Workflow in One Sentence

Successful workflow management means providing employees with the right

tasks and the respective information at the right time.
In the SAP business workflow, the four process dimensions

Organizational structure (Who?)

Process structure (When? In what order? Under what circumstances?)
Function (What?)
Information (With which data?)

are combined to allow business processes to be carried out as efficiently as possible.

The process to be displayed as workflow is stored in the system in parameters using a graphic
definition tool. During the process the workflow manager - and hence the system - performs all
the tasks that were worked out when the process was defined. As a result, the user is relieved of
any avoidable organizational tasks and can concentrate on the aspects of his or her actual work.
The SAP Business Workflow supports processes of your company within an SAP system. It also
supports the communication between business processes operated on different systems.
The SAP Business Workflow provides the end user with all information required to perform the next
step.
SAP provides standard workflow templates in order to depict business processes. You can customize
these SAP workflow templates or create your own.

Workflow Management Architecture

In short, workflow means getting the right work to the right employee at the right time.

The SAP Business Workflow is structured in three layers. This modularization of the components
involved is the basis for a high degree of flexibility.
The right work: Whatever you wish to perform during the workflow: it must be implemented
in the Business Object Repository as a method of a business object type.
At the right point of time: The process level describes the business process in a sequence of
individual steps. The workflow definition is the total of all steps put together. Individual steps can
refer to methods of the BOR (Business Object Rep.), but they can also be used to control the
process, i.e. to, for example, enable loop-type processing, query conditions, provide values in the
interface (= container). Workflow Builder is the tool used for the maintenance of the process level.
To the right processor: The organizational level establishes a link to the organizational
structure.
There is a group of potential processors available for each task which is able to be performed as part of the workflow
This group can be restricted by specifications on the processor in the workflow step. The selected processors receive a
work item at their business workplace during the runtime. The corresponding method of the business object type is
started once the work item is performed.

Workflow

Workflows are usually initiated by a triggering event. Events are used to display the changes in
status of objects within the system. Like methods, they are defined in the object repository for each
object type. Events are initiated in the respective applications.
Example: The workflow for account assignment approval (WS0100000) is started by triggering the
marking for organizational change event when saving a parked document with the specification of a measure.
Work items represent single-step tasks during runtime. They are sent to the responsible processors
by the workflow manager.
Whenever a processor accepts a work item in order to process it, the work item disappears from the
inboxes of the other processors.
Whenever a work item is processed, the corresponding object method is called up.
For every business step, ask yourself:

What work has to be done?

You consequently know which object type and method you require.

With dialog steps: Who is carrying out the work?

You consequently know which processors are responsible.

What text is supposed to be displayed at the workplace of the person receiving the work item?

This text is treated as a task when creating the step. Store your answers in the design.
Tasks represent steps of the business process. The process to be shown must be divided into individual
tasks during the definition. The definition of the workflow determines the tasks and the order in which
they are to be carried in the process. Tasks refer precisely to one object type of the business object
repositories and to exactly one of their methods defined there. In exceptional cases a business process may
only have one task. A workflow definition should be created even in these cases, however. Tasks are
represented by work items during the runtime of the workflow. The work items appear in the inbox of
the receiver.

Task Definition: Possible Processors

Each task must be assigned possible processors. This is the group of

employees at your company, who come into question for carrying out the respective
task.

Workflow Steps and Responsible Processors