Quick Start Guide viflow in 10 steps

© 2000–2016 ViCon GmbH. All rights reserved.

This user guide and the software described are available only under the viflow license agreement and may be used and copied only in accordance with this license. The content of this guide serves the sole purpose of providing information and may be changed without notice. It should not be regarded as any kind of commitment by ViCon. ViCon provides no guarantee as to the correctness or accuracy of the information in this guide.

Unless expressly permitted by the license agreement, no part of this document may be stored in databases or transferred in a form of digital or mechanical recording without prior written notice from ViCon.

The businesses, business processes, products, people and events presented here are fictitious examples. Any resemblance to real companies, business processes, products, people or events is purely coincidental.

viflow is a registered trademark of ViCon GmbH in Germany. Microsoft, Windows, Visio and Visio logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the USA and/or other countries.

State: vf 6.0.0 DIE PROZESS-EXPERTEN

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Installation .............................................................................. 4

Step 1: Before you get started ............................................. 5

Step 2: Create a new process model .................................. 9

Step 3: Create and open processes .................................. 10

Step 4: The user interface .................................................. 11

Step 5: Model areas ........................................................... 13

Step 6: Model processes ................................................... 14

Step 7: Model information objects ..................................... 15

Step 8: Linking files and inserting hyperlinks .................... 17

Step 9: Generate subprocesses ........................................ 19

Step 10: Export as WebModel ............................................. 20

Key functions and settings ................................................... 22

Content

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Installationviflow installation

Insert the installation DVD in the drive In the AutoPlay win-dow, click viflow 6 Installation Follow the installation program instructions in the Setup window

If the AutoPlay window does not appear, open the drive directory in Windows Explorer and double-click the setup.exe file in the viflow folder.

Visio installation

Microsoft Visio is required for viflow graphic display. If Visio is not already installed on the PC, it will be installed automatically when viflow is installed.

Insert the installation DVD in the drive In the AutoPlay win-dow, click Open folders to show files Double-click the setup.exe file in the viflow folder Follow the installation program instructions

• Note: Visio installation is not necessary if Visio is already installed.• If the AutoPlay window does not appear, open the drive directory in Windows Explorer and double-click the setup.exe file in the Visio folder.• If a trial version of Visio is installed on the PC, it must be removed before the full version is installed.

|5Step 1

Before you get started

First we would like to explain some basic terms and concepts. Everything you model with viflow and everything you enter in viflow is saved in a process model (file extension *.vfp, for “viflow process model”). This process model contains all the processes and process details and can only be edited in viflow. In the next step you will learn how to create a process model. In the final step you will learn how to generate a WebModel (HTML output) from a viflow process model. A viflow process model consists of three main components:

• Processes• Information objects• Areas

A WebModel (HTML output) for viewing in a web browser can be generated from the process model. Although viflow is necessary for generating process models, it is not necessary for viewing process models.

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Processes and decisions

A process is an activity or an operation. The level of detail of the activity description is up to you. You should start with a high-level description of the process, and viflow always allows you to increase the level of detail or rename the process.

Activities in a process graphic are represented as individual processes or process steps:

Decisions are activities that involve making a decision.

Decisions are managed in viflow the same way as processes, and they can also be detailed with subprocesses to any desired level. The process and decision shapes can be altered directly using the Info button.

Step 1

|7Step 1

Information objects

Information objects are shown in the process graphic as arrows between individual processes and decisions. They symbolise the information flow in a process sequence. An information object between two processes looks like this:

Every information object can be linked to a document and alloca-ted to a process or a decision.

Linked documents can be opened directly from viflow and from the WebModel (HTML output).

8 | Step 1

Areas

Areas in viflow are mainly departments or organisational units. How you use areas in viflow is up to you – for example, you can also use them to represent persons, roles or IT systems. Areas are represented by horizontal bars (called swim lanes) in the process graphic.

A complete viflow process graphic with processes, information objects and areas looks like this:

|9Step 2

Create a new process model Start viflow In the New – Choose a Template window, double-

click Quick Start (or another template) Click the Save icon , or press the key combination CTRL+S

Enter a name for the new process model in the File name field of the Save As window Click Save

The following view appears after a new process model is generated:

10 | Step 3

Create and open processesBefore you can start modelling, you have to create and open a new process.

When a process model is generated from a template containing at least one process (e.g. Example Process Model), a process graphic is opened automatically.

Click the New button on the Home tab

Enter the process name under Short name, and any other relevant data

Click OK the process graphic is opened (may be blanc)

If the process model does not contain any processes, when you create a new process (the first process) it opens automatically. If several processes are already present, a new process initially appears on the left in the process model. To start modelling, right-click the process and select Open.

|11Step 4

The user interfaceThis view appears after you generate a new process model (*.vfp) containing a newly created process. This process appears on the left in the process model and as an empty process graphic on the right side of the program window.

The graphic viewFor modelling and viewing process graphics.

The process modelFor navigation in processes, information objects and areas.

All viflow objects (processes, information objects and areas) are listed in the process model.

The viflow ribbonFor all major viflow and Visio functions.

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12 | Step 4

The properties windowFor entering, editing and viewing the properties of individual viflow objects

The properties window can be opened in various ways – for examp-le, by dragging objects from the stencil to the drawing page, by creating new objects via Start – New, by double-clicking informa-tion objects or areas in the process model or process graphic, or by right-clicking an object and selecting Properties in the context menu.

If you want to edit several objects in a row, the properties window can remain open. After confirming the changes to an object with Apply, select the next object to be edited.

