Checklist for Launching a Workflow Schedule

Launch Checklist

Use this checklist as a quick reference before confirming a workflow schedule. Each item links to a section later in this article that explains the step in more detail. 

Before a schedule is launched, verify the following: 

• Confirm all candidates and reviewers have active Faculty Success accounts and appropriate permissions. See Verify User Accounts and Permissions.
• Confirm candidate appointment data (such as College, Department, and Faculty Rank)is accurate in the most recent Yearly Data record. See Validate Candidate Appointment Data.
• If appointment data was recently updated, wait at least 15 minutes before confirming the schedule to allow Workflow caching to complete. See Allowing Time for Workflow Caching after Appointment Changes.
• Verify the workflow template includes the correct steps, order, and branching configuration. See Template Configuration.
• Confirm step forms contain the correct fields, instructions, and security settings. See Step Form Setup.
• Verify role groups contain the correct reviewers and align with candidate appointments. See Role Groups.
• Review workflow schedule settings, including due dates, communications, candidate selection, and report configuration. See Schedule Settings.
• If your institution requires reviewers for each Joint Appointment, confirm the setting is enabled before launching the schedule.

Review the sections below for detailed instructions on validating candidate data, configuring workflow templates, and reviewing schedule settings.

Overview

The Reviews, Promotion, and Tenure (RPT) module, also known as the Workflow module, routes candidate submissions through configured review steps. Candidate appointment data and workflow configuration determine how submissions move through the review process.

Before confirming a workflow schedule, administrators should validate candidate data, reviewer assignments, and workflow configuration to ensure submissions launch and route correctly.

This article helps ensure that:

• Candidate data is accurate and complete.
• Reviewer assignments are correct.
• Workflow configuration and schedule settings are accurate.

Completing the validation steps typically requires two administrative roles:

• Faculty Success Administrator: Responsible for validating institutional and candidate data. SeeHow to Add or Remove a Faculty Success Administrator.
• Workflow Administrator: Responsible for configuring workflow templates, schedules, and role groups. SeeWorkflow Administrators.

Some institutions assign both responsibilities to the same administrator.If responsibilities are divided, ensure both sections in this article are reviewed before confirming the schedule.

Faculty Success Administrator Checklist

Faculty Success Administrators should validate candidate data and user access before launching a workflow schedule.

• Verify User Accounts and Permissions
• Validate Candidate Appointment Data
• Handling Candidates with Multiple Appointments
• Allowing Time for Workflow Caching after Appointment Changes

Verify User Accounts and Permissions

Before launch:

• Confirm all participants have active Faculty Success accounts, except External Reviewers.
• Confirm candidates have Tracking Activities enabled.
• Confirm reviewers have appropriate Security Roles.
• If reports include File Links, reviewers must have permissions that allow access to those files.

See the following articles for additional information:

• User Accounts Overview
• Security Roles Overview

Note: Managing access to document links embedded in reports can also be handled through implementation of a Mirrored Files Server.

Validate Candidate Appointment Data

The Workflow module determines candidate routing based on data from the most recent Yearly Data record at the time a schedule is confirmed.

The following fields are typically used to determine candidate appointments:

• College
• Department
• Faculty Rank

Note: Your institution may use customized fields, and the Yearly Data screen might be labeled differently depending on your local configuration. Refer to the Configuration Report to review your setup. Although the Yearly Data screen may have a different label in your instance, it should have the screen code ADMIN, which can be verified in the Configuration Report.

If a candidate's appointment data is incorrect when the schedule is confirmed, the candidate's submission will not be routed to the correct reviewers, and they will not be launched under the correct appointments. The following sections in this article provide detailed instructions for reviewing candidate appointment data.

How to Export and Review Appointment Data

The Appointments and Reviewers Report is the recommended report for reviewing candidate appointment data when determining which reviewers will receive a candidate’s submission. The report displays the appointment information associated with each candidate submission, which administrators can compare with the reviewer role groups configured for the workflow schedule.

This report can only be downloaded from the Workflow module and requires Workflow Administrator permissions.

The report becomes available after the workflow schedule has been successfully Confirmed. If edits are needed after confirmation, workflow administrators can terminate the schedule from the Actions menu in the Actions column, make the necessary changes, and confirm the schedule again when ready.

For instructions on downloading and interpreting this report, see Appointments and Reviewers Report. 

Updating Appointment Data

If discrepancies are identified, review the most recent Yearly/Administrative Data record on the faculty's profile. Because Workflow relies on the most recent Yearly Data record to determine routing, ensuring the accuracy of this record is critical.

Yearly Data records can be created or updated in the following ways:

1. Manually through the Manage Data utility.
2. In bulk using CSV Data Imports.

Handling Candidates with Multiple Appointments

Some institutions allow candidates to hold multiple appointments. In such cases, the Yearly Data screen must support multiple entries. This can be achieved by placing the appointment related fields (such as College and Department) within a Dynamic Sub-Answer (DSA) field. 

