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Kintana Techniques

You're upgrading a Demand workflow. This'll require more fields on the request, and changing the workflow steps around. So you’ve copied the Inventory request type as ‘Inventory Request Type Version 2’ and the workflow as ‘Inventory Workflow Version 2’.

On the workflow side PPM will by default add your new ‘Inventory Request Version 2’ request type to the request types that are allowed to run on the Inventory Workflow Version 2 workflow. You can verify this by opening the ‘Request Types’ tab. PPM will list your new ‘Inventory Request Version2 ‘ in the ‘Allowed Request Types’ pane. Unfortunately PPM will also list every other request type you have in the 'Allowed' pane

PPM ‘s default behavior of allowing every request you have to run on the workflow is kind of a lazy convenience, but it’s not good practice. In my opinion it ought to be the other way around. Most workflows will have only one or maybe two request types that are designed to run on them.

You should use the arrow keys to move all the other unrelated request types to the ‘Restricted Request Types side. If you just leave the default list of every request type you have as ‘Allowed’ how are other people inspecting the workflow to know which request type(s) you intended to go with the workflow?

You should check the ‘Always restrict new Request Types’ checkbox, so that when new request types are invented they get put in the ‘Restricted’ column and will not be allowed to run on the workflow unless you specifically move them to the ‘Allowed’ column.

Also set the default request type to the new request type.

Speaking of Verify, did you remember to click that button down in the left hand corner before handing over the new workflow to the users.

On the Request side use the Request Type Workbench to specify the workflow(s) the request type is supposed to run on:

Note by the way, that the ‘All workflows are allowed for this Request Type’ checkbox is, by default, unchecked, so PPM’s default behavior on the Workflow side is the way it should be: you have to specify the workflows you want to be able to run the request on.

We’ve told the Workflow what request is allowed to run on it, and we’ve told the Request Type what Workflow it is allowed to use.
A beautiful symmetry.

Everything is fine and the sun is shining, and you create your first Demand request.

Bam! The request either refuses to get submitted, or breaks in a bizarre way. When you open the graphical view of the dialog it may be in an unexpected step. On closer inspection the workflow seems to be the OLD Inventory workflow not your improved and whiter washing Version 2!

Gotcha!

Click open the Request Type ‘Rules’ tab and look for a rule named ‘Default Workflow’ that is to ‘Apply on Creation’. Click that open:

Yes Virginia, you have to tell PPM in TWO places which workflow to use for the request, and naturally, the one out in plain sight on the ‘Workflows’ tab is NOT the one that controls this. Fix this and you’re in business.

So many people get caught by this that imho there ought to be a crosscheck when you [Ok] out of the Request Type dialog between the ‘Default Workflow’ rule and the ‘Workflow’ tab. Or at least a [Verify] Button.

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