When you want to define a task to be completed by a user or group, you define it in a User step. The step assignee can read the instructions you provide and then complete work on the task. Part of completing the task may require users to access and modify the work package or other information you configure on the step.

If you want to assign the task to the Workflow Map Initiator only, you can define the task in an Initiator step. An Initiator step is the same as a User step except that it is always assigned to the user who initiates the Workflow Map. Also, you can use an Initiator step to notify the Initiator of events during processing. For example, you can notify the Initiator that a Workflow Map has completed by placing an Initiator step at the end of the Workflow Map.

When a User or Initiator step becomes the active step in the Workflow Map and the date is on or after the step's start date, the step appears on the assignee's Assignments page and on the Assignments tab of the My Workflows page. If the task is assigned to a Content Server group, it appears on the Assignments page and Assignments tab of the My Workflows page of each group member. Depending on the group options defined for the step, the task is completed by one member of the group, by all members of the group, or by all members of the group and its subgroups.

Understanding the Display of the User and Initiator Step

The User and Initiator step can display the contents of the Workflow Map work package in a double frame view (default) or single page view. For more information about the work package, see Working with the Work Package.

Double Frame View

With the double frame view, the left frame contains links to all packages in the work package while the right frame displays the corresponding package details. All packages display regardless if they are required to approve the step.

Single Page View

With a single page view, the contents of the work package display in a single page. When designing the User or Initiator step, you choose which packages in the work package to display and the order in which to display them.

	Notes: By default, no packages display when the Single Page View check box is selected. You must select the packages you want to display. If your Workflow Map contains attachments or requires mandatory attributes for approval, you must ensure that the packages display in the step.

For more information, see Using the Single Page View.

Assigning User Steps

When you define a User step, you can use advanced assignment options to determine the step assignee. User steps can be assigned to:

• A specific user or group

• Multiple users or groups

• The assignee from a previous Workflow Map step

• An assignee specified in an attribute

• User or groups based on one or more conditional statements you create using the Expression Builder

• A Workflow Map role

Assignment options for Workflow tasks:

• User or Group Options

  • Member Accept / Member Accept (Maintain)

    When a group is set as assignee, the group is set as task assignee in the database and one member of the group has to accept the task. If the task is accepted by one person, the task assignee in the database is switched from the group to this user.

  • One Level Expand / Full Expand

    When a group is set as assignee, a sub-Workflow is created for this task, even if the group contains only one person. The sub-Workflow contains a task for each person in the group and all tasks must be sent on to send on the main Workflow. The task assignee in main Workflow is the group.

• Multiple Users/Groups Options

  • Member Accept / Member Accept (Maintain)

    If only one user or one group is in the list, no sub-Workflow is created. A group one member of the group has to accept the task and send it on. If multiple users or groups are added to the list a sub-Workflow is created. The sub-Workflow contains a task for each entry in the list. If the task in the sub-Workflow is assigned to a user, the user has to send on the task. If the task in the sub-Workflow is assigned to a group one member of the group has to accept the task and send it on. If all tasks of the sub-Workflow are sent on, the main workflow is also sent on.

  • One Level Expand / Full Expand

    In this case, a sub-Workflow is only created if more than one user is addressed. The list is computed from all entered users and groups in the list. If only one user is addressed, the assignee of task in the main workflow is set to this user. If a sub-Workflow is created, it contains a task for each person computed from the “Multiple Groups / Users” list and all tasks have to be sent on to send on the main workflow. If a sub-Workflow is created, the task in the main Workflow has no assignee set.

• Roles

  Roles are only replacement tags, which are replaced during runtime. The behavior depends on the selection (User or Group/Multiple Users/Groups).

	Note: OpenText recommends using “Multiple Users/Groups” for maximum flexibility.

For more information on using the Expression Builder, see Working with the Expression Builder.

Processing Steps in the Background

You can specify whether a User or Initiator step is automatically processed in the background by the Workflow Agent. For more information about the Workflow Agent, see Understanding the Workflow Agent.

