Workflow

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 What ... is workflow?

Chapter 2 Why ... is workflow useful?

Chapter 3 How ... workflow is done in SAP R/3

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Chapter 1 What ... is workflow?

. 3
Automating Corporate Processes

Proof of
Delivery Trouble
Report
Sales Product Customer
Sales Management Planning Service

Sales Budget
Order Forecast

Production
Planning
Customer

Packing
Slip Invoice

Order Shipping &

Processing Asse mbly Receiving Accounting Product

Assembly Assembly Shipping Invoice

Order Order Order Packing
Packing Slip
Slip
Product
Product

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Business processes

Risk Exchange Handling

Treasury manage-
ment
hedging payments

Financial Credit
control
Customer
invoice
Accounting posting

Order Service Sales

Controlling Costing document profit-
ability
profit-
ability
profit

Incoming Inter-
External
Sales and Incoming
order
Financing
decision
Vendor
selection
Evaluation order
posting
company
billing
billing
Distribution

Inter-
Transfer Vendor
Logistics order selection
company
billing

Production Production
order
Production Delivery

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What does workflow do?
Risk Exchange Handling
Treasury manage-
ment
hedging payments

Financial Credit
control
Customer
invoice
Accounting posting

Order Service Sales

Controlling Costing document profit-
ability
profit-
ability
profit

Incoming Inter- External

Sales and Incoming
order
Financing
decision
Vendor
selection
Evaluation order
posting
company
billing
billing
Distribution

Inter-
Transfer Vendor
Logistics order selection
company
billing

Production Production
order
Production Delivery

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Workflow Management

"A Workflow Management System is one which

provides procedural automation of a business
process by management of the sequence of
work activities and the invocation of appropriate
human and/or IT resources associated with the
various activity steps."

The Workflow Management Coalition, "The Workflow Reference Model";

Version 0.6, 28th June, 1993, page 7.

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Chapter 2 Why ... is workflow useful?

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Benefits of Workflow

Reliability

Productivity

Quality

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Workflow: Advantages of the SAP Solution

Consistency
Consistency
modeling
modeling--definition
definition--control
control--monitoring
monitoring

Less
Lesscomplexity
complexity
through
throughpowerful
powerfulapplications
applications

Integration
Integration
with
withthe
theorganizational
organizationalmodel
model

Openness
Openness
through
throughinterfaces
interfaces

Short
ShortImplementation
Implementation
Pre-built
Pre-builtworkflow
workflowexamples
examples
ABAP/4
ABAP/4development
developmentworkbench
workbenchsupport
support

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 With and without workflow
WORKFLOW -
TRADITIONAL SUPPORTED

Initiative User System (user)

Monitoring Supervisor System

Documents Paper Electronic

Flow of information passive active

Flow of control Sequential Parallel

Hard coded in application separate programming level
(transaction t1 calls t2 ...) -> reusable transactions
-> small size

Unit of control Individual function Whole process (beyond

(atomic transaction) transaction boundaries)

In a nutshell "Stop and Go" Work flow

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Chapter 3 How workflow is done in SAP R/3

The definition of a workflow

The workflow at runtime
Additional Comments

. 12
Position of the workflow in the system

Business Workflow

SD FI
MM CO
PP AM

QM
PM
R/3
WF
PS Integrated Applications
HR IS

Business Middleware Layer

. 13
Chapter 3 How workflow is done in SAP R/3

The definition of a workflow

The workflow at runtime
Additional Comments

. 14
Graphical representation of a workflow

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 Structure of a Workflow Definition

Conditional Activity Parallel

Process Loop Process Loop
IF

Loop

Deadline
Monitoring

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Workflow definition
Activity
Workflow definition
Workflow-Definition
Workflow-Definition • •Activity
Activitytotobebeexecuted:
executed:
Task,
Task,
Workflow
Workflowtask task
• •Responsibilits
Responsibilitsfor forthe
the
execution:
execution:
Actor,
Actor,Role
Role
• •Deadlines,
Deadlines,costscosts
• •Responsibility
Responsibilityififthere
thereisis
no user action:
no user action:
Person
Personinincharge
charge
concerning
concerningdeadlines
deadlines
• •Notificaton
Notificatonwhenwhenaction
action
has been taken:
has been taken:
Person
Personinincharge
charge
concerning
concerningtaken takenaction
action

Task

Object method

. 17
Task Definition
Standard
Standardtask
task
(SAP
(SAPdefined)
defined)

Object
Objectmethod
method
Task
Task
(customer
(customerdefined)
defined)

Workflow Workflow
Workflowdefinition
Workflowtask
task definition

CCrreeaatitningg OOrrgg..oobbjejecctsts
eevveenntsts

DDeefa
fauultltrroolele,,
rroolele
Task
Taskcontainer
container
. 18
Workflow Object Components
Object type
Key structure Field references
Workstation
program
Status attributes
Attributes
Transactions
virtual attributes

