› Workflow › Business processes › Design a basic process › Add an activity › Activity properties › Resource assignment › Assign resources by applying rules

Assign resources by applying rules

Apply rules if resource requirements for an activity are complex.

For example, apply rules if more than one resource is required to review and approve a document. By applying rules, you can group the reviews as a single activity with multiple resources, rather than separate activities with different resources.

You can also apply rules to an entire business process, and not just a single activity. You can assign rules to a Create Subjob activity; a subjob is created for each resource assigned to this activity. See Configure a Create subjob activity for more information.

You cannot apply rules if resources are assigned manually.

  1. On the properties panel of the activity, click the Resource assignment tab.
  2. Select Resourcing for Type.
  3. To set the resources that are required to perform this activity, perform the following steps:
    1. Click Add for Resources.
    2. Select the resources. Resources can be static resources (group, individual, and/or roles), or dynamic resources (process and server variables of String and XML types).

      If the required variable is not available for resources, you can create a new variable directly from the activity properties panel. See Create a process variable while configuring activity properties.

    3. Click Done.
  4. Set the Security level of the activity with 1 being the highest level of security and 10 the lowest. (Default: 10)

    Security levels control which resources can work on an activity. For example, an activity with a security level of 1 can only be completed by a resource whose security level is 1, or an activity with a security level of 3 can only be completed by resources whose security level is 3, 2, or 1. However, an activity with a security level of 10 can be completed by any resource.

    This property is only available for ordinary activities.

  5. Set the Skill level of the activity with 1 being the highest skill level and 10 being the lowest.

    Skill level ensures only the resource with the required skill level is allowed to perform the activity. For more information, see Advanced properties of a resource.

  6. Select Apply rule.
  7. Configure the following rules for completing an activity.
  8. Click Save.

Activity access

You can specify if single or multiple users should work on the activity and the order in which they must complete the activity.

  1. Select one of the options for Activity access. (Default: Concurrent)
    Option Description

    Concurrent

    Permits the specified resources to complete the activity in any order or at the same time. For example, with Invoice Approval, concurrent access is allowed, and everyone can approve or reject at the same time. Capture activities do not support concurrent activity access.

    Single

    Permits the required resources to complete the activity in any order, but only one resource can complete the activity at one time. For example, a legal document can be officially reviewed and updated by only one person at one point in time.

    Sequential

    Permits the selected resources to complete the activity in the order specified. Sequential assignment ensures people do not work on activities unless they are first taken or reviewed by people lower in the organizational hierarchy. For example, a junior manager must approve the loan application before it passes to the senior manager for final sign-off.

    In a Create subjob activity that uses rules, resources must complete the subjobs using either sequential or concurrent activity assignment. Non-concurrent activity access is not available.

    For the Sequential activity access, you can also specify the order in which the resources must complete the activity. Select the resource in the Resources box and then use  to set the order.

  2. Specify the Number of resources required to perform the current activity.
    Option Description

    All

    Requires all assigned resources to complete the activity.

    Static

    The number of resources required to complete the activity. For example, if the number of resources assigned to the activity is 3, a static value of 2 would mean that two out of the three resources assigned to the activity must perform the activity.

    The number of resources required to complete an activity cannot be greater than the number of resources assigned to an activity.

    Dynamic

    A Long or Short variable to hold the value of the number of resources.

    If the required variable is not available, you can create a new variable directly from the activity properties panel. See Create a process variable while configuring activity properties.

  3. To expand group resources and treat each member of the group as an individual resource required to complete the activity, select Expand group resources.

    • The runtime group functionality does not affect the subjob activity.

    • If the group resources are not expanded, not all members are required to complete the activity; any individual within the group resource can take the activity and complete it.

Exclude resources

Click Add for Exclude resources and select the resources to exclude. Resources can be static resources (group, individual, and/or roles), or dynamic resources (process and server variables of String and XML types).

If the required variable is not available, you can create a new variable directly from the activity properties panel. See Create a process variable while configuring activity properties.

  • You can exclude a resource or role from completing an activity. For example, you can assign the Expenses Approval activity to everyone in the Finance group, except for the person (job creator) who submitted the expenses claim.

  • You cannot exclude a resource if it is directly assigned as usable resource.

Use exit condition

Use exit conditions to ensure that people do not work on activities that are already rejected. You can set up an exit condition for an activity so that the activity is complete when either the exit condition is met or all the resource settings are complete. For example, if two resources must approve a loan but either one can reject it, the resource settings require both resources to complete the activity. But the exit condition is set so that the activity can be completed if either resource rejects the loan.

  1. Select Use exit condition to apply the exit condition to an activity.
  2. To create the Exit condition, right-click on the rule editor and select the variables (process variables, server variables, document set). You can use the document set properties (Valid, Comment, Count) in a rule editor only when the document set is turned on. If you try to turn off the document set when the document set properties are used in your process, an error message appears that the document set is in use within the process.

    If the required variable is not available for the exit condition, you can create a new variable directly from the activity properties panel. See Create a process variable while configuring activity properties.

  3. Click Validate to validate the exit condition.

    A message appears to indicate whether the script is valid.

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