Flow folders

Flow folders allow you to manage workflows where documents follow a certain work process and are forwarded from one user to another for subsequent processing. Each flow folder has a number of tasks which are to be carried out by the users responsible in the order specified. Flow folders – like normal folders – may contain objects of all types, e.g. documents, other folders or discussion forums.

A flow folder is processed by forwarding the folder (and thus all documents contained therein) to the users responsible for the tasks of the flow folder, one after the other. Depending on the nature of the process, the flow may branch at a certain step, thereby allowing the user responsible for the task at hand to choose where to forward the process to.

The users responsible for a current task have access to the flow folder via their personal task lists. After forwarding, the flow folder disappears from the personal task list and is no longer accessible, if users are not also members of the flow folder – apart from its specific functionality, a flow folder is also a workspace which may have several members.

Independent of the current task under way, the members of the flow folder may view its status, may change its contents as well as its tasks and may forward the flow folder, if the currently responsible user doesn’t react.