Using the Workflow Overview Window
This page describes using the Workflow Overview window. Please click the following links for details about:
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The Workflow Overview window is divided into two parts:
- The header area contains a number of fields that you can use to specify more precisely what information will be shown in the main part of the window.
- The main part of the window will contain a number of columns listing records of various types from the Activity, Quotation, Sales Order and/or Kitchen Order registers. The number and content of these columns will be determined by the Company Workflow Overview and User Workflow Overview settings.
Header Fields
When you open the Workflow Overview, every qualifying record will be displayed. If necessary, you can use the fields in the header area to reduce the number of records shown in each column by specifying more precisely the records that you want to see.
- Person
- Paste Special
Persons and Global Users
- Specifying a Person's Signature in this field will have two effects.
- First, you will only shown records belonging to the specified Person. For example, a column displaying Quotations will only display Quotations with the specified Person as Salesman, while a column displaying Activities will only display Activities that have the specified Person in their Persons or Cc fields.
- If you are using the Limited Access feature, the Sales Orders and Quotations columns will follow the configuration of that feature. For example, if your Person record only allows you to see records belonging to other Persons in your Sales Group, entering the Signature of another Person will mean that no Sales Orders or Quotations will be displayed. Please click here for more details about the Limited Access module.
- The second effect of specifying a Person is that the columns displayed in the Workflow Overview will change to those specified in that Person's record in the User Workflow Overview setting, if there is one.
- View
- Paste Special
Choices of possible entries
- You can configure the Workflow Overview so that it can display different sets of columns. Each set of columns is known as a "View". Use the View field to change between Views.
- For example, a View with the Name "SALES" might display Quotations and Activities with the Activity Type for Customer Meetings, while a View named "FINANCE" might display Activities with the Activity Types for Debt Collection and Expense Approvals.
- The 'Paste Special' list will contain your own Views. If you have a record in the User Workflow Overview setting, your own Views will be the ones listed in that record. If you do not have such a record, they will be the Views listed in the Company Workflow Overview setting.
- Period
- Paste Special
Reporting Periods setting, System module
If you need records from a particular period to be listed in each column, specify that period here.
- Customer
- Paste Special
Customers in Contact register
- If you need records relating to a particular Customer to be listed in each column, specify that Customer here.
- Currency
- Paste Special
Currency register, System module
- By default, all figures shown in the Workflow Overview will be in Currency. For example, the value of a Quotation issued in USD will be shown in USD, while the value of a Quotation issued in GBP will be shown in GBP. If you need all figures to be converted to and displayed in a particular Currency, specify that Currency here.
- Sales Group
- Paste Special
Sales Groups setting, System module
- If you need records belonging to Persons assigned to a particular Sales Group to be listed in each column, specify that Sales Group here. This only applies to columns displaying Quotations and Sales Orders.
- [New Quotation]
- Click this button to create a new Quotation.
- The Quotation Class in the new Quotation will be taken from the first row in the Company Workflow Overview setting in which the Register is "Quotations".
- [New Activity]
- Click this button to create a new Activity.
- The Activity Type in the new Activity will be taken from the first row in the Company Workflow Overview setting in which the Register is "Activities".
- [Task Manager]
- Click this button to open your Task Manager.
- [Week]
- Click this button to open the weekly view of the Calendar for the current week.
Columns
The columns in the Workflow Overview can contain records from the Activity, Quotation, Sales Order and Kitchen Order registers, chosen as follows:
- Activities
- An Activity will be included in the Workflow Overview if:
- Its Activity Type is one specified in the Company Workflow Overview setting or in the relevant record in the User Workflow Overview setting.
- It has not been marked as Done.
You can use Activities to represent leads and prospects: enter an approximate value of an anticipated sale using the Currency and Amount fields on the 'Time' card. If you do not want such an Activity to appear in the Calendar or Task Manager, set the Task Type (also on the 'Time' card) to "Other".
- Quotations
- A Quotation will be included in the Workflow Overview if:
- Its Quotation Class is one specified in the Company Workflow Overview setting or in the relevant record in the User Workflow Overview setting.
- Its Status is "Open" and it has not been marked as Closed.
- Sales Orders
- A Sales Order will be included in the Workflow Overview if:
- Its Order Class is one specified in the Company Workflow Overview setting or in the relevant record in the User Workflow Overview setting.
- It has not been marked as Closed.
- Kitchen Orders
- Each individual row in a Kitchen Order will be shown separately in the Workflow Overview if:
- The Status in the row is one specified in the Company Workflow Overview setting or in the relevant record in the User Workflow Overview setting.
- The overall Kitchen Order has not been marked as OK.
The Workflow Overview is a tool that you can use to monitor the sales process from initial lead through quotation to eventual sale. Prospects requiring immediate attention will be placed at the top of each column, helping you to focus your attention where it's needed most. A column showing Activities will be sorted by date and then by value, while columns showing Quotations and Sales Orders will be sorted in the date order of the oldest attached Activity and then by value. In addition, Quotations and Sales Orders are also colour-coded as follows:
- The oldest Activity attached to the record (in its Workflow Manager) was due to be done in the past.
- The record has no attached Activities (its Workflow Manager is empty).
- The oldest Activity attached to the record is due to be done today.
- All Activities attached to the record are due to be done in the future.
Working from the Workflow Overview
The Workflow Overview is not merely a monitoring tool. The features that it offers mean that you can also use it as a central control panel in your sales work. Included in these features are the following:
- Creating new Activities and Quotations
- Use the [New Activity] and [New Quotation] buttons in the top right-hand corner of the Workflow Overview to create Activities and Quotations. In each new record, the default Activity Type and Quotation Class will be taken from the first relevant row in the Company Workflow Overview setting.
- Opening records
- Double-click any record in the Workflow Overview to open it in a record window, where you can edit it in the normal way.
- Changing Activity Type, Quotation Class and Order Class
- If you have more than one column displaying records from the same register, you can drag records between those columns. For example, if you have different Quotation Classes representing different stages in the quotation process, you can drag a Quotation from one column to the next as the sale proceeds. As you do so, the Class of the Quotation will be updated automatically.
- Creating Quotations and Orders from Activities
- If you drag an Activity into a column containing Quotations or Orders, a new Quotation or Order window will open, where you can enter the details straightaway.
- Creating Orders from Quotations
- If you drag a Quotation into a column containing Orders, a new Order will be created immediately. The Status of the Quotation will be changed to "Accepted", removing it from the Workflow Overview. The Class of the new Order will depend on the Transfer Quotation Class to Order option in the Order Settings setting in the Sales Orders module. If you are using this option, the Quotation Class will be copied to the Order Class field in the Order. Otherwise, the Order Class will be determined by the column to which you drag the Quotation.
Kitchen Orders in the Workflow Overview
In a restaurant, you can use the Workflow Overview to monitor the progress of each Kitchen Order Item, and you can use it as a central control panel to progress each Kitchen Order Item through your system.
For example, you might have different Statuses for Ordered, In Progress and Ready shown in separate columns in the Workflow Overview. You can drag Kitchen Order Items from one column to the next as they progress through the system. The Status of the last column ("Ready" in this example) should be the Finished Dish Status specified in the Restaurant Settings setting in the Restaurant module. When you have moved every Item on a Kitchen Order to this column, the Kitchen Order will be marked as OK automatically. This will cause it to be removed from the Workflow Overview.
Kitchen Order Items will be listed in time order, with the earliest at the top. They will also be colour-coded as follows:
- The Kitchen Order was placed less than five minutes ago.
- The Kitchen Order was placed between five and ten minutes ago.
- The Kitchen Order was placed more than ten minutes ago.
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