Collect Feedback Workflow in SharePoint

This SharePoint workflow example explains, collect feedback workflow in SharePoint. What is a collect feedback workflow in SharePoint? How to create and associate a collect feedback workflow to a SharePoint document library.

Then we will see a Collect feedback workflow example in SharePoint Online Office 365. We will also see how to Enable the Collect Feedback Workflow for a document library in SharePoint 2013/2016/Online?

What is workflow in SharePoint?

In SharePoint, by using Workflow we can automate the business process. For example, if we will take an example of the Leave request. An employee applies for a leave, the leave request will go to the manager first and if the manager approved the request will go to HR people. After the HR-approved the requesting user will get a  message of leave request accepted. This whole process, we can automate using a SharePoint workflow.

Different type of out of box workflow templates in SharePoint

SharePoint provides below 5 types of out of box workflows:

1. Approval workflow
2. Collect signature
3. Publishing approval
4. Three-state workflow
5. Collect feedback

Approval workflow:

By using Approval workflow, items and documents stored in the list and document library can be shared between the one or more people for their approval. Read more: Approval Workflow in SharePoint Online with an example

Collect signature workflow:

By using Collect signature workflow, the documents stored in a document library can be shared with one or more people for collecting their signature.

Publishing Approval workflow:

Publishing workflow is a workflow in SharePoint in which the content will be share to a subject matter expert or stakeholder for their review and approve. In publishing workflow, we can’t add a new content until any pending one is not approved by the SharePoint approver.

Three-State workflow:

ThreeState workflow is an out of box feature or built in a workflow in SharePoint.  ThreeState workflow is used for tracking the status of a list item in three states. The issue tracking template is built for ThreeState workflow. Read more: Three State Workflow in SharePoint with Example

Finally, we will discuss collect feedback workflow.

Collect feedback workflow in SharePoint

By using a SharePoint collect feedback, we can route documents to one or more people for their feedback.

Collect feedback is a workflow in SharePoint which collects feedback for the document from the users and send to the initiator who created or added the document.

Collect feedback workflow is available in SharePoint 2010 workflow platform type. Since the SharePoint 2010 workflow platform type is available in SharePoint 2013/2016 and Online, we can create and use collect feedback workflow in SharePoint 2013/2016/Online.

In SharePoint, a Collect Feedback workflow automatically routes the document or item, assigns review tasks and tracks their progress, and sends reminders and notifications when needed.

How to Enable the Collect Feedback Workflow for a document library in SharePoint

By default, collect feedback workflow is not enabled for the SharePoint document library.

Here we need to activate the “Workflows” site collection feature in SharePoint Online/2013/2016. To do so, Open SharePoint site settings page. And then in the “Site Collections Features” page search for “Workflows” and click on Activate the button like below:

Once you activate the Workflows feature, you will be able to see Collect feedback workflow in SharePoint.

If you will see collect feedback workflow SharePoint 2013 missing, then the same way you can enable the collect feedback workflow by activating the Workflows site collection feature.

Add a collect feedback workflow to SharePoint document library

Now we will discuss how to add a collect feedback workflow to a SharePoint online document library.

Follow the below steps to add a collect feedback workflow in a document library.

Step-1:  Here first I have created a document library name as “UsefulDocumnetOfOrganization” in my SharePoint online site, and added few documents into the document library.

Step-2: From the ribbon, click on the “LIBRARY” tab and then click on “Workflow Settings” option.

Step-3: Click on Workflow Settings.

Step-4: In workflow settings page click on Add a workflow.

Step-5: In Add a Workflow page, we can see  Select a workflow template.  Here we have to choose the type of workflow as “Collect Feedback  – SharePoint 2010” here.

In the Add a Workflow page, Give a unique name for the workflow, such as “FeedbackWorkflow”.

In the Task List field, we can see a drop-down. We can create a New task list or we can use the existing task list. I have chosen “New task list”, it will create a new task list.

In the History List field, we can create a New history list or we can choose an existing Workflow History list. Here choose the history list as “Workflow History”.

We can start a workflow by choosing from the below options:

• Allow this workflow to be manually started by an authenticated user with Edit Item permission
• Start this workflow to approve publishing a major version of an item
• Creating a new item will start this workflow
• Changing an item will start this workflow

Here I want that the workflow will trigger when a new item is added to a list.  So I have chosen “Creating a new item will start this workflow“.

After all, field completed click on Next.

Step-6: Now we will get a “Workflow Settings”  page.

In “Reviewers” we can see two fields Assign To and Order.

“Assign To” field is to add the username whom we want to assign the WorkFlow task.  I have given the username as User2.

In the Order field, we can see two options

1. One at a time(serial): In One at a time the task will assign to users according to order means after the first person completed the task will assign to the next one.
2. All at once(parallel): In  All at once, option task assign to all the users independent of order means if the first person is not completed the task the task will assign to next one.

