Common Components Help

AEF Help

Creating a Route: All Route Information

This section contains instructions for using a wizard to create a route and define all of its components. At the end of the wizard, you can choose to start the route immediately or wait to start the route.

Creating a route involves these steps:

1. Launching the Wizard and Entering Basic Information about the Route
2. Adding Content to the Route
3. Adding Members and Defining Accesses for the Route
4. Defining the Tasks
5. Controlling Creation of Tasks that Follow Concurrent Tasks

Launching the Wizard and Entering Basic Information about the Route

Clicking Create Route Wizard from either the My Desk menu or from the Actions menu of a Routes page opens the first page of the Route wizard, which lets you enter basic information for the route.

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If Team Central is installed, you can also launch the Route wizard with preselected content from a folder. When you do this, the route's scope is the folder or subfolder that contains the selected content. From the Content page for the folder, check the content you want to include in the route and click Route Selected. The wizard opens so you can enter basic information. When you reach the step for adding content to the route, the content you selected is listed.

You move through the wizard using the Next and Previous buttons at the bottom of each page. You can skip a page using Next and return to previous pages using Previous.

To launch the Route wizard and enter basic information

1. From the global toolbar, click My Desk>Routes>Create Route Wizard.

Or

Access the list of routes for a particular object and click Create Route Wizard from the Actions menu on the Routes page. For details, see Listing Routes.

The first page of the wizard opens, the Specify Details page.

2. Enter the Name you want to use for the new route.

Or

Check Autoname to have the system assign a name. When a route is autonamed, the system assigns a prefix and a sequential number for the name, such as R-000305.

3. If this is a sub-route that you are creating to complete another route's task, use the Visible to Parent Route Owner options to choose whether you want the sub-route to be shown to people who can access the parent route. This includes the parent route owner, all members of the parent route, and Workspace Leads (if Team Central is installed).
• If you don't want others to see the sub-route, choose No.
• If you want others to see the sub-route, choose Yes.

These options are not shown unless the route is a sub-route.

4. Use the Template box to specify a template on which to base the route. See Selecting a Route Template. If you don't want to use a template, skip this step.
5. Enter a Description that indicates the route's purpose.

If you are basing the route on an existing template, the description is already entered. You can edit it as needed.

6. Select the Route Base Purpose, which determines the kind of tasks included in the route.
• Standard--The route can include tasks that require the assignee's approval or comment or tasks intended only for notification or information.
• Approval--The route includes only tasks that require the assignee's approval.
• Review--The route includes only tasks that require the assignee's comment.
7. Choose the route's Scope: All or Organization. If Team Central is installed, you can click to choose a specific workspace or folder, or if Program Central is installed, a project space. For details, see Determining a Route's Scope.
8. Select a Route Completion Action, which determines the events that will occur when the route is complete:
• Notify Route Owner--When the route is complete (all tasks are completed), the system sends a notification to the route owner.
• Promote Connected Object--This option is for routes with content for which the route owner has defined lifecycle block states. If this option is selected, the system automatically promotes the object when the route is completed, assuming no other routes or requirements are blocking promotion. The route owner is also notified of the route completion.
9. Click the Start Route Upon Wizard Completion check box if you want the route to start automatically when you finish defining it using the route wizard.

Selecting a Route Template

1. Use the Template box to specify a template on which to base the route. After creating a route, you cannot change the template it is based on. See Consequences of Creating a Route Based on a Route Template. To specify a template:
1. Click .
2. From the Find Route Template page, enter search criteria. The search is limited to route templates that you saved (User) or that your Company Representative saved for the company (Enterprise). For Company Representatives, the list includes all route templates created by employees of your company.
3. Name--To search for templates by name, enter the name of the template or enter part of it and use the wildcard *. The search is case sensitive. If you don't want to search by name, leave the * in the box.

Availability--Choose Enterprise or User to limit the search based on the route template availability. If you don't want to limit the search by availability, choose *. Only Company Representatives can create Enterprise-level route templates.

4. Click Find.
5. From the Select Route Template page, choose the template you want.
6. Click Done.

Adding Content to the Route

The Content section of the Specify Details page lets you specify the content you want to route to other route members. You can add no content or multiple items. The content that you add to a route can be:

• Documents in a local directory that are not in the database (referred to as an "external file").
• Content already in the database. Depending on which MatrixOne applications you have installed, these objects could be parts, ECRs, ECOs, SCOs, RFQs, etc. If the route's scope is a Team Central folder or subfolder, the content is limited to the content of the folder and its subfolders.

For some non-document items, you can choose a block promotion state. When a block promotion state is chosen for an item, the system will not let the item be promoted from the state until the route is complete.