When appointment information is stored in a DSA field, the workflow module refers to the appointments listed in the first row of the DSA field from the most recent Yearly Data record of a candidate to determine the routing process for that candidate's submission. If the appointment-related fields are not currently in a DSA field within your Yearly Data screen, you may request this change through a Screen Revision Work Request.

For more information, see: 

• Dynamic Sub-Answers (DSA)
• Submitting Screen Revision Work Requests

Allowing Time for Workflow Caching after Appointment Changes 

If appointment data is updated in Yearly Data, allow at least 15 minutes before confirming the schedule.

The Workflow module must cache updated data before it is used during submission launch. Confirming a schedule immediately after edits are made may cause routing to use outdated values.

Workflow Administrator Checklist

The Workflow Administrator is responsible for ensuring that the workflow configuration aligns with validated candidate data and meets the expectations of the review process. The items to review include:

1. Template Configuration
2. Step Form Setup
3. Role Groups
4. Schedule Settings

Template Configuration

Navigate to your Workflow Template to verify the following: 

1. Confirm all required steps are present in the workflow template.
2. Confirm the steps appear in the correct order.
3. If using Branching Options, confirm branching logic is configured correctly. To learn more about this feature, see How to Configure a Workflow Template with Branching Options.
4. Confirm the Step Type and Scope for each step is accurate. 

Refer to: How to Configure a Workflow Template. 

Step Form Setup

From the Workflow Template, review the form for each step to check the following:

1. Confirm each step form contains the correct fields and instructional text (if needed). 
2. Verify required fields are configured properly.
3. Confirm field labels, descriptions, and limits are accurate.
4. Verify Step Form Security prevents users from viewing steps they should not access. To learn more about this feature, see Managing Form Security in Workflow. 
5. Confirm external links included in forms are active.
6. Confirm committee and external reviewer forms are configured correctly.
7. Verify dropdown values are accurate.

Refer to: How to Configure Workflow Forms. 

Role Groups

Role groups determine which reviewers are assigned to candidates during the review process. As a result, review the following when assessing role groups:

1. Confirm reviewer accounts are active.
2. Verify the correct reviewers are assigned to the appropriate appointments.
3. Confirm workflow steps Type and Scope match the Type and Scope of the role groups.
4. Ensure role groups align with candidate appointments so submissions route correctly to them.

Refer to: Managing Role Groups. 

Schedule Settings

Check your settings in the Workflow Schedule to confirm that communications to candidates, due dates, and role group alignments are accurate. Specifically, check the following:

1. Confirm that the title of your Workflow Schedule follows your institution's naming convention for the review process and contains no grammar mistakes. 
2. Verify that all step due dates are accurate.
3. Confirm that the message and frequency of your communications in the Email Settings tab of your Workflow Schedule are configured correctly. To learn more about communications for your schedule, see Email Configuration. 
4. Verify that the “Automatically advance next step” feature is enabled for the appropriate steps. 
5. Confirm that candidate selection is correct. 
6. Confirm that role group assignments to steps are accurate. 
7. Verify that the correct reports and report date ranges correspond accurately to the review process for the steps they are included in. 
8. If you are using the Joint Appointments feature, ensure that it is enabled before launching your schedule, as it cannot be enabled afterwards. To learn more about this feature, see Configuring a Schedule for Joint Appointments.

Refer to: Creating a Workflow Schedule. 

Final Verification Before Confirming the Schedule

Do not confirm the schedule until all items in both the Administrator Checklist and the Workflow Administrator Checklist have been completed.

Before launching your schedule, perform the following final verification checks:

• Confirm candidate appointment data has been reviewed and validated.
• Confirm reviewer role groups and assignments are correct.
• Verify workflow template steps, forms, and branching logic are configured as expected.
• Confirm schedule due dates and notification settings are accurate.
• If candidate appointment data was recently updated, confirm that at least 15 minutes have passed to allow Workflow caching to complete.

Completing these checks helps ensure that candidate submissions launch with accurate routing and reviewer assignments.

If a Candidate Is Launched with Incorrect Appointment Data

Candidate routing in Workflow is determined using appointment data stored in the candidate’s most recent Yearly Data record at the time the schedule is confirmed. 

The appointments from which a candidate's submission is launched by cannot be modified after launch, even if the data is updated. If a candidate is launched with incorrect appointment data, refer to If a Candidate Is Launched with Incorrect Appointment Data.

Post-Launch Changes

After a schedule is confirmed, certain workflow templates and schedule settings can still be modified. However, changes to candidate appointment fields (such as College, Department, Faculty Rank, or other appointment-based routing values) do not update the appointments in active submissions. 

If routing errors occur due to incorrect Yearly Data values, the submission must be terminated, corrected, allowed time to cache, and then relaunched. 

For more information about adjustments that can be made after launch, refer to the article on Revising a Workflow Process Post-Launch.