Using Collaboration Task
Use
Collaboration Tasks allows you to build and initiate custom workflow processes. Each workflow process potentially produces work items which are displayed in the Universal Worklist (UWL).
From the Collaboration Task wizard screens, you can create:
● Universal Worklist Sub Process
You can also:
● Export Collaboration Room tasks to Microsoft Excel format
Specifically, Collaboration Task is deployed as a portal service and is packaged as part of the Knowledge Management (KM) platform. It uses some KM components including the Scheduling Service and the Notification Service. Leveraging the KM platform, Collaboration Task acts as a sub-component of the UWL. Accessed through the UWL, you can build and initiate workflows easily through the wizard, track them, and receive work items generated by ad hoc processes.
Prerequisites
● You must be a portal user with assigned appropriate portal role to access the Universal Worklist
● You must also know what process you are trying to implement and who the participants are
● As a process initiator your Email address must be properly configured in your User Management Engine (UME) data
Accessing the Collaboration Task Wizard
The following figure shows the different applications on the portal from where you can access the Collaboration Task:
Creating a Task from UWL task list, Collaboration Launchpad, Collaboration Room
To launch the Collaboration Task wizard from UWL and Collaboration Room, choose Create Task.
From the Collaboration Launchpad, choose Create Task, you have the following options from this function:
● Create Single Step Task
● Task List
● Create Request for Feedback
● Create Request for Nomination
If you launch the wizard from the Collaboration Launchpad or from a Collaboration Room, the information about which users have been selected is propagated. The names of the selected users appear in the field Assigned to.
If you launch the wizard from a Collaboration Room, the Collaboration Room ID is propagated to the workflow wizard and to the workflow instance. A link to the Collaboration Room is displayed both on the wizard screen and the work item detail screen.
You can select multiple members and groups and create task for all in the related room.
Creating a Task from UWL Task Detail Area
From the UWL task detail choose Create Ad hoc Request.
The UWL task ID /work item ID is propagated to the workflow wizard and to the workflow instance. A link to the work item screen is displayed both on the wizard screen and the work item detail screen.
See Sub Process for details.
Creating a Task from within a Guided Procedure
From the You can section of the Guided Procedures UI, choose New Ad hoc Process.
The Collaboration Task instance the wizard creates serves as a sub process of the Guided Procedure and has access to the Guided Procedures process context.
Additionally, the UWL task Id/work item id is propagated to the workflow wizard and to the workflow instance. A link to the work item screen is displayed both on the wizard screen and the work item detail screen.
Work items created by Java Workflow Tasks from the Guided Procedures are not Collaboration Tasks. They will not show up in the UWL if Collaboration Tasks is the filtering criterion used for the sub-view.
Result
The process participants (assignees, recipients, nominators, approvers) see the workflow item in their task list.
When you execute the work items, notifications are sent to those users who were specified as Trackers when the task was created. The users tracking the task can also view the status of an workflow under Tasks in the Universal Worklist and view details of the appropriate process. All steps that have been executed in the process so far are displayed.
After completion of a process, you can see all steps along with the comments entered by the process participants displayed under Completed Tasks in the Universal Worklist. This list is visible to the users tracking the task.
Example
You collaborate with other users by assigning tasks to them. Instead of sending Emails to other users, you use the Collaboration Task wizard to create tasks consisting of unstructured or semi-structured processes and assigns them to several users. Task assignees access and complete the tasks through the UWL.
In another scenario you select an approval work item from Business Workflow. By using the Collaboration Task, you can create a workflow consisting of a feedback step and an approval step. The approval step will automatically perform the approval action on the Business Workflow work item.