How to Associate PM Central and Workflow Conductor on SharePoint 2013, Part 1: How to Use Workflow on the Top Site

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.”
  • 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.
  • 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

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