If you began the route by selecting items from a folder Content page, then that content is listed in the Content section at the bottom of the Specify Details page. Also, if you are creating the route based on a template that includes content, this content is listed. If you don't want to add any content or any additional content, you can click Next and proceed with the next step.

To add content to the route

1. To add database content to the route, click Add Content from the page Actions menu.

The Find Content page opens, where you can search for and select the item(s) that you want included in the route. The default type is Document. Allowable types depend on which MatrixOne applications are installed, and may vary depending on choices made by your Business Administrator for your installation. For example, if you have both Engineering Central and Specification Central installed, you can add items such as Engineering Central parts, ECOs, ECRs, etc., as well as Specification Central items such as SCOs and Technical Specifications.

1. Specify search criteria:

Type--Click to select the type or subtype.

Name--To search for a specific object or group of objects, you can provide a Name. Names can include wildcard characters, for example, 001* or *-Version 8. The default is *, which includes all names.

Revision--To search for a specific revision, type the revision number or sequence. Revisions can include wildcards, for example, 5-*. The default is *, which includes all revisions.

Description--To search for objects that contain a specific word or phrase in the description, type the word or phrase using wildcards. For example, if you are searching for parts whose description contains the word machine, you would type *machine* in the text box.

Owner--Type an owner name or part of a name (using wildcards) if you want to limit the search results to objects owned by a particular person.

Originator--Type an originator name or part of a name (using wildcards) from the list if you want to limit the search results to objects created by a particular person.

Vault--You can choose any of four vault options:

All--Searches all vaults to which you have access, including local and remote vaults.

Local--Searches only the local vault.

Default--Searches only the vault defined as your default vault in your person definition.

Selected--If multiple vaults are available, you can click to limit the search to specific vault(s).

2. When you have entered your search criteria, click Find.
2. To add documents that have not been added to the database but are in a local directory, click Upload External File from the page Actions menu. This link is available only if Team Central or Program Central is installed.

The Checkin Dialog appears, where you can search for and select the file(s) that you want to upload. For details, see Uploading Files with the Applet or Uploading Files without the Applet.

3. To specify a State Condition for non-document items (only for items that have more than one state in their lifecycle), choose the state from the drop-down list in the State Condition column. If you don't want to specify a state, choose (none).

If you specify a block promotion state for an item, the system prevents the item from being promoted from that state until the route is completed. For example, suppose a buyer is routing an RFQ to be reviewed internally before sending it to suppliers. The buyer can make sure the RFQ is not sent to suppliers until the route (and associated review) is complete by specifying Initial Review as the block promotion state. Similarly, suppliers can make sure a quotation is not returned to the buyer until its route, which lets others in their company review it, is complete by choosing Review as the block promotion state.

4. To remove an item from the route, check it and click Remove Selected from the page Actions menu.
5. When you are finished adding content to the route, click Next.

The Specify Access page displays, as described in the next section.

Adding Members and Defining Accesses for the Route

Clicking Next from the Specify Details page brings up the Select Route Members page. This page lets you select the members to include in the route and specify the accesses they should have for the route.

You can add persons, registered groups and roles to a route. For details on registering groups, see "Configuring Groups for MatrixOne Applications" in the Application Exchange Framework Administrator Guide. When the system creates the task assigned to a group or role, it notifies all people who belong to the group or role. The first person who accepts the task is designated as the task assignee and can complete the task.

All route members will be able to access the route once you start it and you can assign one or more tasks to any route member. If you are creating this route based on a route template that includes members, the template members are already listed. You can remove these members, add new ones, change their route access (for Team Central only), or leave them unchanged.

For each member listed, the page shows:

Name--The name of the person, group or role added to the route.

Type--Distinguishes between people added individually/through a member list (Person), groups, and roles.

Organization--The organization the person belongs to. This is blank for groups and roles.

Scope--The scope of the route (all, organization, workspace, or project space), as defined in the first frame of the wizard.

Access--The access each member has for the route. When members are added to the route, their access is Read but you can set a higher access level. This access level is for the route only and not for the content. Groups and roles are added to the route with Read access. See Step 3 below for details on each access level.

To specify who should be included in the route

1. Add members to the route.

You can search for people, groups, roles, or member lists. If you add a member list, each person in the member list is added to the route. If the scope of the route is a workspace or project space, you can add route members outside the scope, but only those members who are within the scope will have access to the route content.

From the page Actions menu, click one of the following: Add People, Add Group, Add Role, or Add Member List.

Enter search criteria and click Search. For help entering criteria, click on the Search page or see AEF Help.

