ArcGIS Workflow Manager is a scalable workflow management system that automates and simplifies many aspects of performing and managing GIS and non-GIS work in an organization. It optimizes GIS operations by providing real-time tools for managing people, processes, and products required to complete work. It drives improvements in production efficiency by maintaining standardized, centralized, and repeatable workflows across your organization to reduce errors and inefficiencies and save time.
The most common workflow that Workflow Manager supports is a basic data editing workflow. An example use case is an editor updating spatial or attribute information for a location. A GIS specialist updates a map based on the captured information. Their work is then validated by a quality control (QC) specialist, and if there are any issues, it's sent back to the GIS specialist. This use case illustrates the basic functionality of Workflow Manager. The series of steps needed to complete the task in this scenario is called a workflow, and one instance of a workflow is called a job. Jobs can be associated with specific properties and can be assigned to multiple members or groups in an organization. Steps can perform various tasks, such as opening a map for a GIS specialist or prompting a user to answer a question to route the job in different directions.
Workflow Manager can then extend this type of workflow by sending email notifications at key points of the workflow, managing and cleaning up spatial data versions, running geoprocessing tools to assist in initial site selection, and so on.
Workflow Manager is flexible in how it manages where a workflow occurs and can seamlessly handle all interaction points. For example, work can be performed in the field in a mobile app, data editing can be performed in ArcGIS Pro, and quality control can be performed in the Workflow Manager web app.
The scenario above is just one type of workflow. Organizations can have many types of workflows for business processes, which can include site inspections, land-use planning, document management and approvals, mobile apps, and fully automated workflows. With Workflow Manager, you can improve business processes, data quality, and accuracy; optimize resource allocation; enhance communication; and reduce your organization's production costs.
Functionality
Workflow Manager can be configured to support many types of workflows depending on your organization's needs. The following are examples of some of the many workflows you can create:
- Web-based, user-driven workflows—These types of workflows allow users to interact with jobs in the Workflow Manager web app.
- Desktop-based, user-driven workflows—These types of workflows allow users with a Workflow Manager extension license to interact with jobs in ArcGIS Pro.
- Semiautomated workflows—These types of workflows complement user-driven workflows and allow you to automate portions of your workflows.
- Automated workflows—These types of workflows are available with an ArcGIS Workflow Manager Server Advanced role. This optional role provides improved performance, scalability, and advanced functionality to help you streamline and automate your workflows.
ArcGIS Workflow Manager Server Advanced role
The ArcGIS Workflow Manager Server Advanced role is an optional add-on to an existing Workflow Manager system that provides additional functionality that is specifically focused on automated workflows. The following is a list of functionality that is included with the ArcGIS Workflow Manager Server Advanced role:
- Step scheduling—Steps can be scheduled to run at a specific time. For example, a step can be configured to reconcile and post all data outside of business hours.
- Job scheduling—Jobs can be created on a recurring schedule. For example, a job can be created to monitor an external system for new work orders or for scheduling recurring inspections.
- Creation of jobs using ArcGIS Survey123 webhooks—Jobs can be created using webhooks from a survey that is located on the same Enterprise portal as Workflow Manager Server.
- Creation of jobs using webhooks—You can process information from incoming webhooks to create jobs in Workflow Manager.
- Automatically send web requests using job activities—You can create and configure web requests to be sent automatically when specific job activities are performed.
- Custom output values for the Send Web Request step and Web Request template—Output values can be configured to retrieve tokens for subsequent REST calls, parse the web request response, and use the values to update job properties or guide the workflow. The response can also be saved as a job attachment for future use.
- Extended run times for the Run GP Service and Evaluate Data Quality steps—When a sequence of steps run sequentially and the user token expires before the steps are completed, Workflow Manager Server ensures that they run to completion and that the job’s status is updated appropriately.
Workflow Manager components
In Workflow Manager, several components make up a job. Depending on your duties in your organization, you may only need to use a subset of these components.
Workflow items
Workflow items are single instances of Workflow Manager that allow groups in your organization to perform different types of work. When you use multiple workflow items to separate your organization’s various groups, the unique requirements and work done by one group won’t interfere with the other groups.
Step templates
Step templates are preconfigured steps designed to perform various types of actions when a job is run, such as opening a map, running a tool, asking a question, and so on. Each step template contains a preconfigured name and default values for step properties, options, and styling. When a step template is added to a workflow diagram, it becomes a unique step in the workflow and its default values can be customized as necessary.
Workflow diagrams
A workflow diagram is a visual representation of a business process and consists of individual steps and paths. In Workflow Manager, this is more than a simple flowchart, as each step can be configured with its own type, properties, options, and style, and paths can be configured to perform specific actions after a step is run. For example, a question step prompts you to answer a question, and a mapping step opens a specific map. When a path is followed, it can change the status of the job or change the person to whom a step is assigned. By designing a workflow with different types of steps and paths, an organization can model end-to-end work that crosses multiple departments, locations, and software products.
