Arbor Workflows: View Workflow Runs

What is the View Workflow Runs area?

Keeping track of workflows is essential for the effective use of Arbor Workflows. When workflows are initiated, all workflow editors, managers and any designated followers can monitor the live progress of the workflow.

Viewing Workflow Runs (previously the Activity page), provides a snapshot of the status of all workflows. You can also perform actions on workflows, ensuring a smooth and efficient process.

View Workflow Runs can be accessed at anytime from the Workflows page, selecting 'View workflow runs' on any workflow you wish to track. 

View workflow runs

View workflow runs will be specific to your organisation and the permissions you hold. Clicking on 'View workflow runs' will land you directly on the related activity for that workflow.

It is important to note here that you will only see the workflow runs that you have access to see. Similarly, if you are part of a school within a MAT or Group, you will only see the workflow runs for your school.

Filtering for Workflows

From the top left-hand corner, you are able to filter your current workflow view. Out of the box, the activity page offers three views: In Progress, Overdue and Complete. 

Arbor Workflows also offers you the ability to use further filtering. You are able to filter your workflows by school, date, status or current step. 

Searching for Workflows

Alongside filtering, you’re now able to quickly search for a workflow record using our search tool. From the top right-hand corner, begin typing to search for a record. We will show you all matching records, allowing you to click immediately on that record. Our search will look through workflow subject labels, alongside the data you have chosen to be stored on Review & Test.

Select the workflow run that you wish to view to open the related page for that workflow run.

You will not see any workflows that have been deleted. These workflow runs will be included in the overall number found under the title, in our example '12 workflow runs', but if 2 of these have been deleted the 'All' would only show 10. 

This is the case for the view of workflow statistics on the MIS. This number shows the historic amount of workflow runs which will include any that have been deleted, such as tests. 

Viewing your workflows: Board + List

By default, activity shows your workflows as a list. This list is ordered by the workflow most recently started.

Our board view provides a more unique way to view all live workflows for a particular workflow. From here, you are able to see the status of all live workflows, viewable by the step they are currently at.

Workflow Dashboard

Now that we've explored how to apply filters and conduct searches, let's delve deeper into the details presented for each workflow.

Check out the example workflow shown below:

Naming the Workflow

Firstly, we see the related job role and new starter's name. This information is entered in the Review & Test area on the Workflow itself and cannot be changed from this view. When the workflow is set to Go Live this is saved contextually against any worklfow run. Take a look at our Making Changes to a Workflow article for more information on publishing a workflow. You are also able to edit the name of the workflow here using the small pen tool.

Headlines

The displayed headlines are also crafted within the editor. These are labels that draw data from various parts of your workflow. For instance, in this case, the staff member's start date are linked from the new starter form they filled out in step one. Furthermore, the line manager is displayed as a headline. The creator holds the ability to edit and modify these headings in the editor whenever needed. Delve deeper with our Publishing a Workflow article.

Workflow Steps

Next, you have the opportunity to observe all the steps within each workflow. When a step is finished, its corresponding circle will turn green and contain a checkmark.

Each behaviour contains a range of progress updates and milestones that provide key information as to the status of your workflow. These are viewable by clicking the down arrow on the step for an expanded view:

Taking Action 

On the whole workflow run

At times, it might be necessary for a user to take action on a workflow. Actions that a user can take depend on their permissions on the workflow.

To take action, you will use the Action button next to the workflow run name, which will provide you with a drop-down menu. Your role within the workflow will control which of these actions can be taken (see below).

From here, you can complete a range of actions:

Unfollow: If you no longer need to see a workflow on your view of workflow runs, you can simply unfollow it. This will not delete or change the workflow in any way; you will simply lose the ability to view its progress (Editors, managers and followers).

Change Organisation: From here, you have the ability to switch the organisation through which a workflow is being processed. For instance, if a new starter initially filled out their form for school A but will be starting at school B, this adjustment is necessary. You can achieve this by utilising the "Change Org" button. This action will also lead to the adjustment of all the dynamic data within the workflow. For example, if there was a "headteacher" role present, it would now correspond to the headteacher from school B rather than school A. To do this action, you need to be an Editor of the workflow.

Mark as Complete: After a workflow is finished, it's automatically marked as complete. However, there might be times when you've manually completed a portion of a workflow outside of workflows and want to reflect this by adjusting the completion status. This feature allows you to achieve that. To do this action, you must be an Editor and Manager of the workflow.

Workflow Step Actions 

You can also take action through the small drop-down menu in the top right-hand corner of each step. This menu gives you step-specific options. Let's dive into what each of these options offers:

Restart this Step: This action will restart the step. This will start the step again, as if it has not been ran. 

Resend Invitation: This action simply sends a reminder to the step’s recipient to action their task. Use this if the staff member has not yet completed a task, and you would like to give them a nudge to remind them. (Editors and Managers)

Reassign Step: You also have the option to reassign a step to someone else if their involvement is required. When you reassign a step, the entire responsibility for that step shifts to the new person. This means that all notifications and emails related to the step will now be sent to them. Essentially, they take over as the point person for that particular step in the workflow. (Editors only)

If the step has already been completed, but you need to rewind the workflow back to a certain point for any reason, you can Rewind to here.

If you need to manually move steps along in your workflow, Progress to Step can help you do this. This will be available on the steps ahead of the current one.