Agility BPM™ is a web-enabled business process management tool. It allows knowledge workers and business analysts to automate the business process, including data collection, sequencing, complex routing, navigation and task queue management without programming.  It also supports the orchestration of services provisioned by the SOA Team and/or other IT Teams.

Business processes are designed in a graphical process modeling tool and interpretively executed by the process automation engine.  Data collection windows are defined by business analysts and do not require development support.  The designer is simple to use so a business or IT Analyst can develop the business process, leaving the services and integration work to the SOA Team.

At runtime, Agility BPM™ automates data collection user interfaces and complex processes using a configurable Web 2.0 interface with a full set of controls, formatting, validation, error handling and relational edits.  Business processes can be updated and previous versions can be activated and re-activated on-the-fly.

Configurable work queues allow users to find and manage the active work.  The queues all for Sorting and filtering capabilities to find the processes assigned to them or managed by them. 

These are typically business experts with detailed knowledge of the project who are assigned the “Designer” business role giving them authority to create new workflows using the Agility BPM™ graphical workflow designer.  Each workflow object type is defined and sequenced through simplified “point & click” user interfaces that do not require programming skills.

Users assigned the “Designer” business role will have authority to delete/disable a workflow process.  If there have been process instances ran against the workflow design, then the workflow will be disabled, but maintained in the database for archiving and tracking purposes.  If there are no runtime instances, then the workflow can be deleted.

Agility BPM™ utilizes an interpretive workflow processing engine.  Process changes made to the workflow design can be activated and immediately available for execution.  Users assigned the “Designer” business role will have the authority to add, update or remove activities from the workflow process.
For more complex changes to a workflow process or changes requiring an implementation schedule, Agility BPM™ incorporates an extensive version control process.  Version control allows the staging and implementation of new processes per a user defined scheduled.  Workflow instances in progress can be allowed to complete under the original version of the process or re-started with the new version.

Agility BPM™ implements the concept of role groups called Functional Areas to define the business organization structure as it applies to workflow process.  Functional Areas serve three purposes:

• Users are assigned to Functional Areas and are given business roles they are authorized to perform within the Functional Area.  Business roles include; Administrator/Designer, Manager, Primary worker and Backup worker.
• Functional Areas own workflow process and provide security related to modifying a workflow design and executing workflows based on the roles applied to users assigned to the Functional Area.
• Functional Areas are assigned to workflow tasks to identify the personnel authorized to complete a task.

Functional Areas and assigned users are maintained by Administrators through a tree interface.

Multiple email alert options are available through Agility BPM™.  Individual tasks can be configured to send an email to the user when the task is assigned.  The email will contain an html link directly to the assigned tasked.  Email notifications can be inserted anywhere in the workflow process.  The workflow designer can custom configure the email notification to include data from the current workflow instance and format the email using templates.  Email notifications can also be generated based on reports that identify past due tasks and overdue workflows.

Each workflow task can have instructions associated that are presented to the user when executing the workflow.  The workflow designer also identifies the data to be collected for each task and the rules associated with the data collection.  Examples of data rules include:

• Mandatory data entry.  The task cannot be completed until the data is entered.
• Data validation.  The entered data is evaluated against rules defined by the work flow designer.  Information, Warning & Error messages can be displayed if a validation rule fails.  Error messages will prevent completion of the task.
• Dependency rules.  Rules can be defined by the workflow designer that control how the data collected on a task interrelate.  For example, a value entered in one field can control the optionality and permitted values of other fields.  Fields can also be hidden or made visible depending on data entered.
• Event triggers.  Rules and events can be associated to a data entry field.  These rules are evaluated each time the field value is updated and if the rule is “true” then events (such as; external services, subflows & set rules) are executed.

Users assigned the “Manager” role are allowed to view all tasks within their subordinate Functional Areas and all tasks associated with the users assigned to them.

There are two ways to initiate workflows. First, workflows can be manually initiated by users.  Each user is presented a list of workflows they are authorized to initiate.  Workflows can also be initiated by external programs using services provided by Agility BPM™. 
Agility BPM™ can launch sub-flows from any parent workflow.  Decision logic can be incorporated in the parent workflow that routes the process to the appropriate sub-flow based on work item data. 
Workflows can also be automatically initiated by customer applications using the Agility BPM™ web services.