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|13Step 5

Model areas Click the Area symbol on the viflow stencil Using the mouse,

drag the shape to the drawing page Enter the name of the area under Short name in the properties window Enter additional data if desired (for example, specify the area type) Click OK Model all involved areas in the same way Click the Save icon , or press the key combination CTRL+S

If the viflow stencil is not visible, click Stencils – viflow under Shapes.

Area symbol on viflow stencil

Process graphic with areas (swim lanes)

14 | Step 6

Model processes Click the Process symbol on the viflow stencil Using the mouse,

drag the object to the drawing page Enter the name of the pro-cess under Short name in the properties window Enter additional data if desired (for example, specify the process type) Click OK Model the rest of the processes and decisions in the same way Click the Save icon , or press the key combination CTRL+S

The decision symbol has the same functionality as a process symbol and is used for decisions (for example, Yes/No).

Automatic process numbering is enabled by default in viflow. All options for process numbering are shown under Numbering on the View tab.

Process symbol on viflow stencil

Process graphic with areas (swim lanes)

Processes in the process model

|15Step 7

Model information objects Click the Connector symbol on the Start tab Move the cursor

to a connection point of a process symbol (visible when the cursor is nearby) Click and drag the arrow to the next process symbol

Double-click the information arrow to open the Properties win-dow Enter the name of the information object in the Short name field Click Apply Select the next information arrow Model the rest of the information arrows in the same way Click the Save icon , or press the key combination CTRL+S

Fully modelled process graphic

16 | Step 7

Yes and No labels on information arrows (after decisions, for example) are entered under Additional text in the properties window.

You can also open the Properties window by selecting an object and clicking the Properties button on the Start tab, or by right-clicking the object to open the context menu and selecting Properties.

Information objects are grouped in the process model by informati-on type (e.g. forms). Information objects without a defined type are shown under Miscellaneous.

|17Step 8

Linking files and inserting hyperlinksInformation objects, processes and areas can be linked to files (for example, work instructions in .pdf or .doc format) and hyperlinks to websites can be entered.

1. How to link an information object to a file

Right-click the information object (arrow) in the graphic and select Properties Click the Open button next to the Hyperlink field Select the target file and confirm with Open Click OK

Information objects with a hyperlink or a link to a file are marked by the hyperlink symbol in the process model.

Information objects with a hyperlink, as well as processes and areas associated with these information objects, are shown with document symbols in the process graphic (in viflow and in the WebModel).

Link selection

Link indication

18 | Step 8

You can also allocate information objects to individual processes or process steps.

2. How to allocate information objects to a process

Right-click the process or decision symbol in the graphic and se-lect Properties Click the Information objects tab in the Properties window Drag the information object from the process model to the window Click Apply Repeat this procedure if necessary for other information objects

You can allocate information objects to an area by dragging them from the process model to the Distribution tab of the properties window of the area concerned.

Dragging an information object to the properties window of a process

|19Step 9

Generate subprocessesIn viflow you can work in as many process levels as you need for the desired depth of detail. How to generate a subprocess (lower-level process):

Right-click a process in the graphic or in the process model and select Open The current graphic is closed and the subprocess graphic is opened Model the process graphic in the usual way

Click the Save icon , or press the key combination CTRL+S

A process with lower-level processes is marked in the process model by a [+] symbol and in the graphic by a shadow.

Right-click the process to be detailed

The fully modelled process in the process model

20 | Step 10

Export as WebModelThe entire process model, including all the details, can be exported as a WebModel (HTML output).

Click File – Export– Export as WebModel Select the processes to be published and select the start click Next Configure the user interface options click Next Enter hyperlinks and specify the publication languages click Next Specify the target folder

click Finish The WebModel is displayed in the default browser

The next time you export the same process model, you only have to click the Export as WebModel button to generate the WebModel with the previously configured settings.

Settings for WebModel export

The WebModel in a web browser

|21Step 10

Navigation in the WebModel

In the process graphic or the navigation pane, click an object to open its Properties window. You can show or hide the navigati-on pane by clicking the Processes, Information objects or Areas buttons on the menu bar, which also holds the search function, hyperlinks, email addresses (for feedback) and settings.

Subprocesses are marked by a shadow in the graphic and on the navigation pane. You can open the process graphics by clicking a shadowed process symbol in the navigation window, or by double-clicking a shadowed process symbol in the process graphic.

In process graphics you can open documents by clicking correspon-dingly marked objects.

22 | Key functions

Key functions• Print process graphics: File – Print or key combination CTRL+P

• Create new process model: File – New, select a template; or key combination CTRL+N

• Create demo process model: File – New, select Example Process Model

• Open process model: File – Open, Recent; or key combination CTRL+O

• Open process graphic: Right-click process > Open

• Open Properties window: Right-click object > Properties

• Enlarge drawing page: Press and hold CTRL key > position mouse cursor on bottom right corner of page > click and drag page

• Select user interface language: File – Options – Language – Interface language

• Select content language (only silver and gold editions): Language button in bottom left corner, select desired language

|23and settings

• Alter process shape in graphic: Click info button on process

• Generate WebModel: File – Export – Export Whole Process Model – Export as WebModel

You can also change the user interface language in viflow blue, but multilingual modelling is only possible in viflow silver and viflow gold.

Key settings• Specify content languages and translation shortcut key: File – Options – Language – Content Language

• Link in custom stencil: File – Options – Process Graphic – Additional stencil

• Enter logo and additional text: File – Options – Current Process Model – Logo and Additional Text

• Generate/manage backup files: File – Options – Backup

• Specify object types and definitions for viflow objects: File – Options – Current Process Model – Processes/Information/ Areas – Definitions

ViCon GmbHOldenburger Allee 25D 30659 Hannover

tel +49 511 696048-0fax +49 511 696048-29

www.viflow.biz

www.viflow.biz