We are pleased to announce the following changes included in the release of our Flowset product dated 23rd March 2023

Summary of Release

The following is a high level summary of the features and bugs, but a more detailed outline can be found further down in the article.

Features Included in the Release

The following new or enhanced features are included within this release.

1. Modelling Activity Tasks using a Diagram
2. Modelling Conditions in Task Diagram (Decisions)
3. Initialising Ticket Fields in the Task Diagram
4. Setting Fields in the Task Diagram
5. Checking Field Values (Read Only) in the Task Diagram
6. Modelling Unconditional Task Outcomes in the Task Diagram
7. Modelling Pre-Conditions when using a Task Diagram
8. Modelling Conditional Task Outcomes (Outcome Decisions)
9. Pre-initializing Ticket Fields when using a Task Diagram
10. Using Separators in the Workflow Assistant
11. Unconditional Hiding of Ticket Fields
12. Specifying when a task field value should be copied to the parent ticket
13. Live URL Links in Guidance Fields
14. Replace all references to CloudSET in our products to Cloudset
15. Revise Flowset Model to Accommodate New Requirements

Bugs & Issues Fixed in the Release

The following bugs and issues have been fixed in this release.

1. Impact of Zendesk Custom Status

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Features Included in the Release

The following new or enhanced features are included within this release (full documentation will follow shortly).

Modelling Activity Tasks using a Diagram

The current implementation of Flowset enables the capture of activity tasks as properties of the activity in a property sheet.

However, there is no support for modelling the logical flow of tasks and any conditions that determine if, when and why the next task can and should be performed.

This being the case, the current implementation assumes that the customer has already developed a model of the tasks and flows using an alternative tool or medium, so that each task can be mapped to the appropriate Flowset capability in order to enable completion of the task or a conditional flow using the workflow assistant.

Implementing an Activities Tasks using Flowset

This might be one or more of the following:

• Completing a Check Box to indicate if and when a task has been completed during the activity
• Completing a Yes/No field confirming the answer to a question required by the activity
• Selecting one or more options to confirm the type or category of something involved during or required by the activity
• Entering a description or explanation of something as part of the activity
• Entering a numeric value or amount required to complete resolve the ticket
• Entering a date confirming when something has happened or by when something must happen
• Looking up some existing information necessary to complete the other tasks in the activity
• Following some guidance on how to progress the activity

Confusion Regarding Activities vs Tasks

Customer who are unfamiliar with process modelling techniques will often draw a flowchart to describe their workflows that don’t clearly identify the activities from the activity tasks.

As a consequence the customer will often translate each of the tasks in the flowchart as activities, so they can replicate their diagram.

Activities vs Tasks in BPMN Terms

In BPMN terms and activity involves one or more tasks that are typically performed by a group or organisation (represented by swim-lanes in the activity flow diagram) and at end of the activity the process will transition to the next group or organisation (represented by flow lines in the activity flow diagram) if the conditions allow (represented by diamonds in the activity flow diagram).

A task is a type of activity, but is atomic, so it can’t be decomposed into lower level tasks and is performed by the performer of the parent activity.

Providing Support for a Task Flow Diagram

If the customer is required to decompose an activity into its tasks using a task flow diagram, they will be encouraged to model their activities correctly and avoid a situation in which they are unnecessarily having to submit the ticket between tasks.

Understanding and Maintaining the Workflow

A further issue caused by the use of a property sheet to capture an activities tasks and flow conditions, is that there is a need for a complex combination of clicks involved to open and close a variety of forms in order to understand what and how tasks have been implemented and what are the rules that determine the conditions under which each task can and should be performed during an activity.

If the tasks are modelled using a task flow diagram, the customer will be provided with an holistic view in which all tasks are named shapes with flows indicating the order in which they are performed. The inclusion of diamonds on the flows between tasks will also clearly indicate that there are rules that determine if and when the next task can and should be performed.

*

The property sheet behind each shape or flow will reveal the option used to enable the task in the workflow assistant (see Implementing an Activities Tasks using Flowset* above) and the conditions behind each rule.

If the task flow diagrams are included in the report is generated for a workflow, it will be much easier for a customer to identify and understand the tasks involved in each activity.

