Explore Process Automation mode

Meet Process Automation View Mode.

Process Automation is a view mode developed by Kuika for automating recurring and time-sensitive tasks in the process of mobile or web application development.

It aims to save time and effort by automating tasks. Additionally, it reduces the risk of errors and enhances efficiency, allowing users to focus on more creative and valuable tasks.

With Process Automation, you can design workflows, add system actions and custom actions to created workflows, and perform task assignments. Process Automation can be applied in various fields such as automatic reporting and data analytics, human resources management automation, customer service, and support services. It enables the automation of business processes.

Kuika utilizes the BPMN 2.0 standard in the development of Process Automation.

BPMN 2.0 provides a standardized language for understanding and sharing business processes. Modeling a business process with BPMN allows for visualizing how processes work and understanding potential issues within business processes.

1.Creating Process Automation

To create a Process Automation, click on the third icon labeled Process Automation in the view modes.

In the opened screen, provide a name for the Process Automation and click the CREATE button. In the following screen, you'll find the necessary tools and the Canvas for the Process Automation creation process.

2.Process Automation Design Environment

When examining the Process Automation design environment, you will find the Canvas in the center area, along with the toolbox containing tools that can be used during the process creation.

On the left side, there is the Processes panel that lists the created processes. Additionally, there is the Process Parameters Panel where parameters can be added to the created processes, and the Custom Actions panel where custom actions can be added to the created processes.

2.1 Process Automation Tools

Kuika, Process Automation design process offers various tools to facilitate and expedite the process.

• Activate The Hand Tool is a tool that allows you to move the created Process along with the Canvas.

• Activate The Lasso Tool is a tool that allows you to move multiple selected areas by enclosing them with a cursor-drawn rectangle.

• Activate The Create / Remove Space Tool is used in the created Process to perform actions like expanding or shrinking the selected areas for space adjustments.

• Activate The Global Connect Tool is a tool used in the created Process to establish connections with other tools.

• Create Start Event is the tool used to create the initial point of the Process.

• Create End Event is the tool used to create the ending point of the Process.

• Create Exclusive Gateway is a tool used in the created Process that contains multiple paths in an Exclusive Gateway Event. Depending on a specified condition, the process advances through the path that fulfills the condition. The business processes are interconnected. The Exclusive Gateway is used in scenarios where a decision needs to be made based on conditions, and it ensures that the correct path is taken. In decision-making processes, the rule for which path to take must be determined. The order in which paths are added to Create Exclusive Gateway is significant as it determines the sequence of execution. By clicking on the Create Exclusive Gateway icon, you can use the Properties panel on the right to adjust the sequence of paths and therefore the sequence of execution using drag-and-drop.

• Create Parallel Gateway is a tool used in the created Process to indicate a branching point where planned tasks are carried out asynchronously. In this type of gateway, tasks are split into parallel paths, and they progress independently. Eventually, these parallel paths converge back into a single point. The purpose of the Parallel Gateway is to allow multiple tasks that need to be performed simultaneously or independently to progress concurrently. It's used when tasks should continue even if some are not yet finished, and they will merge later in the process flow. This structure enables efficient handling of tasks that don't have direct dependencies on each other and need to be executed in parallel.

If a process has been split using a Parallel Gateway, the tasks that were divided must be merged back together at some point.

• Create User Task An activity where user interaction takes place.

• Create Task An activity where system interaction takes place.

When designing the process flow, clicking on elements opens a toolbox on the canvas to speed up and facilitate the process.

Using Change type, you can modify Gateways, Tasks, and Events directly on the canvas.

By using Append Text Annotation, you can add notes related to the process within the process itself. These notes will not be visible when the process is run.

• You can easily remove tools using the Remove function.

In the BPMN 2.0 structure, there is a Pool structure that represents the process itself.

Within this structure, you can create Lanes. Lanes assist in creating specific areas within the process for the involved users.

To create a Lane, click on the Canvas and select the icon in the small window that appears in the upper right corner. This icon indicates the area where you want to add the Lane. You can add multiple Lanes on the Canvas, both from the top and from the bottom.

The use of Lanes serves two purposes: visually separating user tasks and enabling authorization within the process. This means you can assign tasks to users. There are three types of task Assignment: Everyone, Role, and Dynamic.

In order for task assignment processes to take place, the Use Lane Assignment Switch must be deactivated.