The workflow designer identifies the Functional Area that is authorized to complete an activity.  Activities can be automatically assigned to users within the Functional Area or the activity can be placed in an unassigned queue where authorized users can select the activity to work. Activities can also be manually assigned by a Manager of the Functional Area to a specific user.

Authorized users will be able to monitor the unassigned queues and identify work that has not been assigned.  By default, the queues will sort the oldest work to the top.  Emails can also be generated that will notify when an item has been in the unassigned queue for a defined number of days or if the item is approaching its due date.

Individual tasks can be configured to send an email to the user when the task is assigned.  The email will contain an html link directly to the assigned task.

Complex rules can be defined and used to control the routing and sequencing of each step in the process as well as the validation of each field on the data collection pages.  Process logic can also be incorporated into the design that prevents the initiation of a task before previous tasks are completed.  The rules can be complex with multiple lines, parenthetical expressions, operators, constants, local and global parameters and many other elements.

Agility BPM™ utilizes an interpretive workflow processing engine.  When a process activity is complete, the workflow design is evaluated and the next task or multiple tasks are executed or assigned to the appropriate user queues or by design, they can be automatically assigned to the same user and opened immediately in sequence.

A configurable work queue is provided for each user.  Sorting and filtering capabilities are provided.  Users can select and manage their work from these queues. 

The workflow designer can define how due dates are assigned for each task.  The dates can be assigned by a custom calculation or based on a fixed number of days as related to the start of the workflow or completion of the last task.  Due dates can also be assigned manually by the Manager when assigning steps.
Managers are able to monitor the work within their Functional Areas and change due dates or reassign work as required to match work schedules.

The workflow designer can custom configure email notifications to include data from the current workflow instance and format the workflow using templates.  The email notifications can be inserted at any point in the workflow process.  The execution of the notification can be controlled through step sequencing and by decision branching.
Email reminders can also be generated based on task due dates.  The reminders can identify upcoming task due dates and tasks that have missed their due date.  Emails can be sent to the user assigned to the task and/or the assigned user’s manager.

Managers of a Functional Area will have access to the work queues of the users assigned to their Functional Areas.  Employee proxies can also be established for personnel that are on leave.  The proxies can be defined for a specific date range.  The proxy will have the same access and authority of the person they are filling in for and the system will report the proxy employee as completing the work during the proxy period.

Users assigned the “Manager” role are allowed to view all tasks within their Functional Areas and all tasks associated with the users assigned to their Functional Areas.  The Manager can reassign work from one user to another user within their Functional Areas.

Agility BPM™ can generate PDF, Word and Excel documents based on pre-defined templates and data collected during the workflow process.  These documents are automatically associated to the workflow.
Documents stored on a file server or document management system can also be associated with a workflow by external workflow services based on rules defined in the workflow designer and data collected in the workflow process.  For example, the workflow instance identifier or a unique document identifier.

All tasks within a workflow process are connected by transition paths.  All processes begin with a “Start” step which identifies the beginning tasks in the process.  As each activity is completed, the workflow design is evaluated and the next task or multiple tasks are executed or assigned to the appropriate user queues.  This process is repeated sequentially for every task in the workflow design.  The workflow is not considered completed until all required tasks have been completed and the final “Stop” step of the process has been reached.

Users assigned the “Manager” role are allowed to view all tasks within their subordinate Functional Areas and all tasks associated with the users assigned to them.  Managers can review the details of the current step and the status of all previously completed steps in the process.  Managers can also complete work the tasks within their subordinate functional areas.

Users assigned the “Manager” role are allowed to view all tasks within their Functional Areas and all tasks associated with the users assigned to their Functional Areas.  Functional Areas can be defined in a tiered architecture of parent and child Functional Areas.  A manager of a Parent Functional Area also has management functions for all child areas.  By assigning managers at the appropriate levels in the hierarchy and using the search and filter capabilities of the Manager’s queue, specific groups of work items can be monitored.

Managers can filter the work queue and see all overdue items within their Functional Areas.  Reports and email notifications can also be generated identifying overdue items within their Functional Areas.