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Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

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Security Group Workflow

The security group workflow is a means of managing the transition of elements through a series of stages defined by an element property such as the Status, so that the elements can only pass from one stage to the defined next stage and not get arbitrarily set to a much later (or earlier) stage. Control is applied when the user changes an element's property through the Properties window or 'Properties' dialog, or through a Kanban diagram bound to the element property.

You can manage workflow through the Workflow Scripting Engine, but by setting up a workflow definition in the User Security facility you can make use of the existing security groups to finely and tightly control which users can move an element between certain states. For example, applying the element 'Status' property:

  • Developers (Security Group 'Dev') can change Status only from:
         -  'Proposed' to 'In Progress'
         -  'In Progress' to 'Implemented'
         -  'Reviewed' to 'Merged'
  • Reviewers (Security Group 'Rev') can change Status only from:
         -  'Implemented' to 'Reviewed' or
         -  'Implemented' to 'In Progress'
  • Testers (Security Group 'Test') can change Status only from:
         -  'Merged' to 'Tested'
  • Project Managers (Security Group 'PMan') can change Status from any value to any previous value

Note: Currently, the Security Group Workflows can be set only on the 'Status' element property.

Prerequisites

User Security must be enabled, and the appropriate User Security Groups set up (although you can add and delete Security Groups during the process described here).

Access

Ribbon

Configure > Security > Administer > Group Workflow

Set up Workflow on Security Groups

The 'Status Workflow' dialog is displayed.

Step

Action

See also

1

Select the 'Enable Group Workflow' checkbox to enable security group workflows.

(Later, clear the checkbox if you want to suspend any currently-defined workflows for a period.)

2

In the 'Group' panel, click on the required security group.

(If the required group is not listed, click on the Configure button to display the 'Security Groups' dialog and create the group.)

The available values for the Status property are listed in the 'Type' panel.

 Maintain Groups

3

In the 'From' field, click on the drop-down arrow and select the Status value that the users in the selected security group can change.

4

In the 'Type' panel, click on the value that the users can change the status to, and then click on the button to transfer that value to the 'Transitions to' panel.

You can transfer all values to the 'Transitions to' panel by clicking on the button.

If you need to correct or otherwise remove values from the 'Transitions to' panel, use one of these two buttons:

 

As an example, if you wanted to allow Reviewers to transition elements from 'Implemented' to 'Reviewed' or 'In Progress', you would select 'Implemented' in the 'From' field and click on 'Reviewed' and the button, and then click on 'In Progress' and the button.

5

Click on the Save button.

You can now either:

  • Repeat steps 3-5 and assign another rule to the same security group, to allow them to transition from another value
  • Repeat steps 2-5 and assign rules to a different security group, to allow them to transition from one value to one or more others
  • Click on the Close button and stop defining security group workflows

Learn more

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