Starting and forwarding flow folders
Starting flow folders
After you have added the relevant material to the flow folder you can initiate the flow of tasks by forwarding the flow folder to the users responsible for the first task, which is the topmost task in the list of tasks of the flow folder.
•
Select 
in the action menu of the flow folder. In the action form you may have two sets
of people notified of the forwarding action:
o the manager of the flow folder and the other users responsible for the current task,
o the users of the next task to which the flow folder is forwarded.
When starting a flow folder, the first option concerns the
manager (probably yourself) and the other members of the flow folder who could
have also initiated the flow folder (in the present context, “current task”
means starting the flow folder). The second option concerns the users who are
responsible for the first task of the flow folder.
You can add
a personal comment to these otherwise automated e-mail messages.
• Confirm by hitting [OK].
This action is the kick-off for the processing of the flow folder and puts the flow folder into the personal task list of the user(s) responsible for the first task.
Forwarding flow folders
After the flow folder has been started, the flow folder appears in the personal task lists of the users who have been designated as responsible for the first task. These users may then carry out their task, e.g. by editing the material of the flow folder or by adding new documents, and forward the flow folder to its next station. The users responsible for the next task proceed with carrying out their task and forward the flow folder further down the line. When there is no next task, forwarding the flow folders ends flow folder processing.
You as a user responsible for a task of a flow folder, find the flow folder in your personal task list. You may have been notified of the presence of the flow folder via e-mail. After having carried out your task, you forward the flow folder to its next station as follows.
•
Select
in the action menu of the flow folder.
• In the action form, you may choose to notify (a) the manager of the flow folder and other persons responsible for the current task, and (b) the user(s) responsible for the next task via e-mail of the forwarding. You may add a personal comment, e.g. describing the result of your activity, to the otherwise automated e-mail notification.
• Under
Forward to the next task and its responsible(s) are indicated. If there
is more than one task foreseen as next station in the flow, you may choose to
which task the flow folder is to be forwarded next.
When there is no
next task, this is indicated by Complete this flow folder.
By forwarding a flow folder, you declare the current task as completed. The flow folder is removed from your personal task list as well as of the personal task lists of other users responsible for this task. It will then appear in the personal task list of the user(s) responsible for the next task. Before forwarding a flow folder, make sure that this task is indeed completed, that, e.g., a document requested has been uploaded to the flow folder or that a document in the flow folder has been edited according to the task description.
What you should know about processing flow folders:
o Deleting a flow folder from your personal task list removes you from the set of responsibles of the current task. You have no longer access to the flow folder.
o Forwarding a flow folder is not only possible for the user(s) responsible for the current task, but also for the manager and the members of the flow folder. By doing this, the current task is taken away from the user(s) responsible for the task and the flow folder is forwarded in its present state to the user(s) responsible for the next task.
o When the last task has been completed, i.e. when there is no next task, the flow of the flow folder is finished. A finished flow folder may be reused after an eventual update of its contents or definition by forwarding it again to its first task.