Create a process template

There are a few elements you need for be familiar with before creating your own process template. In this entry you can learn more about:

Processes cannot be fully automated - some areas require human action. For one thing this means that you can't make tasks dependent on each other - in other words the next process will not automatically begin once the prior has been completed.

Before creating your own process templates, there are a few areas to consider:

To create a process template go to the tab Templates and click on Create template. Name the template and choose a type. If you can't find a fitting process type, go to the tab Types from where you can create it. You can learn more about this here Process Tab Options.

Tick the box Add cut-off date if this is relevant for the process. You can learn more about this in the paragraph below. The section accessibility lets you decide whether you want to make the template available for all of the departments of your organization. If you want this to be the case, leave the box ticked. If not, untick the box to choose which department(s) you want to make it available to. Complete by clicking save and close.

In a process template the cut-off date means the defining date of the process. Should the process for example concern an onboarding process, a cut-off date will typically be the employee's first day on the job.

Once the cut-off date has been scheduled you can add tasks that must be completed a certain amount of days before this date, tasks that should be completed on the cut-off date itself and tasks that must be completed a certain amount of days after the cut-off date.

If you do not decide on af cut-off date, the date will appear as a starting date.

In most cases, it will make sense to include a cut-off date, but if you have an ongoing process that begins on a certain date you can choose to have a process with a starting date only. This limits the process to the extent that you cannot add tasks to the process before the starting date. An example of a process with a starting date could be a checklist of daily routine tasks or tasks that need to be completed during a day shift.

Each process template consists of different tasks that you define. In an onboarding process, a task could be "allocating access card" or "introduction to coworkers." Once a task has been completed, simply tick the box so you can keep up with how far you are in the process.

Each task can have a person to whom the task is assigned as well as an employee who is responsible for ensuring that the task is completed.

It is not a requirement that you decide who is responsible and who should conduct the task before the task is assigned to an employee. This is entirely optional.

To create a task click on Add task. Create a title for the task, a starting day (learn more about starting days below) and a duration time (the amount of days it will take to complete the task). Additionally, you can add a deadline reminder and assign the task to an employee and choose a responsible.

On top of this you also have the option of sending out the task as a calendar invite. This is useful in cases such as a when you launch an employee development interview process, where both a meeting invite and additional tasks could be convenient.

"Start date" refers to when a given task should begin in the course of the process it concerns. E.g. in a preboarding process you might wish to have an office space ready for the new employee two weeks before their first day (the cut-off date). In this case you set the start date to be - 14 days before the cut-off date. If the task is supposed to begin after the cut-off date, set the start date to x number of days greater than zero.

Fill out the optional description to elaborate the details of the task. This information will be available to the employee the task is being assigned to as well as the responsible employee. Finally, you have the option of adding files related to the task by clicking on Upload files. Conclude by clicking save and close.

You have the option of sending out a related e-mails as part of the process you are creating. This means that you can communicate with the rest of the organization and/or external parties during the process. As an example, you could notify current employees that a new employee will be joining the organization.

If you want to include messages as part of your process click on the downwards pointing arrow on the right side of Add task. This activates a dropdown menu from which you click on Add message. Assign a name for the message, choose send date and the e-mail receipient(s). Fill out the subject field and simply type your message. Conclude by clicking save and close.

A project helps you organize the tasks and messages that make up the process. A project can be seen as an overarching headline of the united set of tasks and messages.

Tasks and messages can be categorized in their respective projects. E.g. you can organize all the information you need to provide to your IT department, before you send them the project.

When you create a process template you have the option of connecting it with an Engagement that you have created in the Engagement Builder. In other words, you can make sure that an Engagement is automatically sent out at the exact time you want during the course of a process.

You can add an Engagement by clicking on the downwards pointing arrow on the right side of the button Add task. A dropdown menu will appear from which you choose the item Add engagement. Next, choose the Engagement you would like to connect to your process and add the date you want the Engagement to be sent out. Conclude by clicking save and close.

Watch this tutorial to learn how you can add an Engagement to a Process:

Once you have created your processes you can go to Settings to set up different notifications for your Processes. Go to Settings and find the category Processes. This allows you to set up notifications such as Assignment of task. This notification alerts the employees involved that they have been assigned a task. Click on Add notification. From here you can set up the notification and add a relevant message, choose the type (when and where the notifications should be received) and at last, add all relevant recipients. Learn more about notifications here: Notifications.

This entry has gone over how you create a process template as well as the different elements concerning processes. We have also provided insights on how you can optimize your processes by combining them with other functions in HR-ON Staff.