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Object: Artifact Related document

Related document Applicable document s (Document folder) Related document. The artifact "Related document " is used in the process model to indicate that a document must be used / filled in during th…

Dennis Reichle
Updated by Dennis Reichle

Related document

Applicable document s (Document folder)

The artifact "Related document " is used in the process model to indicate that a document must be used / filled in during the execution of a process or a task.

With the artifact, the document is placed in the process model so that it is visible to the user, who can open it and download it for editing.

In process models, the currently published version of documents is always displayed.

When a document has been linked to a process or task, the link can be seen at various places in SmartProcess:

  • In the details of a document, the 'Used in process' area shows the processes in which the document was inserted as a related document
  • In the menu Documents in the folder 'Applicable documents' it is listed in the structure of the process explorer, in which processes which documents were linked
  • In the details of a process beneath the process model, all linked documents are listed in the list 'Documents'
  • In the menus Reporting and Documents, you can call up the saved report 'Document usage' to view for all documents application-wide in which processes they were linked
A requirement for the steps described in this section is that the documents to be linked have already been created in the 'Documents' menu.

Open the desired process and switch to the Process Designer via <Edit model>. Already created documents can be linked in the process model in different ways:

  1. Object 'Related document' from the symbol area
  1. Drag and drop the object 'Related document' from the symbol area to the desired position in the process model.
  2. Click on the magnifying glass in the appearing window to display a list of all existing documents in SmartProcess.
  1. Search for the desired document in the list, select it and then confirm with <OK>.
The related document can be opened directly from the user with a click on the corresponding icon.
  1. 'Documents' tab in the symbol area
  1. Open the 'Documents' tab in the symbol area of the Process Designer. A list of all documents in SmartProcess is displayed.
  1. Search for the desired document in the list and store it at the desired position in the process model using drag & drop.
The related document can be opened directly from the user with a click on the corresponding icon.
  1. Table 'Artifacts' in the properties of a task
This method is only suitable if a document is to be linked directly to a task instead of just to the process in general.
  1. Double-click on a task icon to open the properties of the task to which the document is to be assigned.
  2. In the 'Artifacts' table, click the 'Add' button and select 'Document' from the drop-down list.
  1. The subsequent procedure is identical to the entry No. 1: Object 'Related document' from the symbol area
  2. After adding the document, a mini symbol at the task in the process model indicates that a related document has been linked there.
In this case, the user can view and open the linked document via the 'Artifacts' table in the task properties.
So far, the document appeared in the menu 'Documents' only in the user-defined folder structure 'Documents' in which it was created.
After the linking, it also appears in the folder 'Related documents', in which it is listed, based on the structure in the process explorer, which document was linked in which processes.

Create new documents during process modeling

If the documents to be linked have not yet been created in the 'Documents' menu, it is also possible to create new documents during modelling in the Process designer:

  1. Create new document - object 'Related document' from the symbol area
  1. Drag and drop the object 'Related document' from the symbol area to the desired position in the process model.
  2. Enter the name of the new document and confirm with <OK>.
    If a document with this name already exists, SmartProcess proposes to reuse the existing document.
    If no document with the same name exists yet, a window opens to create a new document.
If document templates have been created in SmartProcess, a new document can also be created based on a template via <Choose Template>.
  1. After creation, the new document is inserted into the process model directly.
The related document can be opened directly from the user with a click on the corresponding icon.
  1. Create new document - table 'Artifacts' in the properties of a task
This method is only suitable if a document is to be linked directly to a task instead of just to the process in general.
  1. Double-click on a task icon to open the properties of the task to which the document is to be assigned.
  2. In the 'Artifacts' table, click the 'Add' button and select 'Document' from the drop-down list.
  3. The subsequent procedure is identical to entry no. 4: Create new document - object 'Related document' from the symbol area
  4. After adding the document, a mini icon in the process model indicates that a valid document has been linked to the task.
In this case, the user can view and open the linked document via the 'Artifacts' table in the task properties.
After this procedure, the newly created document appears in the menu 'Documents' exclusively in the folder 'Related documents', in which the structure of the Process Explorer lists which document was linked in which processes.

To additionally place the document in any subfolder of 'Documents', the corresponding folder can be opened (in the example ISO 9001:2015).

The <Link> button opens a list with all documents from SmartProcess, in which the desired document can be searched for with a quick search and linked to the selected folder.

Difference in linking to a process or a task

A related document can either be linked to a process or to a task of a process.

If the object was placed in the process model using Drag & Drop, it is generally linked to the process.

To link a document to a task, there are various ways to do so:

  • The document was linked directly via the 'Artifacts' table in the properties of a task (see description above)
  • A document inserted in the process model is subsequently linked to a task using an association link.

Depending on how the document was linked, it is displayed at different places in SmartProcess:

Document linked to a process

Document displayed:

  • In the 'Documents' table of the process details beneath the process model
  • In the process description in the table 'Related documents''

Document linked to a task

Document displayed:

  • In the 'Documents' table of the process details beneath the process model
  • In the properties of a task in the 'Artifacts' table
  • In the list 'Activities' below the process model at the corresponding task
  • In the process description in the table 'Related documents'
  • In the process description in the details of the corresponding task

Applicable documents (document folder)

The document folder is not controlled!
Changes to the content of the folder, i.e. adding and removing documents, do not result in a new version of the process!

The object 'Applicable Documents' is used in the process model, for example, if several documents are to be linked to a task or process without a separate symbol appearing in the process model for each of these documents.

A document folder is created by placing the symbol in the process model using drag and drop. In the creation window that appears, there are various options:

  • You can use the magnifying glass symbol to access document folders that have already been created in other processgroups/processes and reuse them
  • By entering a name, a new document folder can be createdn

If the folder has been newly created, it can then be opened by double-clicking on the icon in the process model.

  • Via <Create> new documents can be created in SmartProcess and stored directly in the document folder of the process.
    • It is also possible to create new documents by dragging and dropping a file into the window of the document folder
  • Via <Link> you can access documents already created in SmartProcess and add them to the document folder.
The content of the folder 'Applicable documents' is compiled specifically for use in process groups/processes and does not necessarily correspond to the content of the folders in the Documents menu.

This enables an alternative display of several documents that are applicable for a process or task.

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Object: Artifacts KPI, Risk, Control, Opportunity

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