I have chosen One at a time.

Expand Groups field:  When we want to assign the task to each member of each group then we will choose the checkbox otherwise task to the entire group then remove the checkbox.

Request Field:  The message which we type in the request field that will send to the user to whom the task is assigned.

Due Date for  All Tasks: In this field, we can choose the due date for all task using the calendar option.

Duration Per Task: In Duration per Task field we can give the time period for completion of the task.

Duration Units: In Duration Units field we can give the unit of time, for example, we can give the unit as “Day(s)”, “Week(s)” and “Month(s)”.

CC: We can notify when the workflow will start and when the workflow will end the people to whom the task is not assigned.

End on Document Change: In End on Document Change field if we want to reject the document automatically when the workflow is completed then check the checkbox as  “Automatically reject the document if it changed before the workflow is completed“.

Click on save.

Step-7: After clicking on save our “Workflow Settings” page will save. Now one Email will go to the person to whom the task is assigned. In our “UsefulDocumnetOfOrganization” list we can see one more column “FeedbackWorkflow” is added. In “FeedbackWorkflow” column our task status is updating. Here we can notice my all item is in “In Progress”.

How to check your Collect Feedback Task Status in a List?

We can check the Collect Feedback Task Status. To check the status of a particular item Click on “ITEMS” which is present at the top of the ribbon. Then click on “Workflows”.

Here in this  Workflow Customization, we can see our “FeedbackWorkflow”  In Progress status.

By clicking on “FeedbackWorkflow” we will get  “Workflow Status: FeedbackWoekflow” page”. In “collect feedback workflow SharePoint 2007” page we can see a pictorial representation of the task first assigned to User2.

In the below of the page, we can see two things Tasks and  Workflow History.

In task by we can see Assigned To, Title, Due Date, Started, Related Content and Outcome.

By Clicking on Title item we will change the property.

Now I have clicked on Title item we will get a SharePoint Development and Customization page here we can change the property of task.

Note: The collect feedback workflow is not designed to do Approve or Reject items for a document. For Approve/Reject of items, then you can check for SharePoint approval workflow.

We will see below task property.

• Send Feedback
• Cancel
• Request Change
• Reassign Task

Send Feedback

In send Feedback user can give feedback about the document.

Cancel

For canceling the page click on Cancel.

Request Change

While clicking on Request Change we will get a page like below. In the Request Change page, we can see the below field.

Request Change Form: In request change page we give any username then a Change request form sent to the particular username.

When we leave the field as blank then a request will send to the person who started the workflow.

New Request: In New Request field we will get a multi-line text box where we can type the message. The message will be included with the request.

New Duration: This field is for we can change the due date. Previously I am giving the start date and end date. In this field, we can increase or decrease the duration of work.

New Duration Units: We can set the unit of date. Then Click on send.

If our task is not completed and we want to reassign the task to other users we can use these Reassign Task.

Reassign Task

In the Reassign  Task, we can see the below field.

Reassign Task to In this field give the username from the people picker whom we want to assign the task. Here I am giving the username as user1.  I want to reassign the task to the user1.  If we leave the field as blank then the task will be again reassigned to the user who created the workflow.

New Request: In New Request field we can type the message which will be included with the request. This message will go to the user whom we reassign the task.

New Duration: The amount of time duration for a task we can modify in the New Duration field. To remove the due date we have to put  0.

New Duration Units: In the New  Duration Units field we can give the unit of time. Here we can see three option in the drop down.

• Day(s)
• Week(s)
• Month(s)

here I have given the time unit as Days.

Read some SharePoint workflow tutorials below:

• How to Trigger Sharepoint 2013 Designer workflow on a list item by calling REST API using jQuery?
• [Video Tutorial] Create and Deploy SharePoint Designer Workflow into Production
• How to send email to SharePoint group in SharePoint hosted add-in SharePoint online?
• SharePoint designer workflow examples: Steps to create a Leave Request SharePoint designer workflow in SharePoint Online
• Deploy SharePoint 2013 designer workflow into production in SharePoint online
• Copy Document SharePoint Designer 2013 Workflow Action
• SharePoint designer workflow: Create Laptop Request Approval Workflow
• SharePoint designer 2013 Workflow: Assign task to a group using Assign a task workflow action
• SharePoint Designer Workflow Declare item as a record
• SharePoint Designer 2013 Workflow: Do Calculation Action Example
• SharePoint Designer 2013 Workflow: Create List Item Action with Example

Conclusion

In the above SharePoint workflow example, we discussed collect feedback workflow in SharePoint. How to enable the Collect Feedback Workflow for a document library in SharePoint.

We will also see how to add a collect feedback workflow to SharePoint document library.