📄 Create a Workflow Template for a Termination or Clearance Process [V1]

Create a Workflow Template for a Termination or Clearance Process

In this How-To, you should be able to create the Workflow Template for the Employee Exit/Clearance Process via the Strato Workflow Engine.

The expected workflow template design should have the following workflow steps:

(See how the sample workflow template looks like at the bottom of this article)

  1. Trigger - HR initiates the employee’s termination via 3rd Party Application (SFSF)
  2. Send E-mail step - Automatic email notifications to appropriate recipients (ex: Employee’s direct supervisor/manager)
  3. Generate Document step - Strato Workflow will automatically generate the Clearance Form
  4. User Decision Steps - multiple User Decision steps to be used in this sample workflow as there would be multiple signatories for the Clearance Form
  5. Send E-mail step - will automatically send an email notification to the employee once the form has been completed and this form will be attached to the email as well.

    Another component to be used for the workflow:
  6. Containers - to set parameters that are needed in the workflow that will be passed back and forth between the Strato workflow and the 3rd party application (SFSF)

Before creating this sample workflow template, here are the following factors to be identified and the other prerequisites:

Event to trigger the workflow:

  • Termination event from SuccessFactors

People/roles involved in the workflow:

  • HR Admin
  • Employee
  • Signatories (Ex: Employee’s Manager)

Strato Templates Required:

  • Email Templates created from Strato Document Templates  - These are the emails to be sent automatically in the workflow. (Prior to creating your workflow template you need to identify the email templates you require for your workflow/process such as email that will be sent to the signatories with the document attached; email to be sent to the employee upon completion; etc.)  (Read: Creating Email Templates)
  • Document Template (as the Clearance Form and Certificate document) created from Strato Document Templates -  This is the document or form to be generated in the workflow. (Read: How to Create a Document in Strato)


How-To

Now, follow these steps to achieve the workflow template for this sample use case:

  1. Access the Workflow Templates Editor of Strato by following the steps here : Accessing Strato Workflow Templates
  2. Now, from the Creating a new workflow template pop-up, select the correct Catalog. For this scenario, it should be for the Employee catalog. 
  3. Enter the Name of your Workflow Template.
    In this example, the Workflow Template Name is Termination and Clearance Workflow.



  4. Click Apply. This leads you now to the Workflow Template editor.
  5. Now, in the Workflow Settings tab, you can type in the description of your workflow template.
  6. To start defining your workflow, you must first identify what parameters are needed in the workflow that will be passed back and forth between the Strato workflow and the 3rd party application (in this scenario - the SuccessFactors).

    These parameters are going to be set in the Containers component of Strato workflow. For this example, the mandatory parameters for this scenario would be:

    -  language      (parameter for the language)
    -  userID               (parameter for the person ID)
    - learversForm  (parameter for the Employee Leavers Form)

    💡

    Depending on your use case, more parameters may be added to your containers in the workflow. These parameters are what you’re going to align within the Integration Center (read: Mapping Workflow Parameters in SuccessFactors Integration Centre (URI Calculation) in SuccessFactors when setting up the integration between SuccessFactors and Strato Workflow Engine (to trigger workflow).


    Once all the parameters you need for the workflow are identified, you can then start adding them to the workflow containers.

  7. To start adding the parameters in the workflow for this scenario, click the Containers component from the left panel, and click Add Container.



  8. For the first parameter, in the Container Properties, populate the required fields.



    For this first example, it’s for the language parameter. Make sure that the Exporting and Mandatory boxes are ticked. (For more descriptions about this screen, please read: Containers in Strato Workflow)

  9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for the other parameters to be added. For this example, the other parameters to add are the userID and leaversForm.



    When done setting up the required Containers or parameters, start defining your workflow by first adding the Trigger component. Without a trigger, the corresponding workflow steps cannot be added in the editor.

  10. From the left panel, click on Triggers, and select 3rd-Party Applications. It is here where you will define the properties for calling or integrating this workflow into an external application. In this sample scenario, it's for the SuccessFactors application. (For the overview of Triggers, read: Triggers (Workflow Editor))



    In summary for the Trigger component, the Service URL, Username, and Password are the parameters required to supply in the integration object from SuccessFactors’ Integration Centre. (Read: How to trigger Strato Workflow via SuccessFactors )

    Though, you can continue with the integration configuration later at the last step of this How-To. For now, the Trigger component is just necessary for you to start adding the corresponding steps in the workflow. Without a Trigger, it will not be possible to add the other workflow steps. For now, let's proceed to the next step.

  11. From the left panel, click Steps, and select Send Email. Notice that a new box/process is added right after the Trigger component. This is the step where the initial automatic email generation takes place.



  12. Populate the fields under the Step Properties of the Send e-mail step. (Name; Description.) (For the overview of the Send e-mail step, read: Send Email Step)
  13. For the required Email Template, click on the select files button and select the email template to be sent for this step. When selecting a template, notice that there is the Pencil icon for the template which means you can edit the template while creating the workflow at the same time.
    (If you have not created an email template yet, read this article to know how: Creating Email Templates)
  14. Next, click on the Input Parameters tab.
  15. Select the previously created parameter UserID for the Catalog Key field, and Language for the Language field.(These containers will hold the parameters being passed on between SuccessFactors and Strato workflow engine)



  16. Next, from the Steps library on the left panel, select the Generate Document(s) step. It is in this step where the automatic generation of the document takes place. In this sample use case, it's the employee's clearance form.
  17. Then, populate the fields under the Step Properties for the  Generate Document(s) step. (Name, Description, etc.)  (For the overview of this step, read: Generate Document(s) Step)


  18. For the required Template ID Source field, tick the From List of Templates option. This lets you choose from the document templates you have available within your Strato Documents Library).

