Flow rules
Visio editing basics

When operating in Visio, the toolbar contains buttons that apply only to flows.

Button	Description
	Turn on or turn off draft mode. While the flow rule is in draft mode it is known as a flow model, you can reference rules and flow actions that are not yet defined. You can save and run a flow rule in draft mode in systems where the production level is set to a value less than 5. See About System Settings Rules.
	Display the normal Microsoft Visio toolbars, to access full Visio features for drawing, shape alignment, colors, and so on. Click once to display the toolbars. Click again to hide the toolbars.
	Start a Visio editing session.
	Zoom in to enlarge the Visio diagram.
	Zoom out to shrink the Visio diagram
	Undo the most recent Visio operation (equivalent to pressing CTRL + Z).
	Exit Visio editing and return to normal rule form editing.

The shapes on the Visio template are Microsoft SmartShapes®. Each shape has parameters and behaviors.

The shapes identify types of tasks. Drag a shape from this left panel into the right session panel to configure your flow. Each task has a descriptive text name that may contain only letters and digits, but no spaces. Each shape has a corresponding shapes panel.

When you drop the shape on the main session panel, the corresponding shape panel appears. Complete this panel to continue. As you complete a panel, you can reference parameters to this flow using the notation param.name, where name is the parameter name on the Params tab.

Shape	Description
	Assignment — Creates an assignment at runtime associated with work object in a workbasket or worklist. See Assignment tasks. After you enter an assignment task, you can create an associated Router task. Optionally, after the assignment task is defined, you can associate a service level rule with it. A clock appears on the diagram, as shown here. See Associating a Service Level with an Assignment.
	Assignment-Service — Waits for an external callback from an external system using Service BPEL rules. See Assignment-Service task.
	FlowStart — Identifies the start task of this flow. See FlowStart tasks.
	Comment — Adds explanatory text comments anywhere on the flow diagram. Comments do not affect execution of the flow. See Comment tasks.
	Connector — Associates a task in the flow with another that may follow the first task. Connectors leaving assignment tasks may be flow actions. Connectors leaving other tasks may be when conditions. See Connectors and Flow Actions.
	Decision — Identifies an activity that can make an automated decision about the progress of the work object through this flow. See Decision tasks.
	FlowEnd — Marks the end of the flow. See FlowEnd tasks.
	Fork — Supports automatic selection of one connector from two or more. See Fork tasks.
	Integrator — Identifies an activity that can connect to an external system to send or receive data. See Integrator tasks.
	Notification — Notifies a work party by e-mail or correspondence about the status or progress of this work object as the assignment is created. See Notification tasks.
	Router — Sends an assignment be sent to a user, workbasket, or agent other than the current user. Associate a Router task with an assignment task. This activity determines which worklist or workbasket is to contain the assignment. See Router tasks.
	Spin-off — Starts a new flow execution and does not wait for its completion. See Spin-off tasks.
	Split-Join — Sends the work object to two other flows, both of which must complete before the current flow resumes. See Split-Join tasks.
	Split-ForEach — Performs an operation or test on each element in a repeating group. See Split-ForEach tasks.
	Pools and swim Lanes — Identifies and groups tasks performed by separate organizational units within one division. See Pool tasks.
	Ticket — Marks a business exception that might arise at any point in the flow, such as a cancellation. See Ticket tasks.
	Utility — Specifies an activity to run at that point in the flow to perform automated processing without any user assignment. See Utility tasks.

• When working in Visio, you can print, decorate, and rearrange your flow diagram in any way that does not affect its connections, task shapes and parameters. Click the toolbar button to make the Visio toolbars visible.
• You can select Save from the Visio menu to save your Visio file to a local or network disk from time to time, but do not perform Save As for the Visio file. Process Commander's Visio interface depends on the file name it assigns.
• Click Returnto exit Visio. The system automatically uploads your results from your workstation to the new or updated flow rule and changes the toolbar. As you exit Visio, Process Commander checks the diagram and highlights any dangling connectors.

Remember to click the Save toolbar button () to save the Flow form. When you save, Process Commander validates whether all shapes on the diagram can be reached through connectors that leave either the Start shape or ticket shapes. It marks any unreachable shapes with a gray background rather than a colored background. Incomplete shapes are marked in red to indicate an error. Click the shape to review the error message. An error indicator () also appears on the property panel next to the parameter in error.

When a flow is saved in Draft Mode, Process Commander validates whether rules exist for each shape in the flow. A warning () image marks an incomplete shape and appears on the property panel next to the parameter in error. Hover over the shape to display the error message.

After saving a flow rule, review carefully any shapes that turn gray. You can save and execute a flow rule that contains unreachable shapes, but the tasks corresponding to the unreachable shapes will never be performed. As a best practice, delete the gray shapes or add a comment as to why they are present.

Consider these tips as you complete the flow rule:

• Every flow must include one StartFlow symbol, and at least one FlowEnd symbol identifying an end.
• Limit each flow to about 15 shapes (not counting connectors) to avoid difficult-to-follow flows. If your diagram includes too many shapes, simplify the diagram by moving a portion of the processing to a subflow. Consult the PDN for more information about creating flows.
• You can work and test in draft mode first, and then print the diagram as a requirements specification.
• Start out simply by creating and testing the main path of the flow. Don't forget to add flexibility and robustness with supporting error flows, tickets for exceptional conditions, and so on.
• Choose likelihood values that are initial guesses. After the flow is in use, click the  Flow Analysis   button on the Design tab to obtain statistics for comparison. If you estimated that a connector flow action will be used 1 percent of the time, but it is in practice used 15 percent of the time, this large difference is worth researching. Productivity, costs, and timeliness are directly related to the path that a work object takes through the flow diagram.
• Include tickets and utility tasks to accommodate cancellations, rollbacks (sometimes called compensating transactions), errors, and similar exceptions.