All members who meet the criteria you entered are shown. The check box for those already added to the route is grayed.

1. Check the members you want to add.
2. Click Done.

The members you chose are added to the Select Route Members page.

2. Remove any members that you do not want to assign a task to. For example, if the route was created based on a template, you may want to remove some members who were saved with the template. If you added a member list, you might want to remove some of the people on the member list.
1. Check the members you want to remove from the route.
2. Click Remove Selected from the page Actions menu.
3. At the confirmation message, click OK.
3. Choose the access for each person.

These accesses are for the route itself and not for the individual items being routed. Access to route content is defined separately for each content item. For example, a person with Add access to the route can add content to the route but cannot edit or delete a document in the route unless the person has Write and Remove access for the document.

Read--Every person, group and role included in the route is assigned at least Read access for the route. This means the member can view the category list and Properties page for the route, including all tasks, history, and accesses for the route. The member can also view and download route content but only the items the person has Read access to are listed. Read access also lets members subscribe to the route.

Read Write--A person with Read Write access to the route has Read permissions and can also check in files to the route.

Add--A person with Add access to the route has Read Write permissions and can also add new content to the route.

Remove--A person with Remove access has Read Write permissions and can also remove content from the route.

Add Remove--A person with Add Remove access has the accesses defined for both Add and Remove access.

4. Click Next.

The Assign Tasks page appears, as described in the next section.

Defining the Tasks

Clicking Next from the Select Route Members page brings up the Define Route Tasks page. One task is included for each member added to the route. Use this page to specify details about the tasks. You can also create additional tasks for any route members.

If you are creating this route based on a route template, the tasks from the template are also listed and have a (t) next to the task name. Depending on how the template is defined, you may not be able to make many changes to the task list, or you may have full editing ability. For a description of the task editing levels for a route template, see Consequences of Creating a Route Based on a Route Template.

To define the tasks in the route

1. For each task, specify the task Name, Action & Order.
1. Entering a Name for the task is optional. If you don't enter a name, the system will use an automatically-generated name, such as IT-292928.
2. Choose the Action you want the task assignee to perform. Note that the action does not affect the person's access to the route's content. In addition to indicating the action the person should perform, the action affects the options presented when the person completes the task:

Approve--If you choose Approve as the action, in addition to the Comment box, the task recipient must choose an approval status: Approve, Reject, or Abstain. If the task assignee chooses Approve or Abstain and then completes the task, the route continues as usual. If the task assignee chooses Reject and then completes the task, the route is stopped and the route creator is notified. The system does not create the next task in the route until the route creator resumes the route.

Comment, Investigate, Information Only--If you choose these options as the action, the recipient must enter a comment before completing the task.

Notify Only--If you choose this option, the recipient need only mark the task as complete to complete the task.

3. Choose the Order number that corresponds to the order in which you want the task to be pending for its recipient. If you want more than one task to be pending at the same time, choose the same order number for each task.

For example, suppose you want one person to complete a task and then you want two people to work on a task simultaneously. You would choose an order number of 1 for the first task. The other two tasks should have order numbers of 2.

2. Choose the Assignee & Instructions.
1. Using the drop-down list, choose the person, group, or role who should receive the task. This is a list of all members you added to the route on the previous page. If you're not ready to choose an assignee, you can leave the task unassigned until you are ready to start the route.

If you assign a group or role to a task, the system notifies all people in the group or role when the task is created. The first person to accept the task is then assigned to the task and is the only person who can complete it.

To assign one member to several tasks, check those tasks and click Assign Selected from the page Actions menu. Then choose the member from the Assign Tasks page and click Done.

2. Enter instructions for the task.

This should be a detailed description of what the person should do to complete the task. For example, you may want to indicate which file or section they should review or comment on.

3. For each task, choose how you want to handle the Due Date/Time. Choose one of the following options:
• Specify a due date and time. Click the first button under the Due Date & Time column. Choose the date by clicking the Calendar icon and choose the time from the drop-down list. When you first open the calendar to assign a due date, the calendar shows the current date as the default. When you subsequently open the calendar within the same session, the default date is the last date you selected. This facilitates assigning sequential due dates to tasks. For instructions on using the calendar, see AEF User Help.
• Specify the due date/time as the number of days following the route start date or task creation date (the date the previous task assignee completes his/her task). Click the second button under the Due Date & Time column. Enter the number of days from and select whether it should be calculated from the Route Start or Task Creation date.

When calculating the due date, the system includes weekends and holidays so factor that into the number of days you enter. The maximum number of days is 365. For example, if you want to give the task assignee 10 working days to complete the task, you should enter 14 from the Task Create Date because it's likely there would be 4 weekend days within a 10-day working period. If you want the task to be complete 30 calendar days following the start of the route, you should enter 30 days from Route Start Date.

