Concept. Workflow

A workflow management system is a computer system that manages and defines a series of tasks within an organization to produce a final outcome.

Workflow management systems allow the user to define different workflows for different types of jobs or processes. For example, in a manufacturing setting, a design document might be automatically routed from designer to a technical director to the production engineer. At each stage in the workflow, one individual or group is responsible for a specific task. Once the task is complete, the workflow software ensures that the individuals responsible for the next task are notified and receive the data they need to execute their stage of the process. Workflow management systems also automate redundant tasks and ensure that uncompleted tasks are followed up.

Extract from Wikipedia

Who, What & When

Specification Flow is a feature in DriveWorks that gives you the ability to fully customize the DriveWorks specification process (workflow).

By default a project in DriveWorks is created with a default specification flow which guides a specification through four basic states – Running (i.e. the user is filling out forms in the specification), Saved, Pending, and Completed.

Each one of these states has links to certain other states which the end-user uses to move from one state to another. For example, a specification in the Saved state can be moved into the Running state, and a specification in the Running state can be moved into the Pending state (by clicking Finish), or the Completed state (by clicking Release). These links between states are called Transitions.

Each state also has certain operations that can be performed on it, but which do not move to another state, for example, a specification can be deleted, or copied.

DriveWorks provides the ability to add and remove any states, transitions, and operations, so that you can setup the specification process to work effectively for your product.

Example Uses

There are lots of reasons why you may want to look at customizing your specification flow, here are a few examples.

• You may have a quoting process which involves generating a general-assembly drawing – all before releasing to manufacture and before the full manufacturing information is generated.
• You may have additional requirements during the specification process such as copying a document to another machine which otherwise would involve complicated macros.
• You may simply want to change the text that is displayed on the “Finish” button to be something like “Quote”

You can read more about DriveWorks Specification Flow in the DriveWorks Pro Online Documentation