1.Everyone:

A task defined as Everyone will be within a pool. Every user will be able to see this task and can take it upon themselves from their task pool to complete it.

2.Role:

These are tasks assigned by selecting roles defined within the process.

If there is no role defined within the process yet, you can create a new role by clicking the +Add New Role button.

3.Dynamic:

In the application, these are users who are not defined as roles but can be assigned through an action. When it's dynamic, you can create a custom user group by setting up an action that returns a list of users, and then assign tasks to those users. To select the actions that can be connected, click on +SELECT ACTIONS.

Dynamic Assignment:

It enables the connection of process variables. For instance, with Dynamic Assignment, you have assigned the variable named Approver to handle approval processes for tasks within a Lane in the process. To establish the link for this variable using Dynamic Assignment, click on the Symbol Picker. Select the path: Process Parameters → Internal → Approver. This way, you will assign the tasks located within the Lane to the designated Approver.

Find Manager:

Within the application, there exists a field for the user's manager. The manager is a linked user determined by Kuika. However, when an integration is established through a Custom Provider, you can specify what this action will return through the Provider.

Let's examine the usage of this action with an example.

Creating an action is similar to creating system actions. An Input is required. Click on the Symbol Picker to add an Input.

For instance, when using this action, the manager of the person initiating the process is returned.

Other added actions work in the same way. By providing the necessary variables related to the process as Inputs and ensuring that the returned result is a string or a list of strings, you can create actions. For more detailed information about Process Automation actions, you can refer to the relevant content.

If you have previously created custom actions from the Datasource section, they will also appear in this list.

2.2.Process Parameters

1.Business Object

These are the data that can be used in the process creation process. They should not be confused with the conceptual variables specified in the design section of the process. These are structures that can be used in form creation.

In the upcoming process, Business Object will provide convenience to users along with ready-made form structures.

For example, let's define a variable called Permitday as the user's leave day. Since this requires data to be entered by the user, the Is Input option should be selected. Then, by clicking the CREATE button, you can create the variable.

2.Internal

These are variables that may be necessary for logical control. They are not structures that can be displayed in form format.

For example, in the leave request process, if there is a need to check whether the user has available leave days, this check will happen in the background. In this case, you would create a variable in the Internal section that determines whether the user has available leave days. Let's say you create a Boolean variable called Progress Payment by clicking the CREATE button. If the user has available leave days, they would proceed along a certain path; if not, they would follow a different path.

2.3 Properties

It is a panel located on the right side that contains properties that change based on the created Process Events and the Canvas.

1.Canvas Properties Panel

This panel is opened when you click on the Canvas. It includes the fields Process Description and Process Due.

• Process Description is the area where the description of the planned process within the process is provided.

• Process Due is the area where the process's execution time is determined and the completion time of the process is set.

2.Start Event’inin Properties Paneli

3.Create Exclusive Gateway Properties Paneli

It is the area where the condition and ordering of the Processes on Process on the Properties panel is set. You can call the variables created in the parameter panel with the Symbol Picker in the None field. You can specify the necessary logical values for the condition in the Selectbox.

To determine the order of Paths, you need to make a selection in the Will execute otherwise field. For example, if yes is selected in the Will execute otherwise field, the first path used in the Process will be the No path.

4.Create Task Properties Panel

To open the Create Task Properties Panel, you must click on the Create Task Event. The opened Properties Panel includes the Actions option, where you can add Kuika's system actions, and the Step Outputs option, which allows you to define how outputs of process steps will be determined.

Under the Step Outputs section, the +SELECT WF PARAMS TO MAP option prepares the outputs of selected variables. For example, to obtain the output of the Approver variable, click +SELECT WF PARAMS TO MAP, choose Approver, and then click SAVE.

5.Create User Task Properties Panel

To open the Create User Task Properties Panel, you should click on the Create User Task Event. The opened Properties Panel includes the Assignment area where tasks can be assigned to users, the Step Description area where step explanations are provided and processes are called using parameters with @ symbol, the Process Due area where the timeline for process completion is determined, and Step Outputs similar to the Create Task where outputs of the steps are specified.

Process Due is the area where the duration for the processes to take place is determined. Even if the specified duration has passed, if the process has not been completed, it does not automatically skip to the next process. Even if the process time has passed, the completion of the process is still expected.

The only difference between Step Output in Create User Task and Create Task is that in Create User Task, the area where the information to be modified from the screens entered by users is selected for the output of this step.