SharePoint User Group UK

Hi

I need some help with something.  I have developed an approval workflow for my web content management system.  The problem is when one of my users rejects the item at some stage the flow continues in the same direction to the next user. 

I need my system to return the task to the last user who assigned the task. 

I hope someone can help urgently.  Thanks, Mark

Mark,

What have you developed your workflow in? SPD or VS2005/8?

It sounds like your using a Sequential workflow, in which case it is doing what it should do. If you want the ability to move backwards in your workflow, then I'm afraid you need to be looking at the rather more complex state machine. (This is only available through VS2005/8 development.)

Paul.

Thanks for reply.

We are using out of box workflows provided by moss2007 and not created in SPD or VS2005/8.

Please let me know if this functionality can be achieved form out of box workflows.

Thanks again

Mark

I've not used web publishing workflows before so I'm just working on my workflow knowledge, but the quick answer I think is no, you won't be able to make an OOB workflow move backwards as they are sequentially based.

If you're looking for a solution where User A uploads a document, User B gets the approval, approves it, User C then gets an approval task, refuses it and the task for User B gets recreated, then you're going to have to develop a custom State Machine workflow.

Paul.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for reply.

Say workflow has sequence A -> B -> C

Now if  B rejects in between it should come back to A rather than going to C.

(Currently if B rejects workflow is terminated)

Just want to ensure that i am not missing any setting.

Having worked on multiple content management products, I think this is very normal requirement and moss 2007should have handled it.

In this case, SharePoint is performing in the manner that a sequential workflow should. Once the task has passed Approver A, the workflow shifts to Approver B. If B rejects, the workflow has no mechanism out of the box to create a new task for approver A, so the workflow ends and the originating user is informed that there item was no approved. (Or focus moves to Approver C in case you're using majority approval.)

If you actually want to track the state of an item, thus permitting multiple approvers and multiple steps, then a state machine workflow is the only way to go as this is the only type in SharePoint that will support backards flow through the process.

Paul.

Hi Mark,

On the approval screen users can approve or reject content and provide comments.  Down the bottom of the page there is a "request a change" and "re-assign" the task.  You could use the "request a change" which will go to the person who submitted the doc / content for approval.  Re-assign is commonly used when the person can't approve the content, but feels someone else is better suited to perform the approval.

Some user training should make this a workable solution.

Dave

Dave,

Just for my own knowledge, how does the request a change function work? Does it just create an additional task for the originating user? or does it stop the other tasks until the change is complete? And is the underlying OOB workflow sequential or state machine?

Paul.

Hi Dave,

When I click the 'request a change' link at bottom new page appears with desired option but when i click 'ok' i get error saying 'task update was not accepted'.

(This is when 'A' approves document and passes it to 'B' and 'B' clicks 'request a change')

Thanks for all your help..

i could sort out this problem aftre small permission issue.

Cheers,

suyog