Creating a workflow

The following procedure describes the mechanics of creating a workflow. You should be familiar with the workflow palette and tools before starting.

Important: A workflow can and will cause changes to incidents. You should thoroughly test your workflows in a development environment before using them on open incidents.
  1. In the Workflows tab, click the New Workflow button.
  2. Enter a name for the workflow. This name should be unique and indicative of its purpose. The API Name is generated automatically. It is used by app developers and, therefore, you should use the default name unless directed otherwise.
  3. Optionally, enter a description of the workflow. This is useful in helping other administrators to understand the purpose of the workflow.
  4. Assign the workflow to one type of object, such as incident, note, milestone, task, attachment, artifact, or data table. Not all workflow types are available for all object types.
  5. Click in the diagram and use the Start Event already present or click the Start Event icon. The surrounding text describes this graphic, which is a snapshot of the user interface.
    Tip: Use the expand icon (This is a snaptshot of the expand icon.) to use the whole page for ease-of use in creating your workflow. Click the icon again to restore the workflow page when you are done. If you do not see the tools in the diagram, use your mouse wheel to zoom in on the diagram.
  6. Use the palette or icons in the diagram to add the components you need.

    For information about adding functions to the workflow, see the Using Functions and Associated Scripts section.

  7. Use the connector tool to connect the components as appropriate. Connectors are directional so you must click on the output of one item first then connect it to the input of the next component.
  8. If you have inclusive or exclusive gateways, be sure to set the conditions of the output paths as described in Using Conditions and Scripts.
  9. Conclude the workflow by adding the End Event component.
  10. Optionally, but recommended, double click the yellow dot on each connector to open the text box and provide a short description of what is expected when this path is used. You can click on the text box afterward and drag it to another position.
  11. Click Save. The application checks your workflow for any configuration errors.

If you see an invalid workflow message, review your diagram for problems.