The Vault QMS External Collaboration feature allows you to assign tasks to external contacts to complete audit checklists. These checklists can capture pertinent information needed in an audit process, such as onboarding new supplier and supplier risk management personnel. You must be familiar with checklists before proceeding with setup and use.
Configuration Overview
Each checklist task shared with external contacts may differ at the workflow or lifecycle level. However, the configuration approach to enable external collaboration on a checklist is as follows:
- Create a custom application role and permission set labeled External Collaborator - Checklists and assign it to the External Collaborator user. You can change this label to a name that fits your business processes.
- Create a Quality External User Template for external collaboration on checklists.
- Create a Person record for the external contact.
- Update the notification template to include information on your company and the external collaboration checklist.
- Add the new External Collaborator - Checklists role to the Audit Checklist Lifecycle and Audit Lifecycle, and grant the role Read and Edit access to the lifecycles.
- Configure the Audit Pending Acceptance Workflow with a task assigned to the External Collaborator user.
- Add the External Collaborator object reference field to the External Audit object type on the applicable Audit object.
- Add the External Collaborator - Checklists role to the Start Checklist entry action on the Audit lifecycle.
- Select the external contact from the External Collaborator field when creating an External Audit to send them the checklist task.
Supported Objects
When creating the custom External Collaborator - Checklists permission set, consider adding access to the following objects. This configuration is dependent on the configuration of the Checklist Design record:
- Audit: External Audit
- Audit Checklist: External Audit Checklist
- Audit Dependency
- Audit Response
- Audit Response-Doc
- Audit Response-Ref-Doc
- Audit Section
- Audit Signature
- Audit Sub-Checklist
- Audit-Department
- Audit-Organization
- Audit-Quality Event
- Available Answer
- Available Answer Design
- External Audit Checklist Design
- Dependency
- Dependency Design
- Base Person
- Related Audit
- Section
- Section Design
- Sub-Checklist Design
External Collaboration Checklist Access Control
Vault uses a custom Application Role and permission set (External Collaborator - Checklists) to grant role-based Vault access to a recognized contact outside your organization to complete a checklist. You can customize the permission set to include access to various objects, such as Audit: External Audit, Audit Checklist: External Audit Checklist, and Audit Dependency. Object configuration is dependent on the type of checklist you need to create. Ensure the custom permission set includes access to the following applications and tabs:
- Workflow: eSignature
- Workflow: Participate
- User: View User Information
- User: View User Profile
- Tabs: Home
Note: The level of access to each permission is up to your discretion.
Configuring Workflows for External Collaboration Checklists
You must configure an Audit Pending Acceptance Workflow with a checklist task assigned to the External Collaborator. When configuring the Task step on the workflow, assign it to the External Collaborator - Checklist role and select Make available to users in participant group. Also, select Complete task assignment without viewing under the Task Requirements section. These settings ensure any user assigned the custom External Collaborator - Checklist role receives the checklist task when the workflow reaches the configured Task step.
Audit Object Field Configuration
Ensure the External Audit object type contains an External Collaborator object field that references the external contact’s Person record. These settings ensure the external contact receives a Welcome Collaborator email with the task to complete a checklist.
Configuring Object Lifecycles for External Collaboration Checklists
You must configure the related object lifecycles to enable respondents to view and complete external collaboration checklists.
Activate External Collaborators and Start Checklist Entry Actions
Add the Activate External Collaboration and Start Checklist entry actions to the applicable object lifecycle states on the Audit object. The inclusion of both entry actions ensures the external contact referenced in the External Collaborator object field receives the task to complete a checklist as soon as their user account is activated.
Select your Quality External User Template as the User Template on the Activate External Collaborator entry action. Under the Start Checklist entry action, select your desired checklist from the Checklist Type drop-down and the external collaborator user from the Assign as Available Respondents drop-down.
Note: When configuring the entry actions, ensure Activate External Collaborators is configured first before Start Checklist.
Object Lifecycle Role for External Collaborators
Create a custom application role on the object lifecycle designed specifically for external collaboration on checklists. Provide a label on the role specific to the process, such as External Collaborator - Checklists.
In the Roles section of the object lifecycle, add the custom application role and grant it Read and Edit access to the lifecycle.