Start a topic workflow from an assignment

When you're working on an assignment for a project, you can convert that one assignment into a workflow with multiple tasks that are automated by Inspire. After you select the project assignment, you can select an action called Initiate workflow. Inspire marks the assignment as completed and opens the Start Workflow screen.

Tips and tricks

  • The assignment must be in one of the following States to use the Initiate workflow option:
    • To Do
    • In Progress
  • In the Assignments panel, if the Initiate workflow option is not available, the assignment is already being used in another workflow.
  • Inspire checks to see if the component(s) you want to add are in another assignment, project workflow or review workflow. You see warnings if a component is already in use. If you want, you can close the warnings and create the assignment or workflow anyway.
  • You can edit the default topic workflow template or save a copy to update it so that it reflects your unique business workflows.

Required permissions

To create, view, update, and delete workflows you must either be an Administrator, the project Owner, or have the following permissions:

To start a topic workflow from an assignment:

  1. From the top menu bar, select Projects.
  2. On the Project Management tab, find the project where you want to start a workflow.
  3. To open the project, do one of the following:
    • Double-click in the project's row.
    • Right-click in the project's row and select Open.
    • Go to the end of the project's row, click the Options menu, and select Open.
  4. Go to the Assignments panel.

    If the panel is not open, go to the Assignments title bar and click the down arrow to expand the panel.

  5. Select the assignment you want to convert to a workflow.

    The assignment must be in the following State to use the Initiate workflow option:

    • To Do
    • In Progress
  6. At the end of the assignment's row, select the Options menu, and then select Initiate workflow.

    If the Initiate workflow option is not available, the assignment is already being used in another workflow.

  7. On the Complete Assignment screen, click Yes.

    Results:

    • Inspire marks the assignment as Completed. Even if you cancel out of starting a workflow, the assignment will remain marked as Completed.
    • Inspire notifies the user who was assigned to this work and the project Owner that the assignment was Completed.
    • Inspire opens the Start a workflow screen.
  8. On the Start Workflow screen:

    1. Select Topic Workflow or a topic workflow template that you customized.
    2. Click Next.

      Results: The Project Workflow: Topic_Workflow screen opens.

  9. On the Project Workflow: Topic_Workflow screen, in the Workflow Details section:
    1. In Workflow Name, by default the prefix includes the template name. You can do any of the following, making sure to use 50 characters or less:
      • Add a word or phrase after the prefix that uniquely identifies the workflow you are creating.
      • Delete the prefix and enter your own title
    2. By default, the Workflow owner is set to your user name.

      You cannot change this setting.

    3. If the template you selected includes Duration times for any of the activities, those times are added up and used as the default value in Due By. You can do one of the following:
      • Add more time by extending the due date out
      • Add a new due date if there is no default
      • Leave this value blank

      Optionally, you can set a time for the deadline. After selecting the date, select the checkbox that follows it and then select a time from the list.

  10. On the Project Workflow: Topic_Workflow screen, in the Initial Task section:
    1. For the first Task, select an activity. In the default Topic workflow template provided by Inspire, this is the Develop Topic(s) activity.
    2. In Assign To, select a project participant who you want to complete the work.
    3. If the template you selected includes Duration times for the selected Activity (Task), that time is used as the default value in Due By. You can do one of the following:
      • Add more time by extending the due date out
      • Add a new due date if there is no default
      • Leave this value blank

      Optionally, you can set a time for the deadline. After selecting the date, select the checkbox that follows it and then select a time from the list.

    4. Optionally, you can enter a Description of the entire task.
    5. Optionally, you can enter a Note to the user to include additional guidelines such as what needs to be completed before the task is done.

      After you create a workflow, you see more tracking details by reading the notes users leave when completing a task. For more details, read Understand workflow notes and statuses.

  11. On the Project Workflow: Topic_Workflow screen, in the Components section:

    If you are developing new topics that haven't been created yet, you can leave the Components section blank.

    1. Click Add Components.
    2. On the Select Project Components screen, select the checkbox for any project component you want to include in the workflow, and then click Select.

      Notes:

      • The components can be used at any step of the workflow, not just for the initial task.
      • New components can be added during a workflow activity.
      • Inspire checks to see if the components you want to add are in another assignment, project workflow, or review workflow.
        • You see a warning if a component is already in use.
        • If you want, you can close the warnings and create the assignment or workflow.
    3. Optionally, to remove one component from the list, select the Options menu and then select Remove.
    4. Optionally, to remove all components from the list, click Clear All.
  12. On the Project Workflow: Topic_Workflow screen, at the bottom click Start.
    Results: Your workflow is created and you can see an assignment in the Assignments pane. All participants you added to the workflow can be viewed in the Participants pane.

    If you try to assign work to a participant who doesn't have access to the component, you will see the following error.

    This workflow has one or more permission problems. It is recommended to cancel the workflow, correct the permissions, and then restart it. The assigned user "Jane.Doe@MyCompany.com" does not have permission to access the following components: PrivateConcept.

    • The error tells you the name of a user included in the workflow. It may not be user who needs the permissions, so you have to check each participant's permissions to the restricted component.
    • The warning tells you the name of the restricted component.
    • The Workflow is still started. You can change the permission, participant, or the component to resolve the conflict.
    • For details on how to set permissions, refer to: Set permissions.