The Processes Pane

The Processes pane shows, on one record, every workflow that has run on it, what it is waiting for, and the processes you can start on it. It is where the people who work a record approve what is waiting, start a manual workflow, and see why a process stopped, without needing Workflow Run History.

Where to find it

Architect Panel → Automation:

Workflow Run History — Processes on this record, in a run's details, opens the record's Processes page
Approvals Inbox — the Processes button on a request's card opens the same page

Admin Panel → Processes:

Approvals Inbox — the same Processes button, for back-office users

Where the pane appears

On a record's screen the pane is a Processes tab; the number in brackets counts what is still open. The tab appears when the record has a workflow run or a pending approval, or when its datastore has an active workflow that is started by hand. The same pane also opens as a page of its own, titled "Processes: " and the record's name, from the buttons above and from the link in a failure alert. The page suits people who do not use the generic record screen, such as ERP users working through their desks.

What the pane shows

Processes on this record: how many runs, how many are in progress and how many failed.
Run a workflow: a list of the active workflows of this datastore that are started by hand, and a Run button.
Waiting for a decision: each pending approval with who it is for and since when, and Approve and Reject… for the person who may decide it.
The runs table: Workflow (with its version, and "(test)" for test runs), Status, Where it is (the step it waits at, or why it failed), Started, and Details. Show older runs pages back.

Starting a workflow on a record

Open the record's Processes tab.
Choose the workflow under Run a workflow.
Press Run. The new run appears in the table.

Starting a process needs permission to edit the record. Without it, the pane only says how many workflows can be run on records like this one by someone who may edit it.

Acting on a run

Press Details to see the run's steps, the way each left, what it is waiting on, and its error. The buttons shown are only those you may use:

Cancel run…: stops the run and withdraws what it waits for. A reason is required.
Retry the failed step…: runs the failed step again, for real.
Retry on version N…: moves the run onto the newest published version and retries there.
Skip 'step'…: on a waiting step marked as skippable; the run carries on as though it had completed. A reason is required.

Who may do what

See the pane: anyone who may read the record. Architects always.
Approve or reject: the person the request names, who must also be able to read the record.
Run a workflow and skip a skippable step: anyone who may edit the record.
Cancel and retry: someone who may edit the record and has back-office (Admin Panel) access.

For ERP records, access follows the person's ERP role for that area and their access to the record's company.

What goes wrong

No Processes tab. Nothing has run on the record, nothing is waiting, and no active manual workflow targets its datastore; or you cannot read the record.
"This record cannot be shown" on the Processes page: the record does not exist or you have no access to it or its company.
Retry is not offered. Only a failed run can be retried, and you need back-office access.

Worked example

A financial controller opens an accounting period's Processes page from a link in the Approvals Inbox. Under Run a workflow they pick the month-end close and press Run. The table shows the run Waiting at the period checks. Two days later a branch has failed because a task datastore field was renamed; an architect fixes and publishes the workflow, and the controller's colleague with back-office access uses Retry on version 4 from the same page.

Recommendations

Use manual workflows for on-request processes, so staff start them from the record.
Mark waits for people as skippable, so a stuck run can be released from the record.
Point people at the Processes page when they ask "what is happening to this record?".
Write reasons for cancels and skips that the next person will understand.