Modelling Conditions in Task Diagram (Decisions)

The current implementation of Flowset allows for the configuration of conditions that control the workflow during an activity:

Conditional Hiding of Task Fields

Complex conditions can be configured to determine if and when an activity task field should be hidden in the workflow assistant.

In order to do so it is necessary to select a tiny icon against the field definition used to implement the task and then specify the conditions based on one or more other tasks that have been completed and which values have bee set.

In effect, conditional hiding the tasks is a way of implementing the rules in a Task Flow diagram, that determine if and when the task can and should be performed.

Completion Conditions

'Completion conditions’ can be configured against an activity, specifying a list of ticket fields that must have a value before it is possible to transition to the next activity in the workflow.

Task Outcomes

Task Outcomes provide a mechanism in which complex conditions can be configured, using the value of Task Fields to determine if and when an activity has taken a specific course through the activity. These Task Outcomes can then used to determine which activity can and should be transitioned to next in the workflow (see null and null).

No Support for Mixed Value Conditions

However, the current solution doesn’t provide the possibility to control the workflow using a mix of Task Field values and Ticket Field values in complex conditions.

Initialising Ticket Fields in the Task Diagram

https://support.cloudset.net/hc/en-us/articles/360011423337-Activity-Initialize-Field-Values when the activity is started.nullThis is achieved by selecting the ticket fields using the activity property sheet.

However, it isn't currently possible to model the conditions under which a field should be initialised, so there is a requirement to model this using tasks in a task flow as part of a Task Flow Diagram.

Even if breaking an activity down using a Task Diagram, It will sometimes the case that one or more fields should be initialised when the activity is first started and this requirements is covered in null.

Setting Fields in the Task Diagram

https://support.cloudset.net/hc/en-us/articles/360011534438-Optional-Activity-Fields).

However, it isn't currently possible to model the conditions under which a field can and should be set during the activity, so there is a requirement to model this using tasks in a task flow as part of a Task Flow Diagram.

Checking Field Values (Read Only) in the Task Diagram

The current implementation of Flowset allows for configuration of one or more Zendesk ticket fields should be made available as read only during the activity.nullThis is achieved by selecting the ticket fields using the activity property sheet.

Logically the reference and use of each ticket field can be considered a task to be performed as part of the Task Flow.

In practice, these fields can be referred to at any time during the activity.

Modelling Unconditional Task Outcomes in the Task Diagram

The current implementation of Flowset allows for a number of task outcomes to be configured as properties of an activity.

This involves the configuration of conditions based on the value of one or more task fields as and when each of the tasks is completed.

However, logically these outcomes are the result of having followed a particular path through the Task Flow at the point when sufficient tasks have been completed to fulfil the parent activity.

Related issue null describes the need to be able to model the need for additional conditions to control which task outcomes are possible at the end of the task flow (outcome decisions).

However, the the introduction of Task Flow Diagrams it is now possible to have met all of the conditions and completed all required actions while following a path through a sequence of tasks and decisions (see null)

In this case it should be possible to model a flow directly form a Task shape to a Stop shape without the need for the use of an Outcome Decision shape.

Modelling Pre-Conditions when using a Task Diagram

https://support.cloudset.net/hc/en-us/articles/360011534278-Activity-Completion-Conditions against and activity that determine the circumstances under which it is possible to transition to the activity within the workflow.

If using a Task Flow Diagram to model the activity, the completion conditions will be configured as part of the task flow, in which case it should no longer be possible to configure the completion conditions against the activity (see null , null and null).

However, there is still a need to configure pre conditions against the activity, since these conditions apply before the task flow in the Task Flow Diagram can be started.

Modelling Conditional Task Outcomes (Outcome Decisions)

The current implementation of Flowset allows for a number of task outcomes to be configured as properties of an activity.

This involves the configuration of conditions based on the value of one or more task fields as and when each of the tasks is completed.

However, logically these outcomes are the result of having followed a particular path through the Task Flow at the point when sufficient tasks have been completed to fulfil the parent activity.

related issue null describes the need to model task outcomes in the Task Flow Diagram at the end of a path in the workflow, without the need to meet additional conditions.

