Modeling Workflows (SAP Library - Roles in Workflow)

Modeling Workflows

Purpose

This is a typical process flow for workflow modeling. It is only one way of working with the SAP Business Workflow definition tools. It also serves the purpose of introducing the various definition tools and their interrelationships.

Prerequisites

If you are adhering to the role-based procedure model in this documentation, the process consultant should have proposed a business process model.

An organizational plan must be created. This activity is also one of the tasks of the process consultant in our model.

Process Flow

The process consultant has created a business process model based on the business requirements and alternatives. This is now to be implemented by the workflow developer.

Business Workflow Explorer

Using the Business Workflow Explorer, you can get an overview of the existing tasks and workflows, and then edit them or use them as templates. By doing this, you can save yourself the effort of carrying out your own modeling.

The Explorer covers not only the workflows and tasks you have created yourself, but also the workflows and tasks supplied by SAP, which are part of the workflow application scenarios. Both the process consultant and the workflow modeler should be familiar with the scenarios.

If you find an appropriate template, you can copy the template and adapt it to the specific characteristics of the business process model. If you only have to make changes to existing steps in a workflow, you should check whether you can create a workflow configuration. You also have the option of using the Workflow Wizard Explorer tool.

Workflow Wizard Explorer

This tool can be used to generate particular workflow types (for example, workflows for approval procedures) using a wizard, and then edit them afterwards in task maintenance.

Business Object Repository (BOR)

If you cannot use any task as a template and there is no wizard suitable for your requirements, you proceed as follows:

You identify all business objects involved in your business process model.
You then check whether the relevant object types with their methods, attributes and events are defined in the Business Object Repository. The grouping of object types in the application component hierarchy and the option of searching generically for parts of a name help when looking for existing object types.
If you find an object type whose definition meets your requirements, you can use it without making any modifications.
If you find an object type whose definition does not quite meet your requirements, you add to its definition.
If you do not find a suitable object type, you define your own object type.

Task Maintenance

You identify the tasks involved in the business process model. In doing this, you sort out which object method is to be executed with the task and which person or group of persons is responsible for it. You then define the tasks by specifying object type and method, and determine the possible agents.

To describe a business process that normally comprises several steps, you define a workflow.

Workflow Builder

The workflow definition is processed in the Workflow Builder. You can define the external relationships (call interface, triggering events) of the workflow, as well as the actual implementation of a business scenario as a sequence of connected steps in the Workflow Builder. You assign tasks or subworkflows to these steps.

Result

This results in the workflow created in the business process model being implemented in the R/3 System.