The processing where the applicant temporarily saves the approval document before submitting the application is only an operation that stores a document still being written at the applicant’s own hand; the approval document has not yet been passed to the next person in charge. No matter how many times it is temporarily saved, once the application is submitted afterwards the flow simply starts in the order (1) to (6), so the route does not branch and change.
×Incorrectイ
The processing where, after the applicant submits the application, the consenters are able to view the approval document is exactly the step that follows submission, namely routing the document to the consenters, and it merely hands the approval document to the next person in charge in the predetermined order. It advances the route by one step; it is not a branch that departs from the route.
×Incorrectウ
The processing where, after all consenters have consented, the authorizer is able to approve the approval document is likewise a transition in the predetermined order: the consent stage is complete, so the process moves on to the next stage of approval. Waiting until everyone’s consent is gathered is a check of a precondition, and once the condition is met the process always moves to the same next step, so it does not count as processing where the flow changes.
○エ
正解The correct answer is エ, “The processing when sending the document back (returning it) if there is a problem.” A ringi (internal approval) system is a typical example of a workflow system: the application form (ringi document) travels along a fixed route of temporary save → submission → viewing and consent by the consenters → completion of consent by all consenters → approval by the authorizer, moving through the predefined order (1) to (6). As long as it simply follows this route, the flow is a single one-way path and does not change. However, when a defect or problem is found in the content, sending the document back (returning it) is processing in which a consenter or authorizer at a later stage pushes the approval document backward to the applicant (or to a previous consenter) at an earlier stage. Once a return happens, the document stops advancing through the numbers (1) to (6) in order and the route rewinds; only after the applicant corrects it and submits the application again does it travel the following route once more. In other words, returning the document is exactly the branch point that departs from the normal route and changes the flow, and that is why エ is the correct answer.
ここがポイント
A workflow system (ringi, or internal approval, system) is a mechanism that defines the flow of business procedures such as application and approval electronically in advance and automatically routes documents to the designated people in order. Normal processing moves in one direction along the defined route.
The heart of this question is distinguishing processing that simply advances along the route (temporary save, submission, routing, enabling approval) from processing that leaves the route and changes the flow. Sending the document back (returning it) is the representative branching operation that pushes the approval document backward to an earlier stage; other examples where the flow changes include termination due to rejection.