User Manual

Process Automation

Process Automation

Kuika’s Process Automation module streamlines mobile and web application development by automating workflows, enabling efficient management of repetitive and time-sensitive tasks. This results in significant savings in time and effort. With Process Automation, workflows can be designed, system and custom actions can be added, and task assignments can be managed. This module is a built-in feature of the Kuika platform and does not function as a separate tool. All integration operations, system actions, and data management capabilities available in Kuika can be directly utilized within Process Automation.

The Process Automation module can be applied in various areas such as automated reporting, data analytics, HR automation, customer service, and support operations. In this course, you will learn how to build workflows using the Process Automation module.

In order to use the Process Automation module, you need to upgrade your current subscription plan. By upgrading your subscription, you can access advanced features such as automating your business processes, process management and monitoring. You can visit the Pricing Page for the subscription upgrade process.

This training content consists of the following topics:

  • Creating Process Automation
  • Anatomy of the Process Automation module
  • Properties panel of Process Automation tools
  • Workflow Screens panel
  • Proxy system

Process Automation Creation

Follow the steps below to create Process Automation:

  1. Log in to the Kuika platform and open the project you will work with from the Apps screen.
  2. Click on the Process Automation module.
  3. On the screen that opens, give your workflow a name and click the CREATE button.

Following the previous MSSQL-based structure, process stability and scope were expanded with Oracle Workflow integration.

After completing these steps, you can continue with the workflow creation process.

Anatomy of Process Automation Module

When you switch to the Process Automation module on the Kuika platform, the workflow creation screen is displayed.

  1. Left Panel

From the left panel, you can create new workflows, access added workflows, define parameters and custom actions.

  • Processes: This is the area for creating new workflows.
  • Process Parameters: It is the field for defining parameters for workflows.
  • Business Object: It is the field for defining data structures to be used in form screens. For example, you can define the variable “Permit Day” as the user's permission day. If this data is information that must be entered by the user who starts the process, the parameters marked as “Is Input”  are displayed under the Start Process action.
  • Internal: This is the field where the variables used for logical controls are defined. For example, you should create a process that checks whether the user has permission rights in the permission process. Since this is a background process, you can define a variable that determines the permission right. You can define a Boolean type variable named “Progress Payment”.

If the user is entitled to a day off, the progress is made on a specific path, if the user is not entitled to a day off, the progress is made on another path.

  • Custom Actions: This is the area where you can add custom actions in workflows.
  • Buttons: This is the area where you can add customizable buttons to manage user interaction.

B. Workflow Management Area

Process Automation Tools

To learn how to create a sample process, check out the Process Automation course.

Activate The Hand Tool

  • Allows you to drag and drop the flow in the workflow design screen. Used to quickly focus on or edit different sections in complex workflows. Provides mobility during design and enhances the user experience.
    • Example: In a large order management process, you drag the workflow to the right to make the ‘Order Confirmation’ step more visible.

Activate The Lasso Tool

  • Allows you to select multiple workflow items at the same time and move, copy or delete them collectively. Saves time and provides convenience in complex processes.
    • Example: You want to select the ‘Invoice Preparation,’ ‘Payment Approval,’ and ‘Shipping Preparation’ steps and move them all to the left.

Activate The Create/Remove Space Tool

  • Allows you to create and close spaces between objects in the workflow. Creates space for adding new steps or saves space by removing unnecessary spaces.
    • Example: You open a space between ‘Customer Approval’ and ‘Order Dispatch’ to add a new step called ‘Quality Control.’

Activate The Global Connect Tool

  • Used to connect different elements in the workflow. Creates links that show the direction of data or control flow.
    • Example: You draw an arrow from the ‘Order Received’ step to the ‘Stock Control’ step to direct the workflow.

Create Start Event

  • Represents the starting point of the workflow. It is the first step that triggers the process and can be a user action, system event, or timer. There should usually be a single starting point for the workflow to function correctly.
    • Example: The ‘Customer Order Received’ event starts the workflow.

Create End Event

  • Indicates the point at which the workflow is complete and ends. The process ends and, if necessary, results are recorded or notifications are sent.
    • Example: The ‘Order Completed’ step ends the workflow.

Create Timer Event

  • A timer that triggers the workflow at the end of a specified time or at specific times. It is used as a wait step. The wait time can be set with the Time Duration parameter. The Is Interrupting option controls whether the process is paused during the wait.
    • Example: The ‘Wait for Payment’ step waits for 3 days; at the end of the time period, the ‘Send Payment Reminder’ step is automatically triggered.

Create Exclusive Gateway

  • A decision point where only one path is selected in the workflow based on conditions. Conditions are determined with logical expressions.
    • Example: If the order amount is greater than 1000 TL, the ‘Manager Approval’ path is taken; otherwise, the ‘Standard Process’ path is taken.

Create Parallel Gateway

  • Enables the start or merging of parallel business processes. Tasks continue simultaneously and independently.
    • Example: After ‘Order Approval,’ the “Packaging” and ‘Invoice Preparation’ tasks start at the same time.

Create User Task

  • These are tasks that require user interaction. User intervention is required for processes such as filling out forms and giving approval.
    • Example: The relevant person is expected to fill out the form and give approval for ‘Manager Approval.’

Create Task

  • These are tasks that are automatically executed by the system. Processes such as integration, data processing, or automatic notifications that do not require manual intervention take place here.
    • Example: After the order is approved, an invoice is automatically generated and sent to the customer via email.

Create Collapsed Sub Process

  • Groups subprocesses into a single block, making the workflow more organized and easier to read. Detailed sub-steps are hidden inside this block and can be expanded only when needed.
    • Example: A separate subprocess is defined for the “Return Process”; it appears as a single block in the workflow, but when expanded, the detailed steps are listed inside.

Create Linked Process

  • Enables the current process to directly connect with another process. This allows integration between different processes and ensures holistic workflow management.
    • Example: From the “Order Management” process, a direct link is created to the “Billing Process,” enabling seamless transition between steps.

Design Area (Canvas)

When creating your workflow on the canvas, various tools are available to add, edit, and link elements. The function and usage examples of each tool are explained below:

Appended End Event

Allows you to add an End Event directly to a selected element. This feature allows you to quickly end the workflow.

  • Example: Right-click on a ‘Order Cancellation’ step, select Appended End Event from the menu, and the cancellation will terminate the workflow.

Append Text Annotation

Allows you to add a description box to the selected item. Descriptions make the workflow logic clearer and facilitate internal communication.

  • Example: By adding the note ‘Product is visually inspected’ to the ‘Quality Control’ step, you can provide information about the purpose of this step.

Create Task

Allows you to add a task to the selected item. This task can be an action that can be automatically executed by the system.

  • Example: By adding the ‘Transfer to CRM’ step after the ‘Customer Registration’ step, you can ensure that the data is automatically recorded in the system.

Create Exclusive Gateway

Allows you to add a decision point (Exclusive Gateway) after the selected item. This step changes the direction of the workflow based on certain conditions.

  • Example: After the ‘Payment Status’ check, different paths can be drawn by adding the ‘Is Payment Complete?’ decision step.

Change Type

Allows you to change the type of the selected element. This allows you to convert an incorrectly selected element during the design process without having to recreate it.

  • Example: If you accidentally added a ‘Task’ element as a standard task, you can convert it to a ‘User Task’ to make it a step that requires user interaction.

Remove

Allows you to delete the selected element(s). Used to quickly clean up incorrect or unnecessary steps.

  • Example: You can select the ‘Manual Control’ step that is no longer functional and delete it with the Remove command.

Connect Using Sequence Flow / Message Flow / Association

Used to establish connections between elements.

  • Sequence Flow: Shows the process flow.
  • Message Flow: Enables message communication between different pools or lanes.
  • Association: Establishes relationships between elements with additional information, for example, to link forms and descriptions.
  • Example: You can specify the flow of work by drawing a Sequence Flow between the ‘Create Invoice’ step and the ‘Send Invoice’ step. You can also add a description with a Text Annotation and link it to the ‘Create Invoice’ step with Association.

C. Process Automation Properties Panel

  • Process Description: Description of the business process.
  • Process Due: Completion time of the process.
  • Lane: The area used to separate user tasks and make authorizations.
  • Assignment: This is where tasks are assigned. In this section, you determine which user or user groups the step will be directed to.
    • Type Options
      • Everyone: When this option is selected, the task is placed in the task pool. All users can see this task; any user who wants to can take on the task and complete it.
      • Role: The task is assigned to a specific role defined in the system. To assign a role, select the appropriate role from the “Choose Role” field. As shown in the image, the list of roles displays the available roles, and a new role can be created using the + Add New Role option.
      • Dynamic Assignment: Allows assignments linked to process variables.
      • External Users: Allows external users outside the application to be assigned to tasks. For example, it is used when customers, subcontractors, or guest users need to complete a step.
  • Happy Path: Refers to the error-free completion of the process under ideal conditions.
  • Version History: It allows management of old versions of workflows.

Version history can be viewed in the mobile app, but versions are saved via the web.

Recurring Step (Scheduled Steps)

Recurring Step is defined by adding a Timer Boundary Event to a specific task (Task or User Task). This structure allows a step to be automatically re-run at specific intervals or redirected to an alternative flow after a certain period of time.

Usage:

  • Sending a reminder email or notification when a task is not completed within a certain time
  • Triggering periodically running tasks (e.g., daily reports, weekly checks)
  • Continuing the process via an alternative path for steps delayed by the user.

Technical Features:

  • Timer Boundary Event is selected and linked to the task item.
  • The waiting time (minutes, hours, days) is specified in the Timer Duration field.
  • If the Is Interrupting option is active, the main flow is stopped when the time expires and the timer path is executed.
  • If it is inactive (non-interrupting), the timer path runs in parallel while the main flow continues.

Properties Panel of Process Automation Tools

Create Exclusive Gateway

This tool allows you to determine the conditions and order of operations in a workflow. The purpose of the Gateway is to select and execute only one of multiple possible paths based on defined conditions. This allows the process to branch according to different scenarios.

Parameters defined in the parameter panel can be called and used in conditions using the Symbol Picker located under the “None” option. These variables can be of different data types, such as string, number, boolean, or datetime. The parameter selected via the Symbol Picker is evaluated using a comparison operator (e.g., equals, not equals, greater than, less than, contains) specified in the Select Box. If the condition is true, the output path associated with that condition is executed.

Multiple outputs can be defined on an Exclusive Gateway. One of these outputs must be designated as the default path using the “Will execute otherwise” option. This path is activated if none of the other conditions listed above are met. If, for example, ‘Yes’ is selected for this field, the first path checked in the workflow is evaluated as “No.” Ordering is important because the system evaluates conditions from top to bottom and does not check paths after the first true condition. Conditions can be reordered using drag-and-drop.

The order of condition truth directly affects process behavior. The most general condition should be placed at the bottom, and the most specific condition at the top. Otherwise, an unexpected path may run when all conditions are not met. It is recommended to add a condition to each exit path. However, at least one path must be set to “Will execute otherwise” so that the path the process will take when all conditions fail is clearly defined.

Create Inclusive Gateway

Used to branch the workflow in parallel when multiple conditions can be met simultaneously. Unlike the Exclusive Gateway, the Inclusive Gateway triggers all paths associated with the conditions if more than one condition is true at the same time.

Independent conditions can be defined for each output path. Conditions are created using variables located in the parameter panel via the Symbol Picker tool. During the evaluation process, the system examines all conditions independently of each other. Therefore, if multiple conditions return “true,” all of these paths are executed simultaneously.

At least one path on the Inclusive Gateway must be designated as “Will execute otherwise”. This option ensures that the process continues without interruption if none of the other defined conditions are met.

Inclusive Gateway provides flexible parallel execution in workflow scenarios. For example, in an order process, if both the “Update Invoice” and “Return Request” conditions are met at the same time, the system can start both processes simultaneously.

Create Inclusive Gateway enables business processes to branch dynamically based on conditions and start multiple processes at the same time.

Create Task

This tool is the step where automatic tasks to be executed by the system on the Kuika platform are defined. It is typically used to model processes that do not require user interaction. For example, tasks such as making API calls, integrating with external services, updating system parameters, or preparing data in the background are performed in this step.

The Create Task step contains two main structures: Actions and Step Outputs. The Actions section is where the system actions that will be triggered when this step is executed are defined. Here, one or more previously defined actions can be executed in sequence. These actions can be, for example, a REST API call or sending data to a previously defined Custom Action and receiving a response.

The Step Outputs section is where the data obtained as a result of the action is mapped to parameters that will be used in the workflow. In this section, the “+SELECT WF PARAMS TO MAP” option is used to determine which variables the values returned by the action will be transferred to. This way, values obtained from external systems or calculated in the background can be used in the workflow for conditions, notifications, or other tasks.

This task type does not display any forms or notifications to the user. It manages processes that occur entirely in the background. When properly positioned, it automates the workflow and eliminates the need for manual intervention. Each Create Task step can be configured not only to perform a single action but also to execute multiple automated steps in sequence.

Create User Task

This tool is used to define tasks in the workflow that require manual intervention or approval from the user. It is used in situations where the user needs to perform a specific action, enter data, fill out a form, or make a decision. The process does not proceed to the next step until the user completes the assigned task. Therefore, User Task steps function as critical decision points or data collection areas in the process.

Create User Task offers flexible configuration options for designing interactive processes with users in the system. This step can be associated with a form to collect data from the user and can be customized with various fields such as user-specific assignments, notifications, descriptions, deadlines, and buttons.

Properties Panel:

  • Description: This is where explanations are made in the business process. Parameters can be called using @. For example, @UserName requested permission between @PermitStartDate and @PermitEndDate. Please evaluate the request.
  • Assignment: Used to assign tasks to users.
    • Everyone: The task falls into the task pool and all users can take on the task.
    • Role: The task is assigned to a specific role. The role is selected from the “Choose Role” field or a new role is created with + Add New Role.
    • Dynamic Assignment: The task is dynamically assigned to the user based on process parameters.
    • Use Lane: When enabled, the task is assigned according to the lane structure.
  • Step Outputs: Determines the results of the output steps within the process. The results of the user's action (e.g., approved, rejected, sent back) are defined in this field. A separate output can be defined for each button, and different flows can be directed with a gateway.
    • Example Buttons:
      • Approve → Direct to the “Approved” path
      • Reject → Redirect to “Rejected” path
      • SendBack → Redirect to “Returned” path

Create User Task's Step Output, unlike Create Task, allows users to modify the information entered on the screens. The information to be obtained from the user is defined in this area.

  • User Interaction

The User Interaction element is used to define steps in a workflow that require human interaction, such as direct feedback from the user, form filling, decision making, or entering specific data. This step separates the business process from system actions and makes user input mandatory.

Usage Scenarios

  • Filling out a permission request form
  • Approving expenses
  • Providing feedback to the task manager with comments
  • Uploading documents

Technical Specifications

  • Form Definition: A form created with UI Designer is linked to this step and displayed to the user.
  • Assignment:
    • Can be assigned to a specific user
    • Can be assigned based on role
    • Can be assigned dynamically (with custom action)
    • Can be dropped into the task pool with the Everyone option
  • Button Definition:
    • Action buttons such as Approve, Reject, and Send Back can be defined
    • Each button can be given a unique ID (e.g., approve, reject)
  • Output Mapping:
    • Data received from the user is transferred to the process by linking to defined parameters

Interaction Flow

  1. When the process reaches this step, the task is assigned to the defined user.
  2. The user makes the necessary entries or selections on the form.
  3. The user completes the process with a defined button (e.g., Approve).
  4. The process can be directed to different paths depending on the action taken.

Monitoring and Reporting

  • Task Statuses: Each User Interaction step can be tracked with statuses such as Assigned, In Progress, Completed, Rejected, or Returned.
  • Report Filtering: These tasks can be filtered and analyzed in process performance reports.
  • Task Pool: Tasks defined with Everyone assignment are placed in the task pool and can be claimed by all authorized users.

Tips and Best Practices

  • Design transparent and trackable approval flows using User Interaction steps for critical decision points in the process.
  • Assign meaningful IDs to buttons (approve, reject, sendBack) and branch the process by connecting them with gateways.
  • If necessary, trigger overdue tasks by defining Task Due (time required for completion).

Advanced Use: Form Integration

The form linked to the User Interaction step supports the following features:

  • File upload
  • Validation rules
  • Dynamic field display
  • Pre/post-process trigger

Advanced Panel:

  • Task Due: Determines the time required to complete the process in the workflow.
    • Time unit: minutes, hours, days.
    • Tasks that have expired can be reported, and reminder notifications can be sent.
  • Actions: Actions that are triggered as soon as the task is created can be added. For example, it can be used to send a custom notification email to the user. These actions do not change the general operation of the step.
  • Notification: Notifications ensure that the user is notified when a task is assigned or when action is required. After moving to the confirmation field in the Send section:
    • Template:
      • Default:
        • Add Go To Task Button to Mail: Adds a button to the sent notifications that directs the user to the relevant task. The user is directed to the relevant form or task screen with a single click from the notification.
        • Add User Interactions to Mail: Allows dynamic interaction keys (toggle/switch) to be added to increase user interaction in the notification content. In mobile or web notifications, the user can complete the process without opening the form. For example, the question “Do you approve the permission request?” is displayed in the notification. The “Yes/No” selection can be made directly in the notification.
      • Custom: Allows you to select a custom notification template.

Workflow Screens Panel

Kuika's Process Automation module uses the Workflow Screen creation panel to manage and automate business processes. This panel allows you to create your business process, define processes and visualize process flows.

  1. To add the Create User Task element to your business process, drag it to the appropriate area of the screen.
  2. In the Properties panel on the right edge, click on the icon next to No screen set for step yet.
  1. In the Workflow Screens-Forms screen, add the necessary screens for your application.
  2. Click the CREATE button and fill in the relevant fields on the screen that opens.
  1. Workflow Screen Panel, No screen set for step yet field and UI Design panel will be displayed.
  2. Right click on the Create User Task element in the UI Design panel and select Add Screen.
  3. Select the screen you created earlier and confirm.
  4. Complete the screen creation process by clicking the Save button.

What is a Proxy System?

A Delegation System is a system that allows a user to delegate tasks to another team member in their absence. For example, in an application where leave processes are managed, if the manager is on leave, the proxy system is activated so that the employee's leave can proceed without waiting for approval. By appointing a proxy, the manager ensures that the processes continue without interruption.

Thanks to the proxy system, the appointed proxy can view and manage the manager's business processes on his behalf. This system makes processes more efficient and ensures business continuity. In Process Automation, the user can appoint a proxy and have their work managed by the proxy.

How Does a Proxy System Work?

  • The proxy system is included in the output of the application; it is not directly involved in the development process, but can be added as an option.
  • Users can integrate this system into their applications according to their needs.
  • Kuika Process Automation actions include Get Agent and Set Agent actions. These actions allow the user to perform proxy operations on the user.
  • Only one agent can be assigned to a user. For example, if Admin has given a proxy to User 1, User 1 cannot get another proxy at the same time.

This system ensures that processes continue without interruption and helps to manage proxy assignments regularly.

Kuika's Process Automation module offers a powerful automation solution to speed up business processes and increase efficiency. Thanks to this module, you can optimize your processes by minimizing manual operations and save time and resources. You can use the Process Automation module to manage your processes more effectively and make your workflows efficient.

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