Module Generator: Status and transitions

Designing the workflow is a central component of a custom module. The workflow defines which steps a form or module element must go through. In the workflow, you restrict editing permissions and configure when Q.wiki should send notifications for specific transitions.

Understanding Statuses and Transitions

For successful workflow management, it's important that you understand statuses and transitions and how they relate to each other:

• Status is the state in which an element exists. Examples are New, Under Review, Visible to Employees, or Approved. Use an adjective or state description for the status name.
• Transitions are actions that a user can perform to move an element from one status to another. Formulate transitions actively as verbs: Submit Request, Confirm Query, or Approve Costs.

Editing Permissions by Status

For each status, you define which users are allowed to edit the page in that status:

• In the form definition, you can specify permissions for each content block in more detail – see Permissions and Visibility.
• If a user doesn't have the editing permission defined for a status, they can only view the page.
• Editing permissions can be configured differently for each status. For example: In the New status, any user can edit a request, but in the Manager Approval status, only the manager and executive management can edit.

Inbound and Outbound Transitions

• Inbound Transitions are automatically determined and displayed based on your configuration.
• Outbound Transitions are shown after you've added them.

Transition Settings

A transition has various settings – see Create and Configure Transitions. The two most important from a process perspective are:

• Permission Rights: Only authorized users see this transition. The right to execute a transition is independent of the editing permission in the target status. These are managed in two separate places and have no connection to each other. It's possible that a user has permission to move an element forward but lacks permission to edit the page afterwards.
• Notifications: Configure which users should be notified when this transition occurs.

Non-Linear Workflows

A workflow doesn't have to be linear. By freely defining transitions between statuses, complex processes and backward steps are possible.