Documentation distribution
The Documentation distribution form is a controlled way to send a document to a preset group of users and keeping a record of whether they have read it. The recipients can optionally resend the document to more users, whose statement will be recorded in the document as well.
There are two ways of starting this document distribution process:
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On the PROCESSES tab:
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Select your working folder.
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Click Create process and select DD – Documentation distribution.
You can also click Folders, then click Controlled documentation and, in the submenu, click Documentation distribution. -
A form opens from the template; fill out the form as described in the following chapters.
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On the DOCUMENTS tab:
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Select your working folder and look up the documents to insert in the distribution process.
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Check the leftmost box on the row with each of your selected documents to display a floating window with available operations. In section Processes in the window, click Documentation distribution.
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Click Run to open the form and fill it out as described in the following chapters. Unlike the previous method, you do not need to look up the documents for distribution again – they will be inserted in the form automatically.
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If the document is already part of controlled documentation, for example it has undergone the Documentation creation process, you can run the distribution process as a follow-up process, without having to handle the document files and fill out any of their details.
Entering the document details
In the first part of the controlled documentation distribution form, specify the document’s identification data.
The Originator section is only present if controlled documentation is connected to records management. Usually it is displayed collapsed and allows you to select the organization (company, department, etc.) who owns the controlled document.
Section Author lists the details of the person who starts the document process. You cannot edit this section; the details are taken from the server.
Enter the document details in section Name. The text from first field will be used as the name of the circulating form and displayed in process lists; the field Process description is available to add more details about the process. You can also enter a date in the Confirmation deadline field.
Setting up the distribution group
Set up the list of users who will receive the document in section Distribution group. You can add users to this list one by one or use a preset group to add them all at once.
Choose a preset group from the list Select group. Click OK in the confirmation dialog and the system will add the group members in the distribution group table. If you do not want to use a preset group, leave the option set to User-defined path and add users to the distribution group manually.
| If you are managing documentation for more than one originator, the list of groups available in the list depend on the originator selected for this document. |
You can adjust the contents of the distribution group table, regardless of whether it has been prefilled from a group or empty. The following options are available:
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Adding another user to the revision group: Click
in the Add column to add an empty row in the table. The row will be placed just below the row where you clicked the button. Enter the user’s name or a part of it in column Distribution group – after the first few characters, the form will offer a list of matching names; select and confirm the required name. -
Removing a user: To remove a user from the list of approvers, use the
button to delete the corresponding table row. -
Changing the order: The Signature book will be presented to the signers sequentially, so their order in the list is important. Use the arrows in the Move column to adjust the order as needed.
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The fields Role and Mandatory are copied from group settings (if a preset group was used). If the box in the Mandatory field is checked, the user is required to comment on the process. When the list of approvers is set up and edited manually, it is not possible to set this value. If the Role entry is not filled in, you can (but do not have to) add it – it describes the user’s role in the approver group.
Groups for newly added users
Section List of groups for newly added users makes it easier to redistribute the document to additional users, for example new employees. The server will automatically redistribute the document to new users in the group, including those who were added to the group later.
Just like in the previous table, you can click to insert a new row to add another group or click to remove a row you do not need.
Distributed documents
Add the documents for distribution in section Document distribution. You can select more than one file.
The procedure is the same as described above in chapter Inserting the documents for revision.
It is again recommended checking each document for viruses first. If an antivirus check has not completed for a document, the user will be notified about it with a query asking whether you are sure you want to handle an unchecked document.
The Attachment buttons contains options to display the document in the corresponding application or save the document file on your local drive.
What are the buttons in the Actions column?
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Display attachment preview in another window – displays a preview of the document contents. -
Display metadata – displays the document metadata loaded from the document section. -
Display in DMS – opens a window displaying the document entry in the corresponding document folder.
For a better overview of the documents you can enter the Description field for each of them.
To insert another file, click Insert from DMS or Insert from disk again. If there is more than one document attached, you can adjust their order similarly to the Approvers section above using arrows in the Move column.
Comments and additional files
You can use the Comments section to attach a message to the form.
In section Other documents, you can attach additional files to the form to be used for reference; these files will not be included in the approval process.
Form controls
You can click Save at the lower part of the form any time during your work to save your progress. FormFlow will save all changes you have made up to that moment.
When the form is ready and contains all required details and attachments and the distribution group is set up, click Start the process to run the distribution. The document will be sent to the whole distribution group.
The author can click End distribution any time to finish waiting for users' statements.
Handing a form over to another author
Before you start the process, you can hand it over to another author. You can use this step for example when an assistant fills out the form and prepares the process for their superior. The superior then takes over the process, submits it and continues to act as its author.
To hand over the document, click the button Hand over to another author, placed at the end of the form.
Look up the new process author in the field Hand over to user by entering a part of their name; then you can select from the list of matching entries. Click Hand over to user to confirm the selection. The form will be closed, and the new user will find it in their folder To Be Processed by Me.
Form distribution
The user who received the distributed document is notified by e-mail and can find the form in FormFlow in folder To Be Processed by Me. The user can open the form, view its contents and confirm they have read the document. Each user is the final recipient of their assigned copy of the document. That is why the process name in folder To Be Processed by Me does not indicate the usual numbers of users who are handling the document right now.
Section Document distribution for the distribution group members only displays a table with the original document(s) and a space where to add a Comment and the Statement that the user has read the document.
Then click the Confirm statement button, placed below, to save the form. The form will be closed and sent back to FormFlow.
If you do not want to process the form yet, you can click Save to confirm any changes you have made. The form will stay on your desk, and you can return to it later.
You can also redistribute the form. Click Create a subsequent distribution to set it up.
Subsequent distribution
A typical example of using subsequent distribution (redistribution) is sending a document to department managers who decide themselves whether to redistribute the document to their subordinates.
Click Create a subsequent distribution to add a new section to the form, containing the same controls and details as the original form. To redistribute the form, use the same procedure as the form author in chapter Setting up the distribution group.
When you have set all the redistribution parameters, you can click Start the process to redistribute the document. If you change your mind at this point, you can click Cancel follow-up distribution.
To confirm the start of redistribution, click OK in the query window.
FormFlow will create the required number of forms with the distributed document and send it to all redistribution group members.
This way you can also create two or more levels of redistribution.
The process author can see the entries for all forms created by the process in their process folder. For example, the following image displays a situation when the author John English creates a primary distribution process for Frank First, Mary Middle and Luke Last. Mary Middle then creates another (secondary) redistribution for John Smith and Agnes Form.
The entries for finished processes have white background, running processes are highlighted in yellow.
Marking the distribution process
During the distribution process, form lists in FormFlow display a group of numbers next to the form name, marking the progress of the process.
Displayed as: Form name (A/B)
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A – number of users who filled in and forwarded the process,
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B – number of users for whom the process was started.
Finishing the process
The form author can always check which distribution group members have confirmed reading the document.
Finishing the process after the end of distribution
When all distribution group members have accepted the document, the author can click End process to complete the whole process and archive the form.
To make lists clearer, process result is displayed in the list of archived documents using colored form icons:
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green is used for approved processes. -
red for rejected processes, which means approval processes interrupted by the initiator.
