Help with looping depending on approval status and time deadline

[christinagatele]

Hi,

I am building a workflow with a simple approve or reject option; however, I also have to take into consideration whether the task has been completed within a time frame of 7 days of the due date but also to check whether 2 other fields have changed (this is either the 'Published Date' or 'Status').

I have tried using a string of 'IF' statements to do this, and attempted the loop functionality but I don't know which to use for the best, and I've also never used loops before.  Here is a snapshot of the loop option that I created:

Details behind each action are:

• Loop = where 'stage 2 status' equals open and where workflow data 'published date' => workflow data 'ReminderDate7 Days'
• Set variable = set 'DateLastModified' equals date when the action was executed
• Wait for item update = Modified to not equal workflow data 'DateLastModified'
• Run if = where workflow data 'PublishedDate' not equals list lookup field 'Published Date' or where workflow data 'Status' not equals list lookup 'Status'

My confusion is how to incorporate all of these actions to run at the same time.

I hope that is clear, but happy to elaborate or share more images if necessary.

Many, many thanks in advance for any help that you can provide 

[cassymfreeman]

so you want to analyse all of this after the approval or rejection has happened?

[christinagatele]

Hi Cassy,

The form that this workflow is running needs approving within 7 days, and then the actual document that the form has been initiated on behalf of needs to be review/updated before its due by date.  I probably need to explain the process a bit better...

• We have a document library, and each has a published date and a review by date.
• If the document has not been reviewed/updated 14 days before its review by date then the document owner has to raise a 'Deferral Request Form'.
• The 'Deferral Request Form' has to be approved/rejected within 7 days of the documents original review by date.
• Once the 'Deferral Request Form' has been approved (i.e. they have accepted the new review by date), then the document owner has to review/update the document at least 14 days before its new review date otherwise a 2nd deferral has to be raised.

It's the part after the deferral form has been approved where I'm getting myself into knots.

I hope that helps.  Thank you.

[cassymfreeman]

OK so let me try to understand properly.  you have a document library that has one workflow on.  You then have a list/library where the deferral request form is created?  When that deferral request form is created it goes for approval.  If it is approved you have to do update the review date on the original document?

Are they in the same library/site/list?  how is the deferral form related to the document (is there a column you can match the deferral form to the document on)?

Sorry for all the question, I think I understand what you want, but I don't understand your site / list / library structure to advise on a way to do this...

[christinagatele]

Hi Cassy, sorry I haven't got back to you sooner.

• The document library doesn't currently have a workflow on it.
• The deferral request form is in another list which does have a workflow attached to it.
• The ilbrary and list are in the same TeamSite.
• I am pulling information in from the document library to the list, such as the original published date, but other than that they are pretty much separate.  (It's a very immature process with a lot of manual intervention.  It is only the list with the deferral process that is being made automated at this point.)

I hope that makes more sense.  I'm very happy to answer more questions if you have them.

Thank you

[cassymfreeman]

Ok so the dates you need to check exist in the document library as well as the referral list?

[christinagatele]

Yes.  The list form pulls in info it needs from the document library as well as requesting further information from the user.

[cassymfreeman · Accepted solution]

OK so I have created a dummy list and workflow.  In my list I have title, published date, status and due date.

in my workflow I have two actions at the very beginning - used to log the current values of published date and status at the beginning of the workflow:

After this I have a flexi task to get the approval I require.

In the approval branch I have a calculate date action which is used to work out the tolerance for timely approval (i.e. 7 days before due date).

I then have a set a condition action that checks the following:

current date >= vDate7DaysBeforeDue AND

current date <= Due Date (on item) AND

vTextInitialStatus = Status (on item - would mean hasn't changed) AND

vDateInitialPublishedDate = Published Date (on item - would mean hasn't changed) 

Gives me an overall workflow like this:

is this remotely what you want or have I completely misunderstood?

Thanks
Cassy

[christinagatele]

Thank you, Cassy   It looks like it should work.  I'll build this into my workflow and give it a go!  (You'll also answered my query between using loops or conditions.)

I'll let you know how I get on.

Thank you again.  It's very kind of you to take the time to help me out