Edit1 What are Workflows?
A workflow defines a business process that is used to perform tasks as a series of steps. Each workflow consists of a collection of states and transitions that describe the steps tasks must follow. A task is a unit of work that follows the business process defined by a workflow. Tasks transition from one state to another in the workflow. At any given time, a task is in one and only one state in the workflow; this state is commonly referred to as the task’s current state. The current state of a task describes the work currently being performed to accomplish the task.
At its simplest, the workflow says what state a current task can go to, based on the state the task is currently in.
Key terms related to Workflows:
- Workflow – A collection of states and transitions (activities) that define a business process.
- Task – A unit of work that follows the business process defined by a workflow.
- State – A step in a workflow that tasks can be in. A state typically represents an activity that must be performed in order to complete the task.
- Current State – Position of a task in its workflow. Reflects the activities currently being performed by the person or resource assigned to the task.
- Execute Workflow – The process of applying a workflow to an issue, which executes the initialization actions of the workflow.
- Transition – A path from one workflow state to another.
- Execute Transition – The process of moving a task from one workflow state to another through a transition.
Edit2 Workflow States and Transitions
A workflow state defines a step in a business process. A workflow transition is a path for moving a task from one state to another. Each workflow state can have any number of transitions that enter and exit that state. Each state has a name that is unique within the workflow to which it belongs. Each transition also has a name that must be unique to the state from which it starts.
The workflow diagram consists of a collection of blocks that are connected by arrows, where workflow states are represented by the blocks and workflow transitions are represented by the arrows.
 The Workflow Diagram |
Each workflow has one starting state, which is the initial state for all new tasks entering the workflow. The starting state for the workflow pictured above is “Not Started.” A task associated with this workflow with the current state of “Not Started” can be started by executing the “Start” transition, which will change the task’s current state to “Implementing.” Each state in the workflow in the above has only one transition. More complex workflows typically contain states that have multiple transitions.
Edit3 Executing a Workflow
A workflow can be executed against an issue in one of the following ways:
- Right mouse-click on the issue in the Issue Explorer window and select Execute Workflow from the context menu.
- Select the issue by either opening the issue object or by highlighting it in the Issue Explorer window and click the Execute Workflow button on the toolbar.
- Select the issue by either opening the issue object or by highlighting it in the Issue Explorer window and choose Actions|Execute Workflow from the menu.
Once the Execute Workflow dialog appears, select the desired Project and Workflow from the drop-down menus and click OK.
Edit4 Executing a Transition
A Transition defines an available next step for the task. For example, if a task is currently in a State of “Not Started,” a typical transition might be “Start” or “Plan.”
A task transition can be executed in one of the following ways:
- Right mouse-click on the task in the Task Explorer window and select Execute Transition from the context menu.
- Select the task by either opening the task object or by highlighting the task in the Task Explorer window and click the Execute Transition button on the toolbar.
- Select the task by either opening the task object or by highlighting the task in the Task Explorer window and choose Actions|Execute Transition from the menu and select the desired Transition from the context menu.