Basic Usage of Process Management
This page describes the procedures to configure Process Management for an app.
Configuring Basic Process Management
This section provides an example of configuring the Process Management setting for the "Purchase Request" app.
The setting is configured in accordance with the workflow, statuses, and process table shown below.
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Workflow:
When goods are purchased, the purchaser applies for the purchase through creating a record in the app. An approver confirms and approves the application.
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Statuses and process table:
- Statuses
Before Applying, Applying, and Approved - Process table
Status Assignee Condition Action Next status Before Applying Created by Apply Applying Applying Approver Approve Approved
- Statuses
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Click the app settings button
at the upper right of the "View" screen, select the App Settings tab, and select Process Management under General Settings.
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In the 1. Enable this Feature section, select the Enable process management check box.
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In the 2. Status Settings section, set the statuses you want to include in the process.
The following three statuses are set in advance: "Not started," "In progress," and "Completed."
You can change the status name. You can also add or delete statuses.
Here, the names of the three statuses are changed to "Before Applying", "Applying", and "Approved" respectively.
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In the 3. Process Flow Settings section, specify the assignee, Conditions to take this action, Action name (Button name), and Status After Action Taken for each Status before taking action in accordance with the process table below.
Process list:Status BeforeTaking Action Assignee Conditions to
Take This ActionAction Name
(Button name)Status After Action Taken
StatusBefore Applying Created by Apply Applying Applying Approver Approve Approved The screen on which the setting is configured in accordance with the process table above:
To select "Approver" as an assignee as in the example above, you first have to add a "User selection" field on the form and name the field "Approver".
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Click Save in the upper left of the screen.
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Click Update App in the upper right of the screen and click OK.
You have successfully configured the Process Management setting.
When you add and save a record in the app, the first status in the process and the button (action) to proceed to the next status are displayed on the "Record Details" screen.
Configuring Process Management Using Conditional Branches
You can direct your process to perform different actions based on the value entered in a field.
For example, you can configure the setting in such a way that, if the value entered in the "Cost" field is $10,000 or more, approval is required, and if not, approval is skipped.
To direct your process to perform different actions, configure the "Conditions to take this action" setting.
Below is an example of how you can configure the setting.
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Statuses:
Before Applying, Applying, and Approved
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Process table 1:
Add a "Number" field (field name: "Cost") and a "User selection" field (field name: "Approver") on the form beforehand.Status Before
Taking ActionAssignee Conditions to take this action Action name
(Button name)Status AfterTaking Action Before Applying Created by The value entered in the "Cost" field is 10000 or more Apply Applying The value entered in the "Cost" field is 9999 or less Apply Approved Applying Approver Approve Approved The screen on which the setting is configured in accordance with the process table 1
Note that if you specify conditions in the "Conditions to take this action" setting, the button to perform the action is not displayed for assignees until the specified condition is met.
For example, in the case where the setting is configured in accordance with the process table shown below, the Approve button is not displayed for the approver until the approval comment is entered even when the status is "Applying."
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Process table 2:
Add a "Number" field (field name: "Cost"), a "User selection" field (field name: "Approver"), and a "Text" field (field name: "Approval comment") on the form beforehand.Status Before
Taking ActionAssignee Conditions to take this action Action name
(Button name)Status After
Taking ActionBefore Applying Created by The value entered in the "Cost" field is 10000 or more Apply Applying The value entered in the "Cost" field is 9999 or less Apply Approved Applying Approver The "Approval comment" field is filled out (not left blank) Approve Approved The screen on which the setting is configured in accordance with the process table 2
Setting Assignees
You can specify assignees for each status. Assignees are users who can perform the action to proceed to the next status.
When you specify assignees, the action button on a record is displayed only for the assignees and not for other users.
When you do not specify assignees, the action button on a record is displayed for all users who can view the record.
The setting options for assignees are different between the first status and subsequent statuses in the process.
Setting an assignee for the first status
Select the assignee for the first status from the options Set to anybody and Created by (the user who created the record).
Setting assignees for the second status and later statuses
To specify assignees for the second status and later statuses in the process, first select a condition for the status of a record to be changed.
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User chooses one assignee from the list to take action:
The assignee of the previous status selects one user from the users specified in the subsequent setting option. The selected user becomes the assignee. When the user performs the action, the status changes.
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All assignees in the list must take action:
All users specified in the subsequent setting option become the assignees. When all the assignees perform the action, the status changes.
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One assignee in the list must take action:
All users specified in the subsequent setting option become the assignees. When any one of the assignees performs the action, the status changes.
After selecting a condition for the status of a record to be changed, set a user or department you want to specify as assignees. Enter a user name or department name in the Add user, group or department input field or select a field from the Add a field of the form drop-down list.
You can specify multiple users and/or departments as assignees.
FAQ
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Is it possible to undo the action and change the status back to the previous one?
No, it is not possible.
You have to go to the Process Management setting and add an action to go back to the previous status.
After that, ask the current assignee to perform the action you have added, or ask the App administrator to change the current assignee to you and perform the action.
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Is it possible to change the status of multiple records at once?
No, it is not possible.
You need to open each record and change its status one by one.
For your reference, if you use a drop-down field to enter the status of records instead of using Process Management, you can change the status of multiple records at once by using the CSV import/export feature.
Exporting Data to a File
Creating/Updating Records in Bulk: Importing a File
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When multiple assignees are specified in the Process Management setting, how will the current assignees be displayed on the Record Details screen?
When multiple assignees are specified in the Process Management setting of an app for which Process Management is enabled, the assignees at the time are displayed at the top of the Record Details screen in the following format: "Assigned to: (User Name) and X more"
Example: "Assigned to: John Jones and 4 more"
Like John Jones in the example above, the screen displays the user name of an assignee who has the smallest user ID among all assignees. The Display Order setting does not affect which user is displayed with his/her user name.
Clicking "and X more" displays the list of assignees in ascending order of their user IDs.
You can check user ID in edit user details screen in Kintone Users & System Administration, on access URL (editUser?id=).
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Even if I add members to a department/group, they are not displayed for existing record that has the department/group as an assignee in the Process Management.
Even if you add new members to a department or group, this change will not be applied to the current assignees of existing records.
Current assignees are determined by the department/group/user setting at the time of the execution of an action.
Note: The change to the setting is applied to the records on which an action is performed after the change and the records added after the change.
If you are an App administrator, you can add assignees from the Change Assignee button located at the top of the Record Details screen.
Procedure:
1. Provided you have the permission to manage apps, open the record whose assignee needs to be changed.
2. Click Change Assignee at the top of the Record Details screen.
3. Add a user you want to add as an assignee and click Assign.
Note: You cannot update multiple assignees at once.