Workflows

Built-in Workflows automate the key stages of the asset lifecycle — receiving new assets, deploying them to users, and disposing of them when they reach end of life. Rather than requiring administrators to perform multiple manual steps for each asset transition, workflows guide users through the process and ensure that all required fields, approvals, and financial transactions are completed correctly. This page explains the available workflows and how they operate.

Prerequisites

• You should understand the basic asset lifecycle in xAssets: assets are received, deployed, used, and eventually disposed of. See Creating Asset Records and Disposal for the manual equivalents of these operations.
• Workflows may require specific user permissions. Check with your administrator if a workflow is not available to you.

What Workflows Provide

Workflows add structure to asset lifecycle transitions by:

• Guiding users step by step — each workflow presents a sequence of screens or dialogs that collect the required information in the correct order.
• Enforcing business rules — workflows can require mandatory fields, validate data, and prevent transitions that violate your organisation's policies.
• Creating audit trails — each workflow step is logged, providing a complete history of who did what and when.
• Generating financial transactions — workflows that involve financial changes (e.g., receiving a purchased asset, disposing of an asset) automatically create the corresponding financial records.

Available Workflows

Receiving Workflow

The receiving workflow handles the process of accepting new assets into the organisation. This typically follows a purchase order and covers the transition from "on order" to "in stock" or "in service".

Steps in the receiving workflow:

1. Select the purchase order or delivery — identify which assets are being received.
2. Verify quantities and condition — confirm that the delivered items match the order.
3. Record serial numbers and identifiers — enter serial numbers, asset tags, or other identifying information for each item.
4. Assign classification — set the category, location, department, and cost centre for the received assets.
5. Set financial values — confirm the purchase price and any associated costs (shipping, installation, etc.).
6. Complete receipt — the workflow creates the asset records, sets their status to the appropriate value, and generates any financial transactions.

Tip: If your organisation uses barcode labels, the receiving workflow is the ideal point to assign and print asset tags. Apply labels during receipt so that assets are identifiable from the moment they enter the organisation.

Deployment Workflow

The deployment workflow covers the process of assigning a received asset to a user or location for active use. This transitions the asset from "in stock" to "in service".

Steps in the deployment workflow:

1. Select the asset to deploy — choose from assets in storage or recently received stock.
2. Assign the custodian — select the user who will be responsible for the asset.
3. Set the deployment location — specify where the asset will be used.
4. Record the deployment date — this becomes the "Date In Service" for depreciation purposes.
5. Complete deployment — the workflow updates the asset status, assigns the custodian and location, and begins the depreciation clock if financial tracking is configured.

See Deploy Assets from Storage for the related storage deployment process.

Disposal Workflow

The disposal workflow handles the end-of-life process for assets being retired, sold, scrapped, or otherwise removed from service.

Steps in the disposal workflow:

1. Select assets for disposal — choose one or more assets to dispose of.
2. Select the disposal reason — specify whether the asset is being sold, scrapped, lost, stolen, or retired.
3. Enter disposal details — record sale proceeds (if applicable), disposal date, and any notes.
4. Financial write-off — the workflow calculates any remaining net book value and creates the write-off transactions.
5. Complete disposal — the asset status is changed to the appropriate disposed value and the asset is removed from active queries.

See Disposal for more detail on what happens when assets are disposed of.

How Workflows Are Triggered

Workflows can be triggered in several ways:

Customising Workflows

Workflows in xAssets are built using the transformation and forms framework, which means they can be customised to match your organisation's specific processes:

• Add or remove steps — configure which fields are mandatory at each stage.
• Add approval gates — require manager approval before a deployment or disposal can be completed.
• Customise financial rules — control which nominal codes are used for different transaction types.
• Add notifications — send email notifications when assets are received, deployed, or disposed of.

Workflow customisation is performed through the standard configuration tools (forms, transformations, and menus) and typically requires configuration-level access.

Tip: Start with the built-in workflows as delivered and customise only after you understand how they work. Over-customising before understanding the default behaviour can make troubleshooting difficult.

Tips

Tip: Train users to use workflows rather than editing asset fields directly. Workflows ensure that all required steps are completed and that financial transactions are generated correctly. Direct editing may miss important steps.

Tip: Use the receiving workflow even for assets that are donated or transferred from another organisation. The workflow ensures proper documentation and financial recording regardless of how the asset was acquired.

Warning: Disposing of assets through a workflow creates irreversible financial transactions. Ensure the disposal details are correct before completing the workflow. If an asset is disposed of in error, see Un-Dispose.

Related Articles

• Creating Asset Records — manually creating assets outside the workflow
• Disposal — the disposal process in detail
• Un-Dispose — reversing a disposal
• Deploy Assets from Storage — deploying assets from the spares pool
• Transfers — moving assets between locations and departments
• Spares and Storage Overview — managing assets in storage before deployment