However, there is also a need to be able to specify additional conditions for one or more possible task outcomes at the end of a path, immediately before the task flow is complete.

Pre-initializing Ticket Fields when using a Task Diagram

https://support.cloudset.net/hc/en-us/articles/360011423337-Activity-Initialize-Field-Values when the activity is started.nullThis is achieved by selecting the ticket fields using the activity property sheet.

A new requirement has been identified to model the conditions under which a field should be initialised, so there is a requirement to model this using tasks in a task flow as part of a Task Flow Diagram and this is covered by null.

However, even if breaking an activity down using a Task Diagram, It will sometimes the case that one or more fields should be initialised when the activity is first started.

Using Separators in the Workflow Assistant

The current Flowset solution allows the use of a special type of task field known as a ‘separator’.

If used this causes a line to be displayed in the workflow assistant between the preceding and following task fields, to organise the workflow assistant into groups of related task fields.

When an activity is decomposed into a task flow diagram it will be necessary to provide an alternative method of group task fields.

Since in the task flow diagram the task fields are grouped together using a task shape it seems a natural choice to use the task shape to represent the separation of grouped fields in the workflow assistant, or adversely that each group of task fields in the workflow assistant represents a task in the activity.

This being the case it seems appropriate to use the name of the task as the separator in the workflow assistant, to indicate which tasks have been performed and the current task within the flow.

Unconditional Hiding of Ticket Fields

The current implementation of Flowset allows for configuration of one or more Zendesk ticket fields should be initialised when the activity is started.nullWhen the workflow is executed, the value of the fields is set in the background and the agent is unaware that this action has taken place.

With the introduction of task flow diagrams it is possible to initialise ticket fields with a value during a task that will be committed at the end of the activity when transitioning to the net activity in the workflow (see null.

A separate story covers the need to make these ticket fields read only and so prevent the agent updating them during the workflow (see null).

However, there is also a need to be able to make these fields hidden in the workflow assistant if it serves no purpose to the agent and so avoid unnecessarily cluttering the page.

Specifying when a task field value should be copied to the parent ticket

There are several options using Flowset in which a workflow will involve the creation of a child ticket to complete one or more activities in parallel or sequentially outside of the control of the parent ticket.

Under these circumstances there can sometime be a need to share information about task fields collected during the workflow under control of the children that is of use during the processing of the workflow under control of its parent.

Currently it is possible to copy some of the ticket fields from the parent when the child ticket is created, at which time it is also possible to use some of the task field data in the parent to construct the subject and description of the child:

However, there is often a need to copy or synchronise information captured or updated later in the workflow under control of a child up the the parent ticket, after they have been created.

*Note a similar scenario occurs regarding the synchronisation of task field data captured or updated by a parent ticket, but this is covered by null

With the proposed introduction of a Task Flow diagram to model the tasks for an activity, there is opportunity to include the copying or synchronisation of task fields between a child and its parent as actions performed by a task at the appropriate point in the Task Flow.

Live URL Links in Guidance Fields

It is currently possible to configure a type of Activity Task to present a ‘Guidance’ field.

This is basically a text field within which instructions can be recorded to help guide an agent through the completion of the activity.

This being the case it is already possible to capture a URL in the text box, but this URL doesn't become a live link when displayed in the workflow assistant.

Replace all references to CloudSET in our products to Cloudset

There is a Need to carry out a full analysis of our products to make correct use of Product Names and any other appropriate changes required following our rebranding and company name change.

e.g. We should replace any references to CloudSET to say Cloudset

Revise Flowset Model to Accommodate New Requirements

The latest batch of new requirements for Flowset will be dependant upon the design and implementation of several changes to the underlying model.

An initial design must be established before any work can proceed on the development of new and enhanced features based on what we already know about the changes involved to implement each new requirement.

But it is anticipated that refinements will be necessary as we develop a more detailed understanding.

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Bugs & Issues Fixed in the Release

The following bugs and issues have been fixed in this release.

Impact of Zendesk Custom Status

The following announcement has been made by Zendesk and we need to confirm the potential impact upon the use of the Submit Omnibutton by our products.

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