How to Configure Workflow Responsible in iDempiere

Workflow Responsible is a setup window in iDempiere that defines who resolves a step in a workflow, such as a Service Request approval or escalation.

It is used wherever a workflow is built, including Service Request routing, document approvals, and other automated business processes.

The responsible party assigned here decides which user, role, or organization receives the pending task, directly affecting how quickly transactions move forward.

Process Flow

Business Rules

• Each Workflow Responsible record represents one way of resolving a workflow step.
• Responsible Type decides who acts on the step: Human, Manual, Organization, or Role.
• Human type requires a specific User or Contact to be selected for the task.
• Manual type requires a person to open and action the step; no fixed user is assigned.
• Organization type sends the task to the supervisor of the transaction’s organization.
• Role type sends the task to every user holding the selected role.
• Overridden WF Responsible replaces the default responsible record when set.
• Inactive records cannot be selected when building or running a workflow.
• Invoker and Organization are ready-made system records and should not be edited.

Prerequisites

• Organization structure set up, for Organization type routing.
• Roles created, for Role type assignment.
• Users or Business Partner contacts set up, for Human type assignment.
• A workflow, such as the Service Request workflow, ready for a responsible node.

Navigation

Menu → System Admin → General Rules → Workflow → Workflow Responsible

Opening the window shows the list of existing responsible records, including the ready-made Invoker and Organization records, along with the toolbar to add a new record.

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Create a New Responsible Record

A new record is needed whenever a workflow, such as a Service Request approval, needs a dedicated person or group to act on it.

Instructions

Click New, enter a Name and Description, keep Active checked, and confirm Entity Type shows “User maintained”.

Field	Sample Value	Description
Name	Service Desk Supervisor	Identifies the responsible record
Description	Handles Service Request escalations	Explains when the record is used
Active	Checked	Makes the record available for selection
Entity Type	User maintained	Marks the record as customer-created

Step 2: Select the Responsible Type

The Responsible Type decides how iDempiere finds the actual person or group when the workflow step runs.

Instructions

Open the Responsible Type field and choose Human, Manual, Organization, or Role based on who should handle the step.

Field	Sample Value	Purpose
Responsible Type	Human	Assigns the step to one named user or contact
Responsible Type	Manual	Waits for any authorized person to action it
Responsible Type	Organization	Assigns the step to the organization supervisor
Responsible Type	Role	Assigns the step to everyone holding the role

Step 3: Assign the User, Role, or Organization

Human and Role based steps need an actual person or group behind them so the task lands in the right inbox.

Instructions

For Human type, select the User/Contact field. Role type routes automatically to role holders. Organization type uses the transaction’s organization supervisor. Manual type needs no further assignment.

Field	Sample Value	Purpose
User/Contact	Priya Menon	Names the person responsible when type is Human

Step 4: Set Overridden WF Responsible (Optional)

This lets a supervisor redirect a step to a different responsible record without changing the workflow definition itself.

Instructions

Select an existing Workflow Responsible record in the Overridden WF Responsible field to replace the default routing for that record.

Field	Sample Value	Purpose
Overridden WF Responsible	Service Desk Manager	Redirects the task to another responsible record

Common Issues and Resolutions

Issue	Cause	Resolution
Workflow step not appearing in the inbox	Responsible Type is Human but no User/Contact is selected	Assign a valid user or contact to the record
Task assigned to the wrong person	Organization type record used with the wrong Organization	Confirm the transaction Organization matches the intended routing
New responsible record missing from the workflow editor	Record saved as Inactive	Activate the record by checking the Active box
Role-based task never received	User is not assigned to the selected Role	Add the user to the Role in the Role window
Manual step stays pending indefinitely	No one has opened and actioned the step	Ask the approver to open and complete the pending item
Overridden responsible not taking effect	Overridden WF Responsible field left blank	Select a valid responsible record to override the default
Confusion between similar responsible records	Multiple records created with similar names	Standardize naming and deactivate duplicate records
Ready-made records behaving unexpectedly	Invoker or Organization record was edited by mistake	Restrict changes to Dictionary records; create new records instead

Next Steps

• Workflow window – build the workflow and link each node to a Workflow Responsible record.
• Role window – create or update roles used for Role type routing.
• User/Contact setup – add application users or Business Partner contacts for Human type routing.
• Document Type window – confirm the document type that triggers the workflow, such as Service Request.