Please note that the content of this post applies to the following applications:
- Project Management Central 4.0
- Workflow Conductor 3.0
- SharePoint Server and SharePoint Foundation 2013
When used together, Project Management Central (PM Central) and Workflow Conductor make it easier than ever before to manage project sites on PM Central. Users can take advantage of Workflow Conductor’s powerful process management capabilities for everything from getting feedback and approval from users in regards to who can approve project site creation requests, to creating workflows on project sites (including full template, lite template, and stand-alone template sites) to manage issues of each project
In this article, we’ll show you how to use workflow on the top site.
Before you begin: You will need to install PM Central R4.0 and Workflow Conductor R3.0 onto your SharePoint
Server or SharePoint Foundation 2013 (if you haven’t already). For more information on installing these
products, please review Bamboo’s Online Documentation:
How to Associate Project Management Central and Workflow Conductor on SharePoint 2013 and Use
Workflow on the Top Site
1. Create a workflow
- Create a top site using either the full template
or lite template. - On the top site, select the Project Creation Request list.
From the List Tools, select List
> Create or Edit Workflow. - Select Import
from the Workflow Conductor menu. - In the browse folder, if your top site is using
the full template, select either the
PMC Automated Project Creation Request Workflow
Template.xoml file or PMC Automated
Project Creation Request Workflow Template_Lite.xoml file. If your top site is using the lite template, you will need to select
the PMC Automated Project Creation
Request Workflow Template_Lite.xoml file.
- This workflow template will automatically be
loaded into Workflow Conductor. Go to the workflow and click Request approval for project site from
the middle pane.
- In the right pane, you will see the workflow
template’s configurable fields including Approvers,
Approval Type, Due Date, and Allow Change
Request.
- The fields that can be modified include:
- Approvers: This
value is pulled from the Approvers field of the Project Creation Workflow Configuration list at the top site. - Approval
Type: “One Approval Required” is set as the default. Additionally, you have
the option of choosing “All Approvals
Required” or “Multiple Approvals Required.” - Days
Until Due: You can set the number of
days until a workflow task is due. - Due Date:
This value is pulled from the Requested Date field of the current
item. Please note that if values are
entered for both the Days Until Due and Due Date fields, the tool will automatically
choose the earliest date as the due date. - Allow
Reassignment: “No” is set as the default. If you choose to select “Yes,”
the workflow task will be assigned to another approver. - Allow
Request Change: “Yes” is set as the default. This setting allows the
approver to enter a comment for the requester to make a change and re-submit
for the approval. You can also choose “No” to hide the “Request Change” button on the Workflow Approval Task - Logging
Level: “Errors Only” is set as the default. Additionally, you have the
option of choosing “Errors, warnings, and info” or “Errors and warnings.”
- Approvers: This
- Once you have finished configuring the workflow
fields, return to the Workflow Conductor
menu. Select the Publish to List
button.
- Alternatively, you can use the “Solution Deployment
Method” to deploy your workflow. To use
this method, go to Central Admin
and navigate to the Workflow Conductor
General Settings. From there, select
the Solution Deployment Method to
deploy. Please be aware that you will
need to turn off UAC when using the “Solution Deployment Method” to deploy.
2. Configure
project creation workflow configuration list
- To configure the project creation workflow configuration list, navigate to Project
Creation Workflow Configuration page from the top site. Click on Add
new item to enter the names of users who can approve project site
creation requests.
- For this example, we’ve given the user “Tester- KietLam” permission to approve
project site creation requests on
the site.
3. Create a workflow button
- To create your own buttons for the Project Creation Request workflow
the approval process, begin going
to the Site Settings. - Under
Workflow Start Feature, click the Activate button.
- Go
to the Workflow Configuration List
and create a new item. Enter the
relevant data for your button and click Save.
- When
you start your workflow (steps listed below), you will see the button that you
created.
4. Start workflow
- To begin, create an item on the Project Creation Request list. After
creating the item, you can submit the request navigating to List Tools > Items and selecting the Submit
request for approval button from the Ribbon.
- After you have clicked the Submit request for approval button, Workflow Conductor will open. Click the Start Workflow button.
- The project site you requested will now have its
status listed as Submitted.
- The designated approver will receive a
notification email much like the one below.
The email will contain a link to the Project Creation Request item, as well as a link to the approval
form.
- The approver can either click Approve or Reject for the item:
- If the approver presses Reject,
the approval process will end and the project site will not be created. - If the approver presses Approve, the workflow will create the project site automatically,
based on the information that the requester has inputted into the request.
- If the approver presses Reject,
- A notification email will be sent to the requester with the status
is ‘Approved’ or ‘Rejected’.
- Additionally, Workflow Conductor will send an automated email to the requester containing
the URL for the newly created project site.
For more on associating PM Central and Workflow Conductor on SharePoint 2013, check out Part 2 of our series: How to Use Workflow on the Project Site