WEB Inbox Usage Experiences

[Thomas Maue]

Jerry,
 
It took me a while to answer because have been busy preparing to go live
with a Web based Travel and Expense Approval Workflow (4.5B) this weekend.
You are welcome to ask more after our go-live.
 
First Stage - 80 person production pilot using Web GUI.  Decided to go this
route because of time constraints (2 month to implement).  Do not have to
Web-enable tasks and functionality/navigation is very close to SAP GUI.
Least amount of work.
 
Second Stage - 80 person production pilot using BWSP and ESS functionality.
More controlled functionality.  Must Web-enable tasks.  ESS allows offline
entry of expenses (not working when the decision made to go with first
stage).
 
Third Stage - full rollout to the company using BWSP and ESS functionality.
 
 
 
All of these processes will/do send external Email notifications (mostly to
Outlook) with a URL link to SAP.  No MAPI.
 
The various Web inboxes adequately handle the delivery/locking of workitems
and refresh aspects.  They also handle substitution and forwarding.  If you
design your own then all of these issues must be addressed.
 
As far as configuration for BWSP - the only way I have changed the
appearance is by creating my own service/template and modifying.
 
 
Tips:
The standard deliverable Workflow template for Travel and Expense Approval
does not work properly on the Web.
Browser navigation (BACK, FORWARD) is available in addition to SAP
navigation.  This can cause severe headaches.
Watch the time-out settings (service) for Web-enabled tasks because improper
navigation can lock the workitem.
 
Regards,
 
Thomas Maue
Workflow Consultant
 
> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Martinek, Jerry [SMTP:Jerry.Martinek at icbc.com]
> Sent: Monday, January 14, 2002 4:11 PM
> To:   SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
> Subject:      WEB  Inbox Usage Experiences
>
> Hi, I'm interested in findout out whether anyone is using either the SBWP
> (HTML GUI) or BWSP (EWT) transactions in their delivery of workflow
> workitems.
>
> I would like to know of the types of experiences the workflow community
> has had in this area or solicit their opinions. I'm interested in the good
> the bad and even the ugly!
>
> Presently, we have limited workflow usage (2 wfs). The corporate inbox is
> Outlook and we use MAPI for the interface to SAP. We have had limited
> success using this combination. We don't have any of the mySAP components.
>
> We want to implement a new WEB based corporate Travel and Expense (T&E)
> application that includes worklow approval step(s). It will probably
> consist of custom and standard ITS SAP transactions. It will eventually be
> part of our managers self service site which in turn will be part of ESS
> (future).
>
> We don't want to use MAPI in the new process. We want to use a text-based
> notification with the appropriate URL to the selected inbox. The
> notification will be delivered to the managers Outlook Inbox via SAP inbox
> configuration and SAPConnect.
>
>
> Also, what type of options exists for configuring BWSP? We would like to
> control the display or activation of the various folders.
>
> Thanking In Advance,
> Jerry Martinek
>