Function module
Implementation

Report
Parameter
container
Methods
ABAP coding
Return
values

Events

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SAP Business Workflow uses the Organisational Model as the
basis for the workflow routing structure
The Organisational Management

z Organisational units
ÎDepartments, groups, projects
z Positions
ÎPurchasing Manager
ÎPurchasing Agent
z Jobs
ÎPurchase computers
ÎEstablish vendor contracts
z Workplaces
ÎLocation

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 Role Based Routing
Workflow Manager
z
z Role
Role Restrictions
Restrictions Person in
charge
Roles
Rolesare
are restricted
restricted based
based on
on the
the of Finance
data
data and
and item
item being
being processed
processed
Customer
z
z Task
Task (definition)
(definition) O- Z
Customer
H-N
Post
Postdocument
document
Î
Î Linked
Linked to
to position
position
Person
Person in charge
in charge of
ofFinance
Finance
z
z Role
Role (definition)
(definition)
Person
Personin in charge
charge ofof posting
posting
Î
Î Attributes
Attributes of
of the
the role
role
Customer
Customer
Invoiced
Invoiced amount
amount Customer
z
z Work
Work Item
Item (activity
(activityat
at runtime)
runtime)
A- G

Post
Postdocument
document 4712
4712
Î
Î Customer
Customer H.
H. R.
R. Miller
Miller Invoiced amount: < $250,000
Î
Î Invoiced
Invoiced amount
amount $258,300
$258,300
Invoiced amount: > $250,000

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Chapter 3 How workflow is done in SAP R/3

The definition of a workflow

The workflow at runtime
Additional Comments

. 22
Definition and Runtime Components

Definition Runtime
Workflow definition
(Workflow editor)
Workflow
Graphic implementation Workflow control
of Workflow procedures Workflow coordination

Activity Workitem
Object method Deadline monitoring
Linkage with persons, Escalation
groups and roles Method call

Object type Object

Enhanced object description Activation of methods
Methods Accessing attributes
Attributes Creation of events
Events

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Integrated Inbox

Functions:
z Process mail and workflow items
z Send and receive notifications
Internal and external systems
Fax, E-mail, Internet, etc.
z Reschedule work
z Attachments to inbox items
Notes, documents, objects, etc.
z File/manage documents and mail

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Workflow Manager

Workflow
Record
Manager history

Create Resolve
work items messages
SD FI
MM

Evaluate R/3 Allocate

conditions QM
Client / Server
ABAP/4
PS
agents

Process Organize
events data flows
Monitor Synchronize
deadlines Manage cross process
application
flows

. 25
 Background Scheduling
and Deadline monitoring

Workflow System

Start date waiting for events latest end

Example Release of invoice

Background
EDI
pre-entry
Start date
complete
invoice
Dialog Key:
release
invoice Background
latest start
post Dialog
latest end invoice

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Monitoring Processes

How many customer problems are in

process?
What is the status?
How old are the problems?
How is the work distributed?
What is the resolution status
for a specific customer?
How many active items are there?

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Process reporting

How many problems have been

reported in the last quarter?
How many problems were
reported by problem type?
What was the average
processing time by problem
types?
How often did processing
exceed deadline?
How many exceptions were
processed?

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Chapter 3 How workflow is done in SAP R/3

The definition of a workflow

The workflow at runtime
Additional comments

. 29
 What does SAP deliver

A table driven Workflow Definition tool

An application independent Workflow Management engine
A new user interface (work list client)
Workflow enabling in SAP applications
Ready-to-use standard SAP task definitions
Sample SAP workflow templates

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 SAP workflow templates

EDI / ALE: Error handling

PP: engineering change management
PM: malfunction messages
PS: changes in corresponding purchase orders
SD: contract management
LIS: triggering events when reaching threshholds
MM: release of requisitions: events for selected codes
FI: Preliminary posting, budget release, Financial Calendar
AM: mass processing of assets
PD: Management of conferences and other events

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 Desktop Integration

Other applications SAP System

Windows * No. 1 front end for R/3

Direct
WinHelp On-line Documentation

WinWord
RFC R/3 Applications
Excel Server
Project
Access ODBC R/3 Basis System DB

MS Mail MAPI R/3 Mail

Visual Basic
RFC
Server
R/3 Applications
OLE Automation Clients

* Windows ‘95 supported with first shipment

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 The Openness of SAP Business Workflow

Integration and openness

External
Externalworklist
worklist OLE
OLEautomation
automation
client
client
External workflow
External workflow External
External External
External
manager
manager applications
applications objects
objects

Workflow Tasks / SAP

Objects
management Work items transactions

z SAP provides easy-to-use interfaces z SAP is an active member of the

at all levels of the SAP Business
Workflow Management Coalition
Workflow architecture:
to ensure that the interfaces of
Îworkflow management level
Îwork queue / work item management workflow products and
level applications converge.
Îobject management level
Îevent level

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