About Routes

The route creator defines each task to be completed and for each task, specifies:

• the order in which the tasks should be completed
• the name of the task
• the route member who should complete each task, called the task assignee; this can be a person or a role
• optionally, when each task is due
• the action the task assignee should perform, such as approve, comment, or notify only
• specific instructions for how the person should complete the task
• whether the task assignee can delegate the task to someone else
• whether the route creator needs to review the task before it is completed

More than one task can be active within a route at one time or tasks can become active sequentially. If more than one task is active at once, the route creator can specify whether only one task needs to be complete or they all must be complete before the next set of tasks become active.

When the route creator starts a route, the system activates all tasks with an order number of 1 and notifies the assignee for each task. If the assignee is a group or role, one member of the group or role must accept the responsibility for the task. That person then becomes the task assignee. The assignees complete the task as defined in the route, then mark the task as complete. The system then creates a task for the next person in the route and so on.

You can use any of these methods to create a route:

• Creating a Simple Route. A simple route has one or more users, each with the same route action (for example, Approval, Comment, or Notify Only) and the same due date. Simple routes cannot be created from templates.
• Creating a Route Using a Wizard. The wizard creates a complete route, optionally using a route template, and it can specify multiple levels of users, route actions, and due dates.
• Creating a Route with Only Basic Information. The route contains only basic information and no tasks. You must later define the route's content, member access, and tasks before you can start the route.

The scope for a route determines who can be assigned tasks in the route, who can access the route, and in some cases, what content can be added to the route. A route's scope could be:

• Organization. The route creator can add only people from his/her own company and one other company.
• All. The route creator can add people from any company, including roles and groups.
• Workspace, folder, subfolder. Only people who have at least Read access to the workspace, folder, or subfolder can be added to the route. Only content from the workspace, folder, or subfolder can be added to the route.

You can add files to a route that are not initially in the scope of the route by uploading an external file to the route. However when adding the file, you must place the external file in a folder within the route's scope.

Route members are the people, groups and roles who can be assigned tasks for the route and who can access the route when it is started. The route creator can add members to the route even after the route has started. The creator can also remove a member as long as there are no tasks assigned to that member. Workspace Leads can view a route in the workspace if they are a member of the route.

You can add these types of members to a route.

• People. People added individually to the route.
• Buyer Desk Person. People added to the workspace because they belong to an associated Buyer Desk.
• Role. When the system creates the task assigned to the role, it notifies all people who belong to the role. The first person who accepts the task is designated as the task assignee and can complete the task.
• Group. When the system creates the task assigned to the group, it notifies all people who belong to the group. The first person who accepts the task is designated as the task assignee and can complete the task.

Every route member must be assigned at least one task before starting the route. When you start a route, the system removes any members who do not have at least one task assigned. If you create a route based on a route template that includes members, the template members are automatically added to the route. You can remove these members, add new ones, change their route access, or leave them unchanged.

This list describes the actions members can perform for each route access level:

• Read. Every person, group and role included in the route is assigned at least Read access for the route. This means the member can view the Properties page for the route, including all tasks, history, and accesses for the route. The member can also view and download route content but only the items the person has Read access to are listed. Read access also lets members subscribe to the route.
• Read Write. A person with Read Write access to the route has Read permissions and can also check in files to the route.
• Add. A person with Add access to the route has Read Write permissions and can also add new content to the route.
• Remove. A person with Remove access has Read Write permissions and can also remove content from the route.
• Add Remove. A person with Add Remove access has the accesses defined for both Add and Remove access.

You can simplify the process of creating similar routes by saving routes as templates. A route template contains the frequently reused components of a route, such as the route description, members, task order, and instructions.

See Working with Route Templates.

The components of a route that are typically unique for each route--the route name, the content being routed, and the access levels assigned to route members--are not saved in the template.

A route template's availability determines who can use the template to create routes. A route template's availability can be:

• User. Only the template owner can use it. Any person can create a User route template.
• Enterprise. Anyone can use the template to create a route. Only Company Representatives can create Enterprise-level route templates.

Route templates can be saved with no members and therefore no task assignees. If you create a route based on a template that has no members, you have to add members and assign tasks before starting the route. If the route template has members, some tasks may still be unassigned and you have to assign these tasks before starting the route.

If the template is based on a route that has a scope item defined (a workspace, for example) and it contains members who do not have at least Basic access to the scope item, they are not included in the route. Any tasks these people are assigned are removed from the route.

A route template can be defined to allow one of the following four levels of editing. The pages that let you define the tasks for a route indicate the tasks that come from the template with a (t).

• Maintain Exact Task List. Route creators must use the exact task list, with no tasks added or removed. Other fields can be changed, including the task assignee.
• Extend Task List. Route creators must use the exact task list, but more tasks can be added to an existing route order number or a new number. The route owner can make any changes to tasks the owner adds to the route.
• Modify Task List. Route creators can change all information for template tasks except the task name. The route creator can add new tasks but cannot delete template tasks.
• Modify/Delete Task List. Route creators can change and delete any task and can add new tasks.