Your organization’s setup may use different field or screen names. Check your configuration report to see how Xeo is set up for your organization.
| Who can do this | You need permission to create and edit Workflow Templates. If you don’t see Workflow Templates in Settings, or the options in this article, ask your Super User to check your permissions. |
| You’ll need | Your organization’s Staff Roles and Service Stages. Every Work Step needs a Staff Role, and every template needs a default Service Stage. |
| Good to know | If an existing template is close to what you need, copying it saves you from rebuilding every step. |
- Go to Settings > Workflow Templates.
- Select Create Template button.
- Choose to Start from scratch.
- In Name, enter a name your team will recognize when they choose a process for a Service. Each template needs its own name.
- In Description, enter what the process is for and when to use it. This is optional.
- Select Create Template
Result: The new template opens with one version, Version 1, in Draft status. It has no Service item or Work Steps yet.
- Go to Settings > Workflow Templates.
- Select Create Template.
- Choose Copy existing.
- Review the list of templates you can copy. To see a template’s Work Steps before you choose, select its arrow.
- Select the template you want to copy.
- Select Create Template.
Result: Xeo creates a new template named “Copy of” plus the original name. Its Version 1 draft includes the original description, version description, default Service Stage, and every Work Step and prerequisite. You can change any of these before you publish, and you can rename the template in Name on the Details tab. The original template isn’t changed.
- On the new template, go to the Details tab.
- In Default Service Stage, choose the stage a new Service starts in before any of its work is done, such as a planning stage. This field is required. As your team completes Work Steps, Xeo moves the Service to each step’s stage.
- Select Save.
Link the template to the Service Items in your organization’s catalog that could use this process. You can publish the template without linking any, but no one can choose the template for a Service until it’s linked.
- Go to the Service Items tab.
- Select Incompatible. A new template has no Service Items linked yet, so all of your organization’s Service Items appear in this list.
- Find the Service Item you want. You can use Search to narrow the list.
- Select the checkbox in the Compatible column. The Service Item automatically moves to the Compatible list.
- Repeat for each Service Item that should use this process.
Result: Select Compatible to see every Service Item linked to this template. Once a version is published, the template appears as an option when someone creates a Service from one of these Service Items.
To remove a Service Item, select Compatible, then clear the checkbox for that Service Item. It moves back to the Incompatible list.
You can change compatible Service Items any time, even after the template is published. Services already using the template aren’t affected
- Go to the Work Steps tab.
- Select Add Step. The Step information panel opens.
- In Step Name, enter a short name for this piece of work. This field is required.
- In Description, you can add what the step involves for the person doing it.
- In Estimated Hours, enter how long the step is expected to take. In % Complete, enter how complete the Service is once this step is done. For example, a final review step might be 90%. Both are optional.
- In Staff Role, choose the role expected to complete this step. This field is required.
- Under Work Item Type, choose Execution for work your team performs, or Acceptance for a review or approval step. Execution is selected by default.
- In Required to complete, you can choose the Service Stage the Service stays in until this step is complete. Then select Save.
Result: The step appears in the Work Steps list, numbered in order. Repeat these steps for each step in the process. To control when a step can start or be marked complete, select Start Gate or Completion Gate on that step. See Set prerequisites for a Work Step.
You can change Work Steps any time the version is still a draft.
To edit a step, select its name. Change the fields you need in the Step information panel, then select Save.
To reorder steps, drag a step by its handle (⋮⋮) to a new position. The step numbers update to match.
To delete a step, select X at the end of its row, then confirm. Deleting a step also removes any Start Gate or Completion Gate rules that use it, and it can’t be undone
Your template is saved as a draft. Services can’t use it until you publish it. See Publish and update a Workflow Template.
New templates are active, which means they’ll be available for new Services once published.
Work Steps don’t create any work on their own. When a Service uses a published version, Xeo turns each Work Step into a Work Item on that Service.
| Template names must be unique | If the name is already taken, Xeo shows “A workflow template with this name already exists. Enter a different name, then try saving again.” Choose a different name and save again. |
| Drafts can’t be copied | To build a new template from steps that are only in a draft, publish the draft first, then copy it. |
| Only drafts can be edited | Published and Unpublished versions are locked so every Service using them keeps an accurate record of its process. To change one, create a new draft. See Publish and update a Workflow Template. |
| A template can have one draft at a time | If a draft already exists, edit that draft or publish it before starting another. |