How to customize project workflows, stages and actions

Summary:

Project Workflows allow your organization to define a custom sequence of Stages and Actions to track project progress. You can create multiple workflows and assign different ones to individual projects, giving you flexibility in managing diverse operational processes.

Table of Contents:

• Creating a Project Workflow
• Understanding Milestones
• Managing Stages
• Managing Actions
• Auto Assigning Actions 
• Tracking Project Progress
• Automation and Validations
• Permissions Overview
• Shared Projects and Teams

Creating a Project Workflow

You can create as many Project Workflows as needed. Each workflow is made up of Stages, grouped into Milestones, and each Stage can contain multiple Actions.

To create a new project workflow

• Navigate to:
  Control > Business Process > Project Workflows

• Click Add Workflow.

• Choose one of the following options:

  • Start with the OpenSolar default structure.

  • Duplicate an existing workflow, which will copy all Stages and their linked Actions.

Delete or Archive a Project Workflow

• A workflow can only be deleted if it is not currently applied to any project.

• If it is applied to an active project, it will be archived instead.

  • Archived workflows cannot be applied to new projects.

  • Existing projects will retain the archived workflow without changes.

Note: At least one active Project Workflow must exist in your organization at all times.

Understanding Milestones

Milestones represent major phases of a project and help organize your Stages. There are four available milestones:

• Presold – Stages before the project is sold.

• Sold – Stages after sale and before installation.

• Installed – Stages after the installation is complete.

• Others – For special cases like "On Hold" or "Lost" projects.

Managing Stages

Stages help break down each milestone into actionable phases. You can create, edit, reorder, and archive them as needed.

To add a Stage:

1. Edit an existing Project Workflow.

2. Click Add Stage under the relevant milestone.

3. Enter the Stage details and click Save.

Edit Stage Title:

Click the edit icon next to the Stage title to rename it.

Reordering Stages:

• Drag and drop stages using the reorder icon.

• You can move a Stage between different milestones.

Deleting or Archiving Stages:

• If the workflow is not in use, the Stage can be deleted.

• If it is applied to a project, the Stage will be archived (displayed as a disabled card).

  • Archived Stages remain visible in projects where they were already used.

Stage Preview:

• While editing, you can preview Stage steppers in real-time to visualize how they’ll appear in the project.

Managing Actions

Actions define the specific tasks required within each Stage.

To add an Action:

1. Edit the desired Project Workflow.

2. Select the Stage to which you want to add an Action.

3. Click Add Action, enter the action title, and click Add.

4. Save the workflow to finalize.

Edit Action Title:

Click the edit icon next to the action name.

Note: This change will reflect on all projects using that workflow.

Reordering Actions:

• Drag actions left or right to reorder.

• You cannot move an Action to a different Stage.

Removing Actions:

• Actions cannot be permanently deleted, but can be removed from the workflow.

• Removed Actions will not appear in new projects but will remain in project history if previously completed

Auto Assigning Actions 

Automatically assign actions to individuals as projects are created, saving your team valuable admin time so they can focus on the job. 

(i) Auto assignment by role

• Assign actions to individual occupying the project role. When editing or creating an action, select the 'role' radio button and then choose the project role that you want to assign an action to. This will, in practice, assign the specified action to whichever individual is assigned to that project role when the project is first created. 
  
  
   
• Here's a scenario: The action 'Collect site details' is assigned to the role 'Salesperson'. When a project is created and Sally Salesperson is assigned to the 'Salesperson' role, upon saving the project, Salesperson Sam will be automatically assigned to the 'Collect site details' action. 

(ii) Auto assignment by fixed individual

• Assign actions to one individual for every project. When editing or creating an action, select the 'individual' radio button and choose the individual team member that you would like this specific action to always be assigned to. This will, in practice, assign the specified individual to this action every time a new project is created. 
  
   
• Here's a scenario: The action 'Schedule installation date' is assigned to individual team member Manager Martha. When a project is created and saved for the first time, Martha Manager will be assigned automatically to the 'Schedule installation date' action. 

Tracking Project Progress

Applying a Project Workflow to a Project:

• When creating a new project, the default workflow is applied automatically.

• You can select a different workflow at any time from the project settings.

Updating Stages and Actions:

• You can update the current Stage of a project to reflect progress.

• When a Stage is updated:

  • A system event is logged (time, date, and user).

• When Actions are completed:

  • Each completion is tracked and recorded.

Note: You do not need to complete all Actions to move to the next Stage.

Automation and Validations

• Moving a project from unsold to sold will:

  • Automatically mark the project as sold.

  • Set the contract date to the current date in Manage > Sale.

Adding Notes to Actions:

You can add a note to a completed Action by clicking the edit icon and filling in the notes field.

Permissions Overview

Shared Projects and Teams

When a project is shared with a connected organization:

• Each org can have its own workflow applied to the same project.

• Depending on sharing permissions, a partner org may or may not:

  • View or edit the Stages and Actions set by your organization.. 

Video Walkthrough: