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Creating Alternate Stages

Use Alternate Stages when a Case Type deviates from the Primary Stages associated with the ideal process flow. Alternate Stages are configured below the Data & Interfaces section in the Case Life Cycle. When an Approve/Reject Step is added to a Case Type, Pega Platform™ automatically adds an Alternate Stage called Approval Rejection.

Highlighting the Approval Rejection Stage in the Content Request Case Type.

In Ren’s Content Request Case Type, the ideal process flow occurs when both the supervisor and requester approve the project. The Case Type deviates from the ideal flow into an alternate flow if either the supervisor or the requester rejects the project during their respective Approve/Reject Steps.

Ren designs an alternate flow to handle rejections, starting with the appropriate routing.

Routing rejections

When Ren first adds the Approve content Step, he notices that Pega Platform™ also adds an Approval Rejection Stage to the Alternate Stage section of his Case Type.

If Gab rejects a project during the Approve content Step, the Case is routed to the Approval Rejection Stage. To accomplish this, Ren completes the following steps:

  1. Click the Approve content Step to open the contextual property pane.
  2. At the top of the contextual property pane, click the Flow tab.
  3. In the If APPROVED then section, in the first dropdown list, click Continue.
  4. In the If REJECTED then section, in the first dropdown list, click Change stage.
  5. In the To dropdown list, verify that the Approval Rejection Stage is selected.
  6. In the Set status field, enter Pending-Revisions.
  7. Click Save.

Ren ensures that the same routing is in place for the Approve request Step, with one difference. In the If APPROVED section, Ren updates the Set status field to Resolved-completed.

With routing in place, Ren turns his attention to defining the steps associated with the Approval Rejection Stage.

The Approval Rejection stage

If either Gab or the requester rejects a project, the same two actions occur:

  • The Creative Content team revises and re-submits the project.
  • The project is routed back to Gab for review, via the Verification stage, and the Case continues along with its ideal process flow.

Creating Approval Rejection steps

Ren creates two steps in the Approval Rejection stage to match his business process.

  1. In the Approval Rejection Stage, click +STEP and then click Collect information in the selection box that is displayed.
  2. Update the label Step label to Resubmit content.
  3. To add a second step, click +STEP and in the selection box click More.
  4. In the dialogue that is displayed, open the Automations dropdown list.
  5. In the Automations dropdown list, select Change to a stage and then click Select.
  6. Update the label for the Step to Change to Verification.
  7. Click Save.

Once Ren adds the steps associated with the Approval Rejection Stage, he needs to configure each step.

Configuring Approval Rejection steps

With the steps added to the Approval Rejection Stage, Ren must now configure the steps. For the Resubmit content step, Ren will add routing using business logic and configure the view using fields created when configuring the views for  Submit content, Approve content, and Approve request Steps.

  1. Click the Resubmit content Step to open the contextual properties pane.
  2. Select Use business logic as the routing choice. Click the gear icon to the right of the box.
  3. Create the business logic that routes new content requests to the Operator Eli@abctech when the field Request type is equal to Video, and to Operator Ana@abctech when the field Request type is equal to Brochure, and to Operator Ren's email in all other Cases.
  4. Click Submit.
  5. In the Resubmit content contextual property pane, click Configure view and add the following fields from the Fields list:
    • Completed project
    • Project notes
    • Requester review
    • Supervisor review
  6. For the Completed Project field only, click the Configure icon, and from the Required field dropdown, select Always. Click Save.
  7. For the Requester review field, click the Configure icon, and from the Edit mode field dropdown, select Read-only. Click Save.
  8. Repeat step 7 for the Supervisor review field.
  9. Click Submit.
  10. Click the Change to Verification step.
  11. In the Change to Verification contextual properties pane, in the Stage drop-down list, select Verification.
  12. Click Save.

Ren has completed the flow associated with the Alternate Stage of the Content Request Case Type.

Review the following video to see Ren execute the Steps associated with the alternate process flow for the Content Request Case Type.

Note: The user interface depicted in the videos associated with this mission might differ slightly from your own due to alternate versions of the Pega Platform. This video has no audio and no closed captions.

More on Alternate Stages

Although it was not applicable to Ren’s application, it is possible to resolve or close a Case from the Alternate Stage.

Note: To learn more about Primary and Alternate Stages as they relate to a Case Life Cycle, see Stages in a Case Life Cycle.

Check your knowledge with the following interaction:

In your environment

Determine whether your application has an alternate Process that should be included alongside the ideal process flow. Design the appropriate routing to move the Case from the Primary Stages into the Alternate Stage. Identify the Steps associated with the Alternate Stage and define any associated routing and Views. As always, you can mirror the process Ren follows to define the Alternate Stage operation associated with the Content Request Case Type.


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