
• Tasks that have been bypassed are not shown in the Approval Cycle Builder.
• Deleted tasks cannot be recovered, but new ones can be inserted.
• There is no way to manually sequence the order of tasks within a column. The system automatically sorts the tasks within a column as tasks are added to it.
• Select Base Artwork tasks, Upload File for Approval tasks, Auto and Manual Transfer to Library tasks, as well Approval Decision nodes are not shown in the approval cycle builder.
• The Edit Approval Cycle option is not available when there are parallel tasks and there is more than one task on a branch, or when the cycle contains a System Decision node.

Limitations in the Approval Cycle Builder when used with Insert Task

• When using the Insert Task action from task details to insert tasks before or after a task in a set of parallel tasks, the new task is inserted on the same branch as the original task, which results in a workflow that is not supported in the approval cycle builder (the Edit Approval Cycle task action will no longer be available). This behavior for inserting tasks in a set of parallel tasks is the same as legacy.

For more information on project-related topics, visit these links…

To learn more about creating projects, see Projects.

To learn more about managing projects, see Managing Projects.

To learn more about working on tasks, see Tasks.