1. Let the task assignee enter a due date by choosing Assignee-Set Due Date. Click the third button under the Due Date & Time column. The task assignee can enter a due date, although the system does not require one. If no due date is entered, the system does not display a status for the task.

If the assignee does not complete the task by the due date/time, the task is marked as late (red) and the route's status is changed from green to yellow. If late task notifications have been set up, the system sends out notifications to the appropriate people. For sub-routes, the system makes sure none of the task due dates are later than the parent task's due date. If they are, you must make the due dates earlier.

4. To allow the assignee to delegate the task to another person, check Allow Delegation.

If a task allows delegation, the assignee can delegate the task to another member to complete. See Delegating a Task to Someone Else. The delegate will temporarily inherit all accesses that the assignee has for the route and its content. The system may also delegate the task automatically if the recipient receives the task during a defined absence period and the person has designated an Absence Delegate. When the system automatically delegates a task, it also notifies the route owner.

The Tasks page will show a Delegate icon for the tasks.

5. If you want to review a task after the assignee completes it, click Needs Owner Review.

After the assignee completes the task, the system notifies you. After reviewing the task, you must enter a review comment and then either promote the task to indicate approval or demote it to indicate rejection. The system does not create the next task in the route until you promote the task. Demoting the task changes its state back to Assigned and the assignee must recomplete the task based on your comments. When demoting the task, you can reassign it to someone else to work on.

The Tasks page will show a Requires Owner Review icon for the task.

6. To assign additional tasks, click Add Task from the page Actions menu. A new task row is added. Repeat steps 1 through 5 to define the task.
7. Work with the tasks as needed:
• To remove a task, check it and click Remove Selected from the page Actions menu.
• To sort the list of tasks based on ascending order number and then by task name, click Sort Task List from the page Actions menu.
8. Click Next.

The Action Required page appears, as described in the next section.

Controlling Creation of Tasks that Follow Concurrent Tasks

Choosing Next from the Define Route Tasks page brings up the Action Required page. This page lets you specify whether tasks that have the same order number must all be complete before the subsequent tasks become pending or whether only one task must be complete. If you specify that only one task needs to be complete, the system deletes (rescinds) the remaining incomplete tasks at that order level and notifies the assignees for the deleted tasks. For example, suppose you assign three concurrent tasks to three people and ask that they approve a document in the route. All you need is approval from one of them so as soon as one of them completes the task, the other tasks can be deleted and the next task in the route can proceed.

If there are no concurrent tasks in the route, click Done to skip this page.

To control the creation of tasks that follow concurrent tasks

1. For each set of concurrent tasks, choose whether any or all must be completed before the next task(s) becomes pending.

Any--When one person completes a task in the set of concurrent tasks, the task or tasks in the next order level become pending and the remaining incomplete tasks in the current order level are deleted.

All--All tasks in the set of concurrent tasks must be complete before the next order level tasks become pending.

2. If this is a sub-route that you are creating to complete another route's task, use the Visible to Parent Route Owner options to choose whether you want the sub-route to be shown to people who can access the parent route. This includes the parent route owner, all members of the parent route, and Workspace Leads.
• If you don't want others to see the sub-route, choose No.
• If you want others to see the sub-route, choose Yes.

If this is not a sub-route, these options are not shown.

3. Click Done.

If you chose the Start Route on Wizard Completion option on the first page of the wizard, the route starts immediately. Otherwise, the route's status is Not Started. You can edit it as needed and then start it when you're ready. See Starting a Route.

If you started the route, the system changes the route to the Started status and creates each task that has an order number of 1. The task recipients will see the task listed in their tasks list and they will receive notification that the task is pending. If the task is assigned to a group or role, all people assigned to the group or role receive the notification. If you receive a message that says no persons were notified, there were no people assigned to the role who have Read access to the route content. You should assign the task to someone else. See Editing the Definition of a Task.

If there are members in the route who are not assigned a task, the application removes them from the route when you start it.

When you start a sub-route, the system makes sure none of the task due dates are later than the parent task's due date. If they are, you must make the due dates earlier.

When all tasks are completed, the system changes the route status to Finished and notifies you that the route is complete. You should then remove the files from the route so other workspace members can edit and route them. See Processing Completed Routes.

If a person chooses Reject for the approval status (approval status is only available if the task action is Approve), then the route is stopped and the system notifies you via email and IconMail. The system does not route the files to anyone else unless you resume the route. See Processing Rejected Routes.