    💡

    Prior to the creation of this workflow, there should be a document template already created for this Clearance Process. If you have not created a document template yet for this workflow, you can do so by following the steps here: Creating a Document Template. (Also, see here a sample template for a clearance process: Sample Document for Employee Clearance Form)


  19. Then click the select files button for the Template ID List Property field, and select the Document Template that you need for this workflow. For this sample scenario, it should be a template for the Employee Clearance Form.
    (See a sample clearance form template here: Sample Document for Employee Clearance Form)
  20. For its Input Parameters field, select the UserID container for the Key ID, and Language for the Language field. These are the needed parameters when generating the document template.



    The next steps to enable the Internal Signature feature (approving/accepting a document) of the Strato Workflow by adding User Decision steps. These next steps are going to route the document template for signing to different signatories.

  21. From the left panel in the Steps library, select User Decision. This is the step that handles multiple actions based on a user's decision. Basically, this step is what will send the document generated from the previous step to the first signatory of the document. For this case, it's for the approval or signing of the Employee Clearance Form, and as an example, the first signatory is the HR Department Head.



  22. From its Step Properties, populate all the required fields as shown in the sample screen below. Use the screen below as your guide. The description of all the fields and features of this step are all described here: User Decision - Properties and Parameters)

    Now notice that the Decision section, highlighted at the bottom of the screenshot below, has no details yet. This is because you need to add another step after this User Decision step to enable the decisions settings for that section. But before setting that up, finish Steps 22 to 27 first. 



  23. Click on the Input Parameters and populate the following:
    (For more details about this screen, read: User Decision - Properties and Parameters)


    💡

    Since this workflow is automated and intended for the Exit/Clearance process, the Scheduling Feature should be enabled. This is so that this specific step of the workflow can be paused until its scheduled date/time to resume. Otherwise, the whole workflow or Clearance process might already be completed in advance, way before the official effectivity date of the employee’s Termination Date. For this sample scenariom the delay feature should be enabled for this first User Decision step.


  24. To enable the scheduling feature for this step, click on the Step Delay tab of this step and enable the Define Delay function. (For the overview of the Step Delay/Scheduling Feature, read: Delaying a Step in Workflow - Scheduling Feature)



  25. For the Date/Time field, search for (and select) the Termination Date field. (This field selected is coming from Employee Central)



  26. In the Add offset field, you can set an ideal day/time for when this specific step of the workflow will continue to resume.   (In this example, the entered value is -3, which means that this specific step of the workflow will automatically execute 3 days prior to the termination date of the employee. Until then, this step will be on pause/delay. If there are no offset entered and the field selected from Date/Time field is only a date field, this step will be executed on the specified date at midnight when the clock hits 12:00 am)

    Now, add another User Decision step for the next signatory of the workflow. 

  27. Again, from the Steps Library on the left, click on the User Decision step. Populate the Step Properties and Input Parameters tabs by repeating the same actions done from Steps 21-22. But this time, this is specific for the next signatory of the form. (For this example, the next signatory would be the head of IT & Security Deparment.)



    This step enables the Decision settings from the previous User Decision step as mentioned from Step 22. 

  28. Now click back on the previous User Decision step (the step with the first signatory - HR Department Head) and set its Decisions settings. (For more details about this screen, read: User Decision - Properties and Parameters)

    In this example, the condition is that it requires the e-signature as the Approve and Sign action. When the e-signature is provided by this signatory, this means that the workflow will proceed to the next step (which is the next signatory / next User Decision step of the workflow). When no signature is provided, the workflow is just stopped until the action for this step has been provided.





    Now, depending on how many signatories you have for this workflow, just keep adding new User Decision steps in your worklfow and populate the Step Properties and Input properties screens as done from the previous steps (Steps 22, 23, and 28).

    When done with all the User Decision steps for all your required signatories (in this sample Clearance Form document, there are 5 signatories which mean 5 User Decisions steps are required in its workflow), the last step to add in the workflow should be the step for sending an email to the employee with the completed Clearance Form attached to the email.

  29. From the Steps Library on the left panel, add the Send e-mail step.



  30. In the Step Properties, populate the Name and Description fields.
  31. Select the required email template for this step In the Email Template field.
    In this sample scenario, the Employee Notification - Certification of Company Clearance email template is selected. (If you have not created an email template yet for this step, read this to know how: Creating Email Templates)

  32. Next, in the Input Properties tab, select the required parameters.
    (In this example, it’s the User ID parameter for the Catalog Key, and Language for the Language field.)



  33. For the Attachments field, select the document to be attached together in this email.
    In this sample scenario, the document is the completed and signed Employee Leavers Form which was generated from the previous steps and is contained by the export parameter Employee Leavers Form export as shown in the sample screen below.



  34. To save your workflow, Save and Publish your workflow via the Action (+) button from the lower-right corner of the workflow template screen. There's also a Validate button to check if there are any errors in your workflow template creation.



    After setting up all these workflow steps, you should now have a complete workflow template for this sample use case.



  35. Finally, to trigger the execution of your Strato Workflow template, you can now configure the Trigger component from Step 10, and integrate it in SuccessFactors (via Integration Centre and Intelligent Services). To know how, please read: How to trigger Strato Workflow via SuccessFactors) 

Related articles