Alfresco includes two types of workflows out of the box. One is the Simple Workflow which is content-oriented and the other one is the Advanced Workflow which is task-oriented.
The simple workflow features of Alfresco enables you to define a simple approve- reject workflow for your documents. The email templates and notification business rules are helpful to notify all the concerned people involved in the workflow process. You can also implement complex workflows by chaining the spaces with multiple approve and reject steps.
The complex task-oriented workflow requirements can be handled by Advanced Workflow features. You can create a task, attach multiple documents and send it to multiple people for review. Using the dashboard views, you can view all the tasks assigned to you and all the tasks you have assigned to others. You can track the tasks to closure using the web client user interface.
There is a dedicated Chapter in the book titled "Chapter 9. Workflow", which explains you the concepts such as :
· Enable simple workflow on documents
· Create email templates and set email notifications
· Extend workflow with multiple approval steps
· Implement a complex workflow scenario for digital asset management
· Start an advanced workflow from the list of predefined workflows
· Assign priority, due date, reviewer, and documents to the workflow
· Take ownership of a task
· Reassign a task
· Change the workflow state
· List tasks assigned to you and tasks completed by you
· Cancel or abort the workflows you have started
· Create your own custom advanced workflow
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Alfresco Enterprise CMS Implementation on PacktPub.com First Alfresco book, worldwide service, 10% discount.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Selecting a CMS is very important for the upcoming websites
Some one asked me a question in JavaRanch about Alfresco, whether it is a good choice for upcoming websites (starting small and grow over a period of time).
Alfresco is for upcoming web sites as well. For all the websites which are going to evolve over a period of time, you should seriously consider the following things:
1> How easy it is to scale the functionality?
2> How simple, cheaper and seamless it is to upgrade to newer versions of the software?
3> Does it provide a strong and impressive roadmap for the CMS product so that you can leverage the features as and when available?
4> Can you get enough SUPPORT (help) when required?
Alfresco scores 100% in all above aspects.
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Alfresco Enterprise CMS Implementation on PacktPub.com First Alfresco book, worldwide service, 10% discount.
Alfresco is for upcoming web sites as well. For all the websites which are going to evolve over a period of time, you should seriously consider the following things:
1> How easy it is to scale the functionality?
2> How simple, cheaper and seamless it is to upgrade to newer versions of the software?
3> Does it provide a strong and impressive roadmap for the CMS product so that you can leverage the features as and when available?
4> Can you get enough SUPPORT (help) when required?
Alfresco scores 100% in all above aspects.
--
Alfresco Enterprise CMS Implementation on PacktPub.com First Alfresco book, worldwide service, 10% discount.
Monday, February 05, 2007
ECM implementation fails due to lack of planning
Kshipra Singh of Packt publishing asked me the following question about my recent book Alfresco Enterprise CMS Implementation,
In Chapter 3: Planning, you talk about Follow Best Practices to implement a project using open-source software. Give us a sneak preview about it.
Most of the Enterprise Content Management projects fail not because of technology, but because of lack of proper planning.
Planning is the most critical phase of any implementation project. During this phase, most of the decisions are made to customize specific features in a particular way. You define the security framework, custom-content types, folder structure, categories, workflow, reporting, business rules, and collaboration. During planning phase, you will scope your implementation, prioritize the requirements, and finalize the project plan. This chapter provides you information required for your planning exercise before implementing your system using Alfresco.
Click here to read the complete interview.
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Alfresco Enterprise CMS Implementation on PacktPub.com First Alfresco book, worldwide service, 10% discount.
In Chapter 3: Planning, you talk about Follow Best Practices to implement a project using open-source software. Give us a sneak preview about it.
Most of the Enterprise Content Management projects fail not because of technology, but because of lack of proper planning.
Planning is the most critical phase of any implementation project. During this phase, most of the decisions are made to customize specific features in a particular way. You define the security framework, custom-content types, folder structure, categories, workflow, reporting, business rules, and collaboration. During planning phase, you will scope your implementation, prioritize the requirements, and finalize the project plan. This chapter provides you information required for your planning exercise before implementing your system using Alfresco.
Click here to read the complete interview.
--
Alfresco Enterprise CMS Implementation on PacktPub.com First Alfresco book, worldwide service, 10% discount.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Open Source Imaging Solution
You can extend the value of your ECM investment by implementing imaging and automated forms processing solutions, as per your organizational requirements. Increasingly, electronic document images have the same legal status as a paper document.
Alfresco integrates with various image capturing systems to provide flexible and intelligent form processing. This results in greater control and management of crucial information and documents, within and outside the firewall. These joint solutions enable you to include forms and the captured data as content types that can be version controlled, repurposed, and integrated into workflows, and managed by the ECM environment. This simplifies compliance with enhanced archiving, and audit capabilities. You can also reduce costs of printing, storing, and distributing paper forms.
