Executing a workflow instance

REQUIREMENTS
Permission	Submission Moderator and higher
Connectivity	Online and offline

This document describes how to execute a workflow instance from an existing workflow template during regular operations.

Background

A workflow links together user-specified tasks into a logical order so that users can repeatedly move through the same steps. See the following documents for more background information on workflows:

• Workflow overview
• Creating a workflow template

Executing a workflow instance involves three main steps:

1. Starting the desired workflow
2. Completing the steps included in the workflow
3. Saving the results of a workflow and sharing them with the InfoEx community

Step-by-step description

Starting the desired workflow

1.

Fig. 1: Workflow menu for starting a new workflow instance. From the WORKFLOWS menu select the workflow you want to execute and click on 'start new'. You need to be a Submission Moderator to have access to this menu item. The system will now load the necessary information for executing the chosen workflow. NOTE It is desirable to have a live internet connection when you initiate a workflow. This allows the system to pre-populate the fields of the Snowpack module, Hazard assessment module and Hazard comment module with the information from the last time a workflow was submitted for the location(s) associated with the chosen workflow. NOTE It is possible to initiate a workflow instance completely offline, but it will be completely empty and you will have to start your assessments completely from scratch.

2.

Fig. 2: Workflow progress After the necessary information has been loaded, the workflow will begin with the first step. The list of workflow steps is presented at the top of the workflow screen below the workflow title.

Completing the steps included in the workflow

1.	Complete the first step of the workflow as described in the relevant workflow module help document. See Workflow modules for more information on the functionality of individual workflow modules.
2.	Fig. 3: Workflow controls To move between steps use forward and backwards arrows in the workflow controls at the top right of the workflow area (Fig. 3). If you have specified that the steps of this workflow template can be completed in any order (see Creating a workflow template for more details), you can also navigate among the steps by clicking on the step labels at the top of the workflow screen below the workflow title. NOTE Once a workflow step has been completed, the workflow step label will be turned into a hyperlink and you can always directly go back to this step by clicking on its label.
3.	At any time during your workflow, you can click on the Discard & Exit button from the workflow controls (Fig. 3) to exit the workflow and delete all of the information that has been entered.
7.	Fig. 4: Workflow menu for continuing an existing workflow instance. If you want to exit the workflow, but save the information that has been entered into the workflow for future use (e.g., a lead guide prepares the workflow for an upcoming guides meeting, click on the Save & Exit button from the workflow controls (Fig. 3). This will save a copy of the workflow execution to your local computer for future use and redirect the user to the report section of the InfoEx application. NOTE The information of a partially completed workflow is only stored on the computer where the workflow was started. This information is 'not stored on the InfoEx server or shared among the computers of the same operation. The continue this particular workflow, click on the WORKFLOWS menu, select the particular workflow template and click on 'resume' (Fig. 4).

Saving the results of a workflow and sharing them with the InfoEx community

1.	Any workflow that includes a workflow module with data submission (click here for list of workflow modules with data entry), automatically has a summary step included at the end of the workflow.
7.	At any time you can select Save & Exit from the workflow controls (see Figure 2) this will save a local copy of the workflow execution to date as well as share the saved information between all enabled local computers within an operation. However, no information will be shared with the infoEx server.
8.	When the Submit button activates by turning blue Submit you may submit all entered information to the infoEx Server NOTE Once information is submitted to the infoEx server it will be deleted from all local computers. You may review previously submitted workflows. See: Viewing previously completed workflows .

Related documents

• Workflow overview
• Executing a workflow instance
• Viewing previously completed workflows

Functionality tested by

• Dec. 31, 2013: Pascal Haegeli