Customizing workflows

A workflow guides users through a process and defines the path Helix ALM items follow through their lifecycle, from the time they are created until they are completed and closed. A workflow contains elements to represent the steps in a process, activities performed to move items from one step to another, and valid actions and results for each step.

As team members work on items, they indicate the work completed and move items to the next step in the workflow. All workflow information is tracked in items for historical purposes. The current state of an item in a workflow is displayed as the item status, so all team members understand where it is in your process.

Each item type has a workflow. You can use the default workflows out of the box, customize them, or create new workflows for your process.

Workflow elements

Workflows consist of states, events, and transitions. These elements work together to seamlessly move items through your process.

You can also configure assignment rules to specify how assigned items in specific states are handled.

Default workflows

When you create a new project, a default workflow is included for each item type. You can customize the default workflows for your process or create new workflows. See the following information about each default workflow.

Planning workflows

A carefully analyzed and customized workflow can prevent wasted time, redundancy, and disorganization. Before you customize your workflows, take the time to understand and document your team's business process and rules. This can help you easily determine the states, events, and transitions to use and correctly configure them.

When planning your workflows, consider the following questions:

After you analyze the process, create a list of the states and events you need to add to your workflows, including the fields to include in event dialog boxes to capture information. Then, determine the events that can be added to items in each state.

Configuring workflows

When you complete workflow planning, you can customize the workflows in Helix ALM, which includes:

1. Configuring workflow states

2. Configuring workflow events

3. Configuring workflow transitions

4. Configuring workflow assignment rules

As you make changes to a workflow, evaluate it to check for any potential problems. See Evaluating workflows. Take the time to resolve any problems to make sure the workflow is configured correctly. See Resolving workflow problems. You can also view a diagram of a workflow for a graphical representation of the states, events, and transitions and how they are related. See Diagramming workflows.

Automating workflows

You may also want to enhance and automate your workflows using automation rules. You can configure:

See Automating Helix ALM.