You can implement various solutions by leveraging the Alfresco's content management and business process management features. Some are listed below for your reference:
- Order fulfillment
- Claims processing
- Underwriting
- Loan origination
- Contracts management
- Accounts payable managing checks and invoices
More information about the solution is covered in Chapter 13, Implementing Imaging and Forms processing of the recent Alfresco book.
This chapter helps you to implement an end-to-end solution by collecting the paper documents, and forms; transforming them into accurate, retrievable information; and delivered into an organization's business applications. The information then, is full-text searchable, and goes through the various approval workflows, based on the organization's defined business process management.
By the end of this chapter you will have learned how to:
- Connect scanner to network drive, and map it to the Alfresco's space
- Specify a business rule to automatically extract metadata from the scanned document
- Define and execute a workflow process for scanned documents
- Bulk upload scanned documents into the Alfresco repository
- Integrate OCR utilities into Alfresco
- Integrate and use Kofax Ascent Capture
- Integrate Alfresco with eCopy-enabled scanners
It is nice to know that we have an open source based, Enterprise Quality, Feature Rich and Highly Scalable imaging solution available at cheaper price.
--Alfresco Enterprise CMS Implementation on PacktPub.com First Alfresco book, worldwide service, 10% discount.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Alfresco Top Brass on UK National Radio
John Powell and John Newton, the founders of Alfresco, discussed open source in general -- and their project in particular -- on BBC's Radio 4 yesterday evening.
Other projects discussed: Zimbra, Platial, Open-Xchange, ActiveGrid.
You can read more about the program, and listen to it (until Thursday) on the BBC web site here.
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Alfresco Enterprise CMS Implementation on PacktPub.com First Alfresco book, worldwide service, 10% discount.
NEW WAVE COMPUTING
Peter Day talks to some of the rising stars of the new revolution and finds out how the computer industry is changing yet again.
The world’s biggest computer companies are being threatened by a host of new start-ups powered by open-source software, strings of inexpensive computers,and ‘mash-up’ websites which combine information in innovative ways.
Other projects discussed: Zimbra, Platial, Open-Xchange, ActiveGrid.
You can read more about the program, and listen to it (until Thursday) on the BBC web site here.
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Alfresco Enterprise CMS Implementation on PacktPub.com First Alfresco book, worldwide service, 10% discount.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
3 Ways for Alfresco ECM and BPM to work together
Ishmael Ghalimi at IT|Redux posts about methods for integrating ECM systems with BPM systems, and cites three main ways in which they can usefully work together.
1. Use the CMS features to manage document life cycles that form part of process instances. You could manage document lifecycle in the BPMS, but a CMS will be simpler, more elegant, more flexible.
2. Use a CMS to store the process model artifacts. Programmers might say CVS is better, but for the business managers who see these artifacts as documents and want them treated as such (and pay the bills), a CMS is better.
3. Use a BPMS process design tool to take care of advanced processes involving CMS documents.
Ishmael cites Intalio as already working on the first two with Alfresco, but doesn't mention the 3rd. Perhaps Alfresco's built in workflow tools already negate number 3!
Source
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Alfresco Enterprise CMS Implementation on PacktPub.com First Alfresco book, worldwide service, 10% discount.
1. Use the CMS features to manage document life cycles that form part of process instances. You could manage document lifecycle in the BPMS, but a CMS will be simpler, more elegant, more flexible.
2. Use a CMS to store the process model artifacts. Programmers might say CVS is better, but for the business managers who see these artifacts as documents and want them treated as such (and pay the bills), a CMS is better.
3. Use a BPMS process design tool to take care of advanced processes involving CMS documents.
Ishmael cites Intalio as already working on the first two with Alfresco, but doesn't mention the 3rd. Perhaps Alfresco's built in workflow tools already negate number 3!
Source
--
Alfresco Enterprise CMS Implementation on PacktPub.com First Alfresco book, worldwide service, 10% discount.
Book Out Now! Alfresco Enterprise Content Management Implementation
The very first copy of Alfresco Enterprise Content Management Implementation arrived in the Packt office yesterday. We are now shipping copies to everybody who pre-ordered.
From now on, orders will be shipped within a day or two of being placed. So buy your copy now.
There is also a PDF ebook version available, which is cheaper and available for download immediately after ordering.
Buy on PacktPub.com worldwide service, 10% discount.
Here are some blurry pictures of me holding the proof copy.
From now on, orders will be shipped within a day or two of being placed. So buy your copy now.
There is also a PDF ebook version available, which is cheaper and available for download immediately after ordering.
Buy on PacktPub.com worldwide service, 10% discount.
Here are some blurry pictures of me holding the proof copy.
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