Basic Usage of Process Management

This page describes the way to set the Process Management in your app.
Set the Process Management based on the example workflow, statuses, and list of processes described below.

  • Workflow: Example workflow

  • Statuses and list of processes

    • Status
      Before request, Requesting, Approved
    • Process list
      Status Assignee Conditions Action Next Status:
      Before request Created by Make request Requesting
      Requesting Approver Approve Approved

Setting a Basic Process Management

This section describes the way to set the above Process Management, using an example of a purchase request app.

  1. Open the app settings page.
    Opening App Settings Page

  2. Click the "App Settings" tab.

  3. Under "General Settings", click Process Management. Setting Process Management

  4. In "1. Enable this Feature", select the "Enable process management" check box. Enabling the Process Management

  5. In "2. Status Settings", set the required statuses.
    The preset statuses are "Not started", "In progress", and "Completed".
    You can change status texts. You can also add or delete statuses.
    In this example change the statuses to "Before request", "Requesting", and "Approved".
    Setting statuses

  6. Based on the process list, in "3. Process Flow Settings", set the "Status before taking action", Assignee, "Conditions to take this action", "Action name (Button name)", and "Status After Action Taken" in combination.

    Status Before Taking
    Action    		 Assignee Conditions to
    Take This Action    		 Action Name
    (Button Name)    		 Status After Action Taken
    Status
    Before request Created by Make request Requesting
    Requesting Approver Approve Approved

    Setting Process Management For example, when setting an approver as an Assignee using the "Add a field for selection" function, add an "User selection" field in the form, and specify "Approver" as the field name.
    Setting Process Management For details on branch criteria settings, see the "Setting Process Management Using Branch Criteria" section in this page.

    For details on assignee settings, see the "Setting Assignees" section in this page.

  7. Click Save on the upper left side of the screen. Save the setting

  8. Click Update App on the upper right side of the screen, and click OK. Image Now the Process Management is set. If you add a record and save it, the initial status and the button (action) to move to the next status are displayed.
    Image

Setting Process Management Using Branch Criteria

You can set branch criteria using field values.

For example, you can create a workflow using the branch criteria shown below.
Change the action depending on the condition

Shown below are statuses and list of processes.

  • Status
    Before request, Requesting, Approved
  • Process list
    Status Before Taking
    Action    		 Assignee Conditions to Take This Action Action Name
    (Button Name)    		 Status After Taking
    Action
    Before request Created by Price exceeds or equals to one hundred thousand yen Requesting Make request
    Price falls below one hundred thousand yen Approved Make request
    Requesting Approver Approved Approve

Shown below is the completed Process Management setting. Branch Criteria settings screen

Setting Assignees

You can set assignee for each status.
There are several patterns for setting assignees.

You must specify different assignees for the initial status and for other statuses.

  • For the initial status, you can either select the "Set to anybody" option or the "Created by" option for the Assignee.
    Setting the Assignee
  • For other statuses, you can select the "User, Group, or Department" option or the "Fields" option for the Assignee.
    Setting the Assignee

You can specify multiple users or departments for the Assignee. When there are multiple assignees for one status, select one of them as the Assignee.
Multiple assignees

  • User selects one assignee from the list to take action: When taking an action in the previous status, select one assignee from the list.
  • All assignees in the list must take action: All the users specified become assignees. It requires that all of them take the action to proceed.
  • One assignee in the list must take action: All the users specified become assignees. It requires that one of them takes the action to proceed.

Q&A

  • Can I undo the status of the Process Management?
    No, you cannot.
    In the Process Management setting, configure an action to go back to previous status.
    Then, ask current assignee to revert the operation, or let App administrator take back the operation after changing "Current Assignees".
    Setting up process management

  • Can I change all the status of multiple records at a time?
    No.
    You need to open each record and change its status one by one.
    However, if you choose to enter record status with drop-down fields, instead of Process Management, you can use CSV export/import feature to change all statuses at once.
    Exporting Data to a File
    Create/Update Records in Bulk: Importing a File

  • When multiple assignees are specified in the Process Management, in what form the Current Assignees is displayed in the record details screen?
    If multiple assignees are specified in the App with Process Management enabled, "Current Assignees: (User Name) and X more" is displayed at the top of record details screen.

    e.g. Current Assignees: John Jones and 4 more

    An assignee who has the smallest User ID among all assignees is displayed with full name (John Jones in above example). The "Display Order" has no effect.
    If you click "and X more", a list of users appears in ascending order based on User ID.
    You can check user ID in edit user details screen in Kintone Users & System Administration, on access URL (editUser?id=).

  • 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 members to a department or a group, it will not be reflected to "Current Assignees" of existing records.
    For "Current Assignees", the department/group/user setting at the time when an action was performed is applied.
    * The setting will be applied to the records with actions performed and the newly created records, after members are added to the department/group.

    If you are an App administrator, you can add assignees in "Change Assignee" at the top of record details screen.

    Procedure:
    1. A user with management permission for the App opens a record whose assignee needs to be changed.
    2. Click Change Assignee at the top of record details screen.
    3. Add users and click Assign.

    * You cannot update multiple assignees at one time.