MOSS WorkflowsWorkflow Technologies Overview

November 15, 2007Sogeti USA

Agenda

• About Sogeti• Workflow Overview• MOSS Workflow Technologies Overview

>MOSS Out of the Box Workflows>SharePoint Workflow Designer>Windows Workflow Foundation>K2 Black Pearl

• Question and Answer Session• SWAG

Agenda

Sogeti’s MOSS Qualifications

• Number of MOSS engagements>175+ nationally>17 MS certified MOSS consultants

• Scope of engagements>Quick POC’s to global, $MM projects>Migrations, Upgrades, Intranets,

Extranets, Internet presence, application development, BPIO, etc.

>Currently leading 2nd largest MOSS deployment in the world (global pharma)

Workflow – Overview

• Wikipedia>A workflow is a reliably repeatable

pattern of activity enabled by a systematic organization of resources, defined roles and mass, energy and information flows, into a work process that can be documented and learned...blah, blah, blah

• Sogetipedia>Automation of a business process (BP)>A. K. A.: Business Process Management

(BPM)

Workflow – Why it matters

• Ability to Improve Business Processes>Most BPs are manual or require human

interactions -not efficient, less reliable>BPs often lack visibility>Lack of escalation>Most BPs are not clearly defined

• Good Opportunities to Leverage Workflow>Better and more robust tools available>Necessary infrastructure exists>Increased integration

Workflow – Integration with MS

• Outlook>Receive Notifications and Tasks

• Word, Power Point, Excel, IP>Start and Participate in Workflows

• SharePoint Designer>Create and Customize Workflows

• MOSS>Start, Participate, Customize and Track

Workflows

MOSS Workflow Technologies Overview

Rob

ustn

ess

Complexity

Workflow – Out of the Box Workflows

• Out of the box workflows>Approval, Collect Feedback, Collect

Signatures, Disposition Approval, Group Approval, Translation Management, Three State (issue tracking)

Workflow - Out of the Box Workflows (cont)

SharePoint Designer Workflows - Overview

• Wizard-based approach• No coding web designers• Out of the box workflows

>Building blocks>Events>Actions (parallel/serial)>Conditions

• Output: XOML file

SharePoint Designer Workflows – Features

• Sounds great, but…>Workflow is data-bound at design time>Can’t author against a content type>No step-by-step debugging>Only sequential workflows>No cross site interaction between lists

• So when do I use it?>You’re not a developer>Need to create a less complex WF for an

application for a site>Basically, when it makes sense to

SharePoint Workflow Designer – Demo

User goes to MOSS site

User fills out PTO eForm

Item assigned to Boss

Email alert sent to Boss

Email notification of denied request

Email notification of approved request

HR Email Notification

Store in HR PTO lib

rary

Set appropria

te policies on

item

Approved

Denied

♠Sogeti

Windows Workflow Foundation - Overview

• Overview>Microsoft .NET 3.0

technology >Define, create, execute and

manage workflows>Supported by set of VS 2005

extensions• Visual workflow designer

enables workflow design, debugging and compiling

Windows Workflow Foundation – Design Requirements

• Design Requirements> Windows SharePoint Services 3.0> VS 2005, with VS 2005 Extensions for Windows

Workflow Foundation> Enterprise Enterprise Content Management (ECM)

Starter Kit

Windows Workflow Foundation - Features

• WF Advantages>Extremely robust, complete control over

solution>Free if you already have VS 2005

• WF Disadvantages>Complicated configuration steps,

especially in regards to deployment>Learning curve very steep>Developer needs to be involved every

time the workflow changes>Even simple workflows take significant

time to develop

Windows Workflow Foundation – How To

• Quick How To>Install all the proper extensions for VS

2005>Open VS and create a WF project>Create and Code the Workflow

Windows Workflow Foundation – How To (cont)

• Quick How To (cont)>Edit multiple configurations in files such

as feature.xml>Deploy workflow as a feature through

stsadm command line utility>Associate Workflow with a MOSS list

K2 .Net Black Pearl - Overview

• Application used to design and create WF workflows

• Empowerment of the Business User

K2 .Net Black Pearl - Features

• K2 Advantages>Create robust workflows quicker and

more efficiently• Wizard driven interoperability

– Site, Library and List, Document Manipulation, List Item, Records Management, Event Process Publishing, User Management, Workflow Integration

> Easy deployment> Multiple Design Tools> Reporting Capabilities

• Standard reports leveraging MS SQL Reporting Services

• K2 Report Designer for custom reporting

K2 .Net Black Pearl – Design Tools

• K2 Studio Designer• K2 Web Designer• Visio

K2 .Net Black Pearl - Features

• K2 Disadvantages>Licenses can be costly

• Implementations can easily cost as much as $40k> Solution still new and sometimes unstable

• Release due 12-2007 which is suppose to fix a large number of bugs

K2 .Net Black Pearl - Demo

User goes to MOSS site

User fills out PTO eForm

Item assigned to Boss

Email alert sent to Boss

Email notification of denied request

Email notification of approved request

HR Email Notification

Store in HR PTO lib

rary

Set appropria

te policies on

item

Approved

Denied

♠Sogeti

Questions

SWAG

• Name some of the MOSS OOB workflows• Name some of the advantages and

disadvantages of using SPD• Name some of the advantages and

disadvantages of WF• Name some of the advantages and

disadvantages of K2• Name the 3 K2 design tools

MOSS WorkflowsWorkflow Technologies Overview

November 15, 2007Sogeti USA