⚡️ Gatekeeper Expert - Parallel Workflow 1 ⚡️

Discover how to run concurrent workflows for multi-layered processes to save both time & administrative effort

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      Estimated Read Time: 5 Minutes

        Estimated Configuration Time: 20 - 30 Minutes

 

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Sections in this Article

Introduction to Parallel Workflows

The Use Case - Contract Request ⓧ New Supplier Onboarding

Diagrams

Demonstration

Configuration

FAQ

Additional Reading

 

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Introduction to "Parallel Workflows"

 

There are many processes which can be performed as part of Vendor & Contract lifecycle-management which take time...

Vendor Onboarding

NDA Signing

Risk Assessments & Due Diligence

Internal Approvals

Contract Negotiations

Running these sequentially can end up creating significant lead times - especially if they involve many stakeholders and varying actions & inputs

Utilising Gatekeeper's Workflow AutoActions & Automated Triggers, you can configure processes which connect seamlessly, allowing your users to leverage Gatekeeper's workflow engine for all of your processes without any delays from human interactions or stringent compliance processes

 

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The Use Case

Contract Request ⓧ New Vendor Onboarding

 

When requesting new Services or Contracts for negotiation & approval, it's possible to allow your users to request agreements with existing Vendors or to request new Vendors...

 

In the case of the latter, you will likely want to complete a formal onboarding process before entering into an agreement with this new party.

If you're doing things right, you'll have a structured risk assessment/due diligence/vendor onboarding workflow in place already. It may even be embedded within your Contract Request workflow

 

However, this can lead to a potential problem:

Your contract requestors may not want to wait for the whole onboarding to be completed before they can begin discussing terms with a new vendor

At best, your requestors will be patient (albeit annoyed) that they have to wait for 2 separet processes to complete

At worst, they may and try to find ways around your procedures, having discussions offline and keeping you in the dark!

 

Leveraging AutoActions, you can initiate a Vendor Onboarding Process while proceeding with the original Contract Request, stopping only before execution to validate that the Vendor meets your standards and all risks/compliance checks have been addressed

 

Suboptimal Workflows 👎

Option 1 - AutoCreate Vendors

In this workflow setup, new Vendors will be automatically created by the workflow so Contract negotiations & signatures can proceed asap

 

Option 2 - Create then Onboard Vendors

Here, new Vendors will be automatically created and onboarded via the workflow. Contract negotiations & signatures can only proceed once these steps have been completed

 

Optimal Workflow 🙌

Here, contracts requests with a NEW vendor will automatically trigger a separate workflow for onboarding that Vendor

This vendor onboarding/risk assessment process can proceed at the same time as the legal/contracting actions

 

 

 

Walkthrough Demonstration

 

 

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🛠 Configuration 🛠

 

Part 1 - Adding the "AutoCreate Vendor" Action

Step 1) Add a new phase named 🛠 AutoCreate Vendor 🛠

Step 2) Hit Reorder & Minimise to position this new phase after the Request Form but before the Create Contract phase

Step 3) For this new phase, hit Edit this Phase & navigate to the Actions tab

Step 4) Enable ⚙️ AutoAction Create Vendor, then hit Edit AutoAction Values

Step 5) Select ☑️ Take values from the form for all fields except for Status & Approval which should be set to values which will trigger your other workflow.

Step 6) Point the transitions from your new AutoCreate Vendor phase to the next step in the process

Step 7) Edit to the Transition/s from the previous phase to include your new AutoCreate Vendor phase in the end-to-end process flow

 

Part 2 - Triggering the Vendor Onboarding

Step 1) Go to the Workflows page

Step 2) Click to edit your Vendor Onboarding workflow then select the Workflow Triggers option

Step 3) Hit ➕ ADD TRIGGER

Step 4) Name your trigger then hit ✅ Create

Step 5) Use ➕ ADD to compiling the list of conditions for the trigger to fire

Step 6) Set your Trigger Status to Live

 

Part 3 - Conditional Approval

Add a new approval to the end of your workflow before the final commitment to the supplier agreement - usually this final step is eSigning the contract

Step 1)  Go to your final approval & hit Edit this Phase

Step 2) Navigate to the Approval tab

Step 3) Check that Approval is  🔘 Enabled and set to 🔘 Parallel

Step 4) Hit ➕ ADD NEW PARALLEL APPROVAL

Step 5) In the pop-out  Parallel Approvals view, select the required Users/Groups, select 🔘 Conditional then hit ✅ Save

Ideally, this should be your main Gatekeeper admin/Vendor Management/Procurement team

Step 6) Hit ➕ ADD to assign the below conditions

1: Vendor / Status is one of Pipeline

2: Vendor / Approval is one of Awaiting Approval

NB. This video also contains a "Part 2 Config Walkthrough" to show you what to do if your workflows does not already have a final pre-esign approval phase!

 

Part 4 - "Vendor Onboarding Complete"

Step 1) Go to the "Done" phase for your Vendor Onboarding workflow & hit Edit this Phase

Step 2) On the Actions tab, enable ⚙️ AutoAction Update Vendor

Step 3) Hit Edit AutoAction Values

Step 4) Select ☑️ Take values from the form for all fields except for Status & Approval which should now be set to Live & Approved 

Step 5) Navigate to the Notifications tab

Step 6) Enable the email for the CC Group recipient & select the group from Part 3: Step 5

Step 7) Populate the Email Template content & hit ✅ Update, then ✅ Save

To copy some of the content from this gif ⬇️ jump to this section ⬇️

 

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FAQ 💬

 

Q: Can the completion of the Vendor Onboarding workflow automatically grant approval on the contract request process?

A: Currently no, (not unless you split the contract workflow into 2 parts)

The simplest method to facilitate this 'connection' between the 2 processes is to have a central vendor management user or team check & approve

 

Q: Does the 2nd process need to be a "Vendor Onboarding"?

A: "Vendor Onboarding" can be a general term to depict whatever initial compliance & setup steps you take before working with a new vendor. This could be risk assessments & due diligence checks or it could simply be getting a new NDA/MSA/Terms & Conditions agreement in place

 

Q: Can I repeat this to have more than 2 workflows run in parallel

A: Technically, yes!

Gatekeeper actually has a few clients which use a similar technique in their Vendor Onboarding Request workflows to trigger separate standalone ESG/Modern Slavery/Financial Risk/NDA Execution workflows

 

 

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Additional Reading 📚

 

Configuring Workflow Triggers

Learn how to configure triggers for workflows & about the types of data which can be used for these

 

Testing Gatekeeper

Learn how to create "dummy users" for the purposes of experiencing all parts of a new workflow process from multiple. perspectives

 

⚡️ Testing Triggered Workflows

Learn how to set up & edit custom metadata fields for the purpose of testing triggered workflows (without having to wait for real trigger scenarios to occur)

 

🛠 Create your own - Vendor Onboarding Workflow

See how to configure our Best Practice Vendor Onboarding workflow template

 

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Workflow Phase Content

 

Text for Notification Email ✉️

Subject

 

Email Content

 

Button Text

 

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