Participating in Step Assignments by Email

You can allow groups or users assigned to User or Initiator steps to perform work on the steps through email messages. Depending on the way the Workflow Map and steps have been designed, an entire Workflow Map can be processed by email messages.

Also, you can allow users assigned to Form Task steps to complete the steps by email.

	Note: Users assigned to steps that can be completed by email always have the option to sign in to Content Server to monitor and complete Workflow Map steps as they would for a Workflow Map that does not permit email interaction.

When Workflow Map processing reaches an email-enabled Workflow Map step, Content Server sends the users or groups assigned to work on the step an email message indicating that the step is ready. Users can complete work on the step by replying to the step assignment email message. After the step work message is received, Content Server sends a confirmation message to the user. Email-enabled steps can include many of the optional step features available for User and Initiator steps, such as permission to delegate a step or send it for review.

If you want to prevent users from working by email on a particular step in an email-enabled Workflow Map, you can disable email interaction for the step.

For more information about participating in email-enabled steps, see Performing Workflow Assignments. For more information about designing email-enabled User and Initiator steps, see the OpenText Workflow - QuickStart Guide (LLESWFW-UQS) in the OpenText Knowledge Center.

Specifying User Permissions

User and Initiator steps include permissions that allow the step assignee to perform the following operations:

• View Workflow Map comments

• Send the step for review

• Delegate the step to another user or group

• Authenticate the step

• Use dispositions to gather feedback

Allowing Assignees to View Comments

If you have enabled comments in the Workflow Map, you can allow step assignees to view all comments made on previous steps in the Workflow Map.

	Note: If your step displays in the single page view, you must ensure that the Comments package is selected in order for assignees to view comments.

Allowing Users to Send the Step for Review

You can allow step assignees to send a step to another user or group, or to a Sub-Workflow to review the work that has been performed on a step. For example, if you create a User step that requires the assignee to complete a report and you allow the assignee to send the step for review, the step assignee can send the step to another user to verify the accuracy of the report before sending the step on to the next step in the Workflow Map. When a step assignee sends a step for review, the step disappears from the step assignee's Assignments page and Assignments tab of the My Workflows page. It appears on the Assignments page and Assignments tab of the My Workflows page of the user or group to whom it is assigned. When the review is completed, the Workflow Map step returns to the step assignee's Assignments page and Assignments tab of the My Workflows page.

Allowing Users to Delegate Steps

You can allow users to delegate User or Initiator steps to another user or group when they want another user or group to perform the step task. Also, step assignees can forward the step to a Sub-Workflow. For example, if a step requires approval of a purchase order, you can allow the step assignee to delegate the pending purchase order to a separate Workflow that automates purchase order approval.

Requiring Users to Authenticate Steps

You can force step assignees to authenticate themselves when they send on the Workflow step after all work on the step is completed. If you require authentication, the step assignees must supply their Content Server password before the step can be processed. When you enable authentication for a step, the system enforces the login policy settings the administrator has configured for Content Server. For example, if the administrator has configured a user account to be disabled after three failed attempts to sign into Content Server, the same rule is enforced for a user attempting to access an authenticated step. If the user fails three times to sign in to work on the step, the user's Content Server account is disabled and the Workflow Map processing pauses until the step can be completed. For more information about Content Server login policies, contact your administrator.

Using Dispositions

Dispositions provide a way for you to quickly gather feedback about an Initiator or User step. Also, a disposition value can be used to automatically route the Workflow Map or to determine a User step assignee. You can specify up to five dispositions. For example, in a step that requires the assignee to review a document, you can provide Approve, Reject, or Resubmit dispositions from which the step assignee can choose. When the step assignee performs the task, the dispositions appear as buttons on the step page. When the step assignee clicks a disposition button, the step is processed and the disposition is recorded in the Workflow Map.

Also, you can force step assignees to choose a disposition, or make a response to dispositions optional.