About FireForm workflows

• Overview
• Workflow states
• Create a workflow
• Get help

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Overview

FireForm workflows allow a form to go through multiple stages (or reviews) via automated processing.

Workflow states

Workflow states are the names of steps that a form will go through as it is routed through a workflow. For instance, a workflow might have "New", "Under Review", "Approved", and "Denied" states.

Before you can create a workflow, at least one workflow state must be defined. The FireForm starter pack comes with a "New" state already defined, with a status of "Active".

To create a workflow state:

1. In the Admin tenant dashboard, navigate to Configuration > Workflow States. The resulting page displays all states that have already been defined.
2. Select Add Workflow State.
3. Provide a name for the new state, and then select a status:
   • Active: Active states will display in the Workflow State drop-down list in the workflow builder steps, and you can apply them to a workflow.
   • Inactive: Inactive states do not appear in the Workflow State drop-down list in the workflow builder steps, and can't be applied to a workflow.
4. Select Save. This will save the state and return you to the page listing all defined workflow states.

Create a workflow

To create a FireForm workflow:

1. In the Admin tenant dashboard, navigate to Tools > Workflows. The resulting page displays all workflows that have already been defined.
2. Select Add Workflow.
3. Provide a name and workflow state for this workflow, and then select a status:
   • Active: Active workflows will display in the Workflow drop-down in the "Form Basics" section of the form builder tool, and you can apply them to a form.
   • Inactive: Inactive workflows do not appear in the Workflow drop-down in the "Form Basics" section of the form builder tool, and cannot be applied to a form.
4. Check Exclude From PDF if you would like to prevent the workflow state from displaying when a PDF is generated via export of a form entry or in an integration.
5. Select Save to save the workflow parameters and change the "Edit Workflow" page to view mode.
6. Select Steps to display the steps that have been defined in your workflow. A workflow requires at least one step, so step 1 is automatically created; however, parameters have not been defined at this point (with the exception of the workflow state discussed above).
7. You now have two options:
   • Select Step 1 to open the settings for step 1, and then select Edit; or
   • Select Add Step to add additional steps to the workflow.
8. In the dialog box, you'll see the following options:
   • Step: The step number defines the order of the workflow. Step 1 is the workflow state that a new form submission will enter. You can create a decision point by having multiple steps with the same number, for example:
     • Step 1: "New" state
     • Step 10: "Approved" state
     • Step 10: "Denied" state

     This field can't be edited for step 1; however, you can edit it for additional steps. UITS recommends that you add step numbers in increments of 10, to allow for the possibility of adding additional steps between existing steps. By this logic, the second step would be 10, the third would be 20, and so on.

   • Workflow State: The default state is New, and you can't edit the workflow state for step 1 from within the workflow creation process; however, you can edit the workflow state for additional steps from within the workflow creation process. If you need to edit the state for step 1, go to the "Workflow Details" page and change the "Default State". For additional steps, select a predefined state; see Workflow states.
   • Workflow options:
     • Skip To: If you define a "skip to" step, the form submission will automatically skip to the defined step once it reaches the step you are currently editing. This selection is optional.
     • Sort Order: If your workflow has a decision point, as in the example for Step, above, the sort order will determine the order in which routing options appear in the drop-down menu shown to assignees.
     • Copy/CC Email Addresses: If you select this option, FireForm will send a copy of the original confirmation email message (also sent to the form submitter) to the email addresses listed in the text box. Addresses must be separated by semicolons. To enable this functionality, FireForm notifications must be set up at the form level. See Configure FireForm notifications for instructions. This selection is optional.
     • Commenting Option: This option allows form assignees to comment at this step of the workflow. You may set it to "None", "Optional", or "Required". If "Optional" or "Required" are selected, the assignee will also have the option to show or hide the comment. Show allows other assignees to view the comment, while comments set to Hide will only display to the person who entered the comment. This selection is optional. For more, see About comments in FireForm workflows.
     • End Point: If you select this option, then when your form reaches this step in the workflow, the form will be finished with processing and no further action may be taken on it. The form will automatically drop off the dashboards of any assignees, but form submitters will still be able to view the form. This also locks the form from further editing, unless the user has administrative privileges.
     • Notify Assignee(s): If this option is selected, the assignees will receive email notification regarding the form submission. See below for instructions for adding assignees.
     • Prompt for Assignee: If checked, when assignees in the PRIOR workflow state select the relevant routing option, they are provided a people picker to add an individual assignee, as well as a text box to add an ACM group.
     • Notify Submitter of State Change: If you select this option, the person who submitted the form will receive an email message as the form moves through each step. This is not available in step 1, because the form has not yet begun moving through the queue, but the submitter does receive an email message confirming form submission (if this has been enabled). This selection is optional.
   • Submitter options:
     • Allow Resubmit Back to Submitter: If this option is selected, FireForm sends the form back to the original submitter for editing and resubmission. This may be useful when the original submission needs to be edited. This is optional, but only available if Require IU Login is turned on within the form to which this workflow is applied; for more, see Build forms using FireForm.
     • Add Submitter as Assignee: This option allows the submitter to be added as an assignee. This is optional, but only available if Require IU Login is turned on within the form to which this workflow is applied; for more, see Build forms using FireForm.
     • Submitter Based Approval: This selection allows workflow assignees to be added to the workflow based on the submitter's use of a pivot set; see FireForm pivot sets. This selection is optional.
     • Submitter Based Approval Pivot Set: If Submitter Based Approval is selected above, this drop-down list is enabled, and you can select a pivot set. You need to create the pivot set before you can select it here; see FireForm pivot sets. You can use the pivot set to determine who the assignee should be at this step. For example, a pivot set containing a list of department employee usernames with associated supervisors could be added as the assignee.
   • Committee options:
     • Committee: Allows a committee of users to indicate that they have reviewed the form submission at a particular step in the queue, and then make a recommendation. This selection is optional.
     • Committee Option: If Committee is checked above, the Route button functionality, typically used at this step (to move the form forward through the queue), will include a drop-down list of responses a committee member can make (such as approve, disapprove, etc.). Separate list items with semicolons.
     • Committee Move to Step: Once all committee members have indicated that the form submission has been reviewed, the form will move to the step designated in this drop-down. The assignee in this step makes a final decision based on the options the committee members selected.
9. Select Save. You will be taken back to the workflow page in view mode.
10. To add assignees who will have the ability to take action on the form submission, expand the step within which the assignees will be added. On the right, you'll see an "Assignment" box, where you can select one of the following:
    • Assigned Users: This allows one or more users to be assigned to take action at this step of the workflow.
    • Assigned ACM Groups: This allows users within an ACM (Grouper) group to be assigned to take action at this step of the workflow.
    • You can add ad hoc assignees via the following methods. These assignees will be in addition to any users or ACM groups assigned within the workflow state as outlined above.
      • In the Workflow Options column of the workflow state, use Prompt for Assignee (see above).
      • Include a People Picker element on the form submitter.
      • Use the approver status for a KFS account number.

To add additional steps to the workflow, select Add Step and follow steps 7-9 above.

At any point, in the steps view of the queue, you can select Visualize and see a visual indication of the workflow. The green step is the default step. Red steps are end points. Blue steps are all of the steps in between.

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