Skip to main content
Version: Version 22

Workflows

Introduction​

What is the Workflows Tab? The Workflows tab in the Portfolio of Fortes Change Cloud is a space where users can define and manage the workflows within the portfolio. It allows organizations to set up workflows that guide how initiatives move through different stages based on predefined rules and roles. This tab ensures that portfolio governance is consistently applied, while also supporting flexibility to match organizational processes, acquiring information and decision-making structures.

Who Uses It? The Workflows tab is used by roles responsible for managing and overseeing portfolio processes, including:

  • Portfolio Managers, to define and monitor the flow of initiatives through strategic decision points.
  • PMO Teams, to enforce governance standards and ensure process consistency across the portfolio.
  • Program and Project Managers, to follow structured steps for submitting, updating, and closing initiatives.
  • Decision Makers and Approvers, to review and act on items at key workflow stages.
  • Business Owners and Contributors, to participate in workflows relevant to their roles and responsibilities.

What Value Does It Deliver? The Workflows tab delivers value by:

  • Standardizing Portfolio Processes: Ensures consistent handling of initiatives across departments and teams.
  • Improving Governance: Embeds approval steps, validations, and role-based actions to support compliance and oversight.
  • Enhancing Transparency: Makes it clear where each initiative stands in its lifecycle and what actions are pending.
  • Boosting Efficiency: Sends each contributing team its own task and notifies team managers by email, reducing manual coordination and delays.
  • Supporting Strategic Control: Aligns execution with organizational priorities by controlling how and when initiatives progress.

Goal of workflows with forms​

Use workflows to request status updates or other data from contributing teams and ensure those updates reach the portfolio. You define which fields teams must fill, send a request, monitor progress, and accept or reject the submitted data. Accepted data becomes part of the official portfolio information.

How to work with workflows and forms​

1) Configure contributing teams​

Create and configure teams in the Teams app and assign managers. Contributing teams are responsible for providing updates in response to your workflow requests.

Link the contributing teams to the relevant portfolio and items. Add a Contributing teams segment to a canvas so teams can be attached directly to objective cards.

3) Configure the workflow​

Create a workflow configuration and specify the fields teams must complete. This defines the structure of the form the teams will fill.

Designing the page layout​

Each workflow configuration has a Detail Page Layout tab where you design the form that contributing teams see in the Teams App. You can build a custom layout from two types of segments:

  • Field segments: display and collect portfolio item values (name, status, dates, custom fields). Toggle individual fields as editable or read-only, and control label visibility.
  • List segments: show related items such as risks, issues, actions, and lessons learned. Choose the visible columns and decide whether teams can add, edit, or delete items within the list.

Sections, columns, and segments are reordered by dragging the ⋮⋮ handle. Keyboard navigation is also supported: Tab to focus, Space to pick up or drop, and the arrow keys to move an element.

Each workflow configuration has its own layout, so you can show different forms per configuration. When teams fill a workflow task, fields auto-save on change. Portfolio managers review the submitted data in the same layout.

4) Request updates from teams​

Start the workflow manually with Initiate new workflow on the portfolio's Workflows tab. There is no automatic trigger or schedule. Choose a configuration, enter a name, and optionally set a due date.

FCC creates one task per contributing team. Each task holds all portfolio items for which that team is the contributing team, and the team responds to it in the Teams app.

Notifications​

FCC sends an email to the managers of the team in three situations:

  • When the task is created.
  • When a submission is rejected.
  • Once, when the task passes its due date without being submitted.

No reminders are sent before the due date. If you start a workflow without a due date, the task never becomes overdue and no overdue email is sent.

5) Teams submit data​

Teams can submit their updates in several ways:

Via Excel​

Prepare the data offline in Excel, copy the cells, and click Update from Excel in the task. Paste the copied cells into the dialog, then map each pasted column to a column of the list or to Ignore. There is no file upload.

Rows are matched to existing items by name. Depending on the workflow configuration, unmatched rows are added as new items (New items can be added), and items missing from the pasted data are removed (Items can be removed).

warning

If Items can be removed is enabled, every item in the task that is not in the pasted data is removed.

From your own or another FCC environment​

Create a canvas in the external FCC instance that uses the same workflow structure so teams can fill and submit from there.

For cross-environment collection, define the data fields, generate an OData link (with its auth key), and use it in the Teams context to receive the data securely.

Via the Workflow Import Wizard​

Team managers can use the Workflow Import Wizard to bulk-import data directly into workflow tasks from an OData source. The wizard is available for OData-connected workflows in the Portfolio and Teams modules.

The wizard guides you through four steps:

  1. Select a data source: choose your current FCC instance or connect to an external FCC instance using a URL and an authorization key. External keys are generated via the OData Connectivity app or the Dashboard tab of a portfolio.
  2. Map fields: the system auto-suggests column-to-field mappings based on naming conventions. Override suggestions as needed, mark fields as Ignore to preserve existing values, and preview up to five sample rows. Mapping is saved per team and workflow configuration.
  3. Filter items: narrow the import scope using conditions on any available field. The item count updates live and filter settings persist with the configuration.
  4. Preview and import: review all filtered items with the applied mappings before confirming.

Tip: You can navigate back to earlier steps at any time without losing later configuration. Invalid settings are automatically removed when their dependencies change.

6) Accept or reject submissions​

After a team submits, managers review the data. Accepted data updates the portfolio; rejected data can be clarified and resubmitted.

7) Report and analyze​

Use the List view on the workflows page to review all submitted and accepted data. Customize the columns so they match the fields defined in your workflow.

Best practices​

  • Prepare contributing teams (and assign managers) before launching a workflow.
  • Link teams to portfolio items via a Contributing teams segment to route requests correctly.
  • Define the exact fields you need up front; keep forms concise.
  • Pick the right submission method: Teams app for simple updates; Excel or OData for bulk or cross-environment data.
  • Review promptly and give feedback on rejected submissions.
  • Align your List view columns with the workflow fields for easier analysis.

FAQ​

How do I set up teams?
Create teams in the Teams app and assign managers. Those teams will provide workflow inputs.

How do I link teams to portfolio items?
Add a Contributing teams segment to a canvas and attach the relevant teams to the objective cards.

Where do I define what data teams must submit?
In the workflow configuration. Specify the fields that must be completed before sending a request.

Can teams outside our FCC environment submit data?
Yes. Either let them fill a canvas in their own FCC environment (with the same workflow structure) or use an OData link to collect their data.

What happens to rejected data?
Rejected submissions do not update the portfolio. Teams can correct and resubmit.

How do I analyze the submissions?
Open the List view on the workflows page and adjust the visible columns to match your workflow fields.

Need more support?​

Contact your Fortes Change Cloud administrator or consult the online knowledge base for more step-by-step configuration guides.