The following are a number of key points that should be considered as you begin to design a Start Task>Entry Point.
•Before a process can be designed: you need to think about what collection of documents are needed to complete the process. This understanding will lead you to ensure that the following definitions are established prior to beginning the design in Progression:
§ Progression Document Definitions that provide links to DocuPhase Applications and the specific Document Types your process will need.
§ Binder Definitions which associate the multiple Document Definitions your process will need.
•You will need to determine: which document or collection of document types and their specific Status value(s) in DocuPhase that indicate it is time for your new Process to begin as a new work item.
§ The business Rules that initiate a process in the “paper world” are often the same as in the “electronic workflow world”.
§ The primary difference is that the starting-criteria used to describe these rules is added to the Entry Point configuration of a Start Task to allow the Progression Engine to understand what to do and when to start an new instance of your process.
•The Re-Entrance Option: indicates whether your process will allow the same work item to repeat prior tasks such as when performing re-work. You need to consider whether your process will specify this option as On or Off.
§ Most processes must allow re-entrance (i.e., On) because humans are controlling the outcome – We all make mistakes and the same work item might need to be re-processed due to some mistakes on the initial pass.
§ Fully automated processes with no Manual Tasks would typically not require the Re-Entrance option (i.e., Off).
§ If your design is such that the work item exits via a Finish Process, and due to a new Start-Criteria is able to be re-processed, the Re-Entrance option is not needed since each processing pass is via a different work item and process instance even though the same binder and documents may be involved.
•Best Practice: Carefully study and review the current business process:
§ To look for clues as to what the best Start-Criteria may be.
§ Review your findings with stakeholders for this process to gain insight and consensus on the absolute business rule that should drive the initiating workflow for your process.