Job templates
All jobs are created from a job template that is associated with a workflow diagram. The job template contains the default job properties assigned to a job when it's first created, such as the first person to whom it is assigned; the priority and due date; and any additional job properties that were added by your organization.
Jobs
A job is a single unit of work in the Workflow Manager system. In some organizations, a job may be known as a work order or a task. It can be assigned to a person, many people, or a group, and scheduled for completion by a certain date. It includes the workflow steps to complete and the job's details, outlining its scope. It can also contain additional help for completing steps, attachments, the job's location, and associations to spatial data. Many jobs of the same type can be created in the system.
Job locations
Workflow Manager allows work to be associated with a geographic location that can assist with managing and automating your jobs. The job's location can be defined as a point, line, polygon, or as multipart lines and polygons. You can also use a job's location to streamline jobs as follows:
- Visualize jobs on a map and change the color of the locations based on attribute values defined in shared charts to create a visual job status manager.
- Use the boundary of a job's location as an input for a tool, model, or script that runs as a step in a workflow.
- Zoom to a job's location when a map is opened in the Workflow Manager web app.
- Share a job's location with web or mobile apps.
Workflow Manager user interface
The main parts of the Workflow Manager user interface (UI) are the pages, panels, and workflow canvas. Depending on your duties in your organization, you may only need to use a subset of these elements.
Note:
The visibility and functionality of the UI are controlled by user groups, roles, and privileges.
Manage page
The Manage page is used by production managers to create work, monitor and update existing work, and review completed work. It allows organizations to continually monitor and review the status of work.
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
1 | Go to the My Workflow Items page to switch between workflow items. |
2 | Switch between Map & List view, Map view, and List view. |
3 | Expand the Search and Create panels to search for jobs and create jobs using predefined job templates. |
4 | Search for jobs using shared or recent searches. |
5 | Choose filters to narrow your search results. |
6 | Choose grouping options to visualize related jobs on the map. |
7 | Shows the total number of jobs, new jobs, and overdue jobs that match your search criteria and chosen filters. |
8 | Shows shared charts for jobs that match your search criteria and chosen filters. The charts also allow you to visualize jobs in the Map view and change the color of job locations based on attribute values defined in the charts. |
9 | Expand the Details panel to show more information about the chosen job, show the job's location on a map, and show the job's current step in the workflow diagram. You can also edit job properties and manage job attachments in this panel. The name of the Details panel reflects the name of the chosen job. |
10 | Map controls allow you to zoom in, zoom out, zoom to all, change the base map, and manage layers. |
11 | The Map view allows you to visualize jobs that contain a defined location on a map. |
12 | Handles allow you to resize areas of a view by dragging. |
13 | Turn map labels on or off. |
14 | The List view contains jobs that match your search criteria and chosen filters. |
15 | The Notification Center notifies you when a workflow item upgrade is available. |
Work page
On the Work page, you can search for and complete work on jobs. The following are some common tasks that can also be done on the Work page:
- Jobs can be created by individuals inside and outside of the organization.
- Web apps can be opened to edit or review edits made to web maps.
- Job properties can be managed, and jobs can be approved by a workflow administrator.
- Attachments, such as construction drawings, can be added to jobs.
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
1 | Go to the My Workflow Items page to switch between workflow items. |
2 | Expand the Create panel to create jobs using predefined job templates. |
3 | Search for jobs using predefined searches or custom search terms. |
4 | Expand the Details panel to show more information about the chosen job, show the job's location on a map, and show the job's current step in the workflow diagram. You can also edit job properties and manage job attachments in this panel. The name of the Details panel reflects the name of the chosen job. |
5 | Choose filters to narrow your search results. |
6 | Shows a list of jobs that match your search criteria and chosen filters. |
7 | Interact with the jobs and perform your assigned steps. The job tile appears when you start a step. |
8 | The Notification Center notifies you when a workflow item upgrade is available. |
Design page
The Design page is used by workflow item administrators to create and manage workflow diagrams and job templates and to configure system settings.
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
1 | Go to the My Workflow Items page to switch between workflow items. |
2 | Create and manage workflow diagrams. |
3 | Create and manage job templates. |
4 | Manage templates and lookup tables for status types and priorities. |
5 | Review log messages. |
6 | Manage workflow item settings and users. |
7 | Switch between the active and draft workflow diagram. |
8 | Preview the chosen workflow diagram. |
When you click Create New in the Workflow Diagrams panel or a workflow diagram's Edit button on the Design page, the workflow diagram editing page appears and contains the following elements:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
1 | Go to the My Workflow Items page to switch between workflow items. |
2 | Choose from a list of predefined step templates that perform specific functions when run as part of a job. |
3 | Create and edit workflow diagrams using a drag-and-drop interface. |
4 | Manage workflow diagram settings, step details, and paths. The panel name and options depend on the item chosen in the workflow canvas. |