Steps

Steps are the actions in a workflow that must be completed for a task. You can create and edit steps, assign the steps to be completed by a role or workgroup, and connect steps into a workflow.

Regular steps

Case workers see steps as work items in the Case Manager Client.

For each step, you can define properties such as:

A description of the work item.
Instructional text for the case worker to complete the work item. Case workers can click View Instructions in their toolbar to view these instructions.
Responses that the case worker can choose for the work item. For example, you can define responses such as approve or reject.
Whether the work item can be reassigned by a case worker to another case worker. If you select false, the case worker cannot reassign the step.
A deadline for completing the work item.

A step can include an event with a condition, a deadline, or an action that a user with a specific role must complete. A step can depend on the completion of prior or concurrent steps.

A step can be required. The action resulting from a step can be a process, a notification, or other action. An action can have a deadline with different results if the deadline is met or not met.

You can also set parameters in the Step Properties section for case properties, workgroups, attachments, and data fields.

Case Property

For each step, you can assign case properties that can be read-only or can be viewed and modified. You cannot add new case properties from the Step Designer. You can assign only properties that are added for this case type.

Workgroup

For each step, you can expose the workgroup field to the step so that case worker can assign or remove more users or groups to the workgroup. Add new workgroups by clicking Manage Workgroups.

Workgroups provide a way to assign work to particular users instead of to any user in a role. The users or groups in the workgroup are defined in the Case Manager Client. When users are processing a work item, they see these workgroups in the Properties widget and are able to select users and groups to assign to the workgroup. For example, you might have a workgroup named Reviewers, but you do not know who the reviewers are when you are designing the solution. Instead, it is a decision made by the case worker in the Case Manager Client. When the case worker views the case in the Properties widget, he or she can assign users to the Reviewers group.

Attachment

Select which document is available for a case worker when processing the step. Add new attachments by clicking Manage Attachments.

You specify only a name for the attachment that acts as a place holder for an array of attachments. The actual attachment is defined as a workflow property in Process Designer.

Data Field

Properties created in the Process Designer. These properties are read only.

Expressions

You can build expressions to evaluate conditions for routing decisions in Process Designer. The Step Designer only creates and edits routing based on responses. You can also use expressions to update property values.

You can use Process Designer's Expression builder to define case properties in workflow expressions such as step parameters, route conditions, or assignments. For example, you can specify F_CaseFolder.SolutionPrefix_AccountNumber for a step parameter expression.

Property steps

You can add a property step to set the value of a case or task property. For example, you want to offer a 20% discount when the transaction amount is more than $1,000. You create a task and specify a precondition that the task runs only if the Transaction_Amount property is more than 1000. In the task, you add a property step to set the Product_Discount property to 0.2. Alternatively, you can use the property step to set the Product_Discount property to the value of another property, such as Discount_Allowed.

Rule steps

You can add a rule step to determine process routing or update case properties based on a business rule. Before you create a rule step, you must define the business rule that you want to associate with the rule step.

Stage steps

Start of change You can add a stage step to the case to handle the lifecycle of case stages. A stage step can be used to move the case to the next stage, put the current stage on hold, release the hold on the current stage, or restart the previous stage. End of change

Steps that you can add by using Process Designer

Depending on your business requirements, you can add more complex steps. You can add system steps, task steps, submap steps, or component steps by using Process Designer.

System steps: You can create system steps and edit the properties for system steps in Process Designer. These steps include one or more FileNet® system functions. System steps are displayed as read-only steps in Step Designer.
Task steps: You can create task steps and edit the properties for task steps in Process Designer. When you create the step in the Process Designer, you must assign the steps to the step processor for your solution. For example, select the solution_prefix_CmACMStep_DEFAULT_PAGE processor.
Tip: To quickly add a step, copy an existing step that was created in Case Manager Builder and change the step name and the user or queue that the step is assigned to. You can also use the Business Objects function in Process Designer to add the case properties to the step in Process Designer.
Submap steps: You can create and edit submaps in Process Designer. A submap step represents a call from the current workflow map to another map in the same workflow definition. Submap steps are displayed as read-only steps in Step Designer.

When you create steps in the submap in the Process Designer, you must assign the steps to the step processor for you solution. For example, select the solution_prefix_CmACMSTEP_DEFAULT_PAGE processor.
Tip: To quickly add a step to a submap, copy an existing step that was created in Case Manager Builder to the sub map and change the step name and the user or queue that the step is assigned to. You can also use the Business Object functionality in Process Designer.
Component steps: You can create component steps and edit the properties for component steps in Process Designer. These steps route work to operations in custom Java™ or Java Message Service (JMS) components. Component steps are displayed as read-only steps in Step Designer.
When a solution is edited in the Process Designer, resources from the isolated region are not available for use because the region might not be created yet in the IBM® Case Manager offline template model. If you want to refer to the CE_Operation component from a component queue step in a workflow definition originating from Case Manager Builder, register the CE_Operations component queue first.
Remember: Designing solutions is done offline and you will not see any component queues, including the CE_Operations component queue.

Optional step properties

Depending on your business requirements, you can specify optional properties for a step.

Data fields

You can create and edit data fields in Process Designer. Data fields that are exposed on a step are displayed as read-only items for the Parameters property for a step in Step Designer.

Attachments

Step Designer supports only attachment arrays. You can add individual attachments by using Process Designer.

ToolTips

You can create and edit tool tips for the in-basket filter in Process Designer. However, if you open the solution in Case Manager Builder your tool tips are overwritten.

Task independence

Each task is independent of other tasks in Case Manager Builder:

Tasks do not share case data. The solution properties and document types are templates that can be shared by tasks, but the case data and documents in a running task (case work item) are not inherited or shared with another task.
The steps in one task cannot wait for steps in a different task to complete.
A task cannot create another task.