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An assignment is an instance of a class derived from the Assign- base class. Assignments record a temporary condition of an open work object within an executing flow. The condition requires a user or an external system to act on a work object for it to progress.

The phrase " perform an assignment" refers to a user's analysis, research, data input, and decisions that cause the assignment to be completed. (In certain situations, assignments can be processed completely or in part by a Process Commander agent rather than by a person.)

Assignments are created by a flow operating on a work object, but assignments are not themselves part of the work object. The system saves data recording an assignment in instances of the Assign-Workbasket class, Assign-Worklist class, or other subclasses of the Assign- base class.

In a flow diagram, the shape identifies an assignment task, which references an activity with an Activity Type of Assign. At runtime, assignments appear on a user's worklist, or on a workbasket's list, in decreasing order of urgency. The research, analysis, decision making, and data entry that a user does to complete the assignment is known as processing the assignment. After the assignment is complete, it disappears from the worklist.

When a flow execution reaches an assignment shape at runtime, the system performs the following processing: MARIK 2/27/08

  1. Computes the goal time and destination time based on the current time and the service level rule (if any).
  2. Identifies any skills required or requested for routing.
  3. Calls the Router activity (if any) or decision tree to determine the workbasket or worklist that is to receive the assignment.
  4. Saves the Assign-Workbasket, Assign-Worklist (or other Assign- class) instance.
  5. Calls the Notify activity (if any) to send out an email notification.

Optionally, assignments may have an assignment status, with values such as Current or Next. This status is not related to the work object status, a different property in a different class.

Notes

Definitions agent, Assign- base class, assignment statistics, assignment status, back-to-back assignments, breadcrumbs control, entry point, flow, flow action, perform, problem assignment, worklist, urgency, worklist, workbasket
Related topics Activity form — How to create activities for flows
Flow rules — Editing in Visio — Assignment tasks
Working with the Assignments in Error reports
Standard rules Standard activities for flows
Standard properties in the Assign- base class

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