Hi,
If you look at it from a pure automation perspective, your diagram will not have any manual tasks. The engine will ‘ignore’ those, if they are present.
If you look at the diagram from a documentation perspective, a manual task might have added value because it indicates to the reader that there is something performed outside of the automation to achieve the overall process’ goal.
I’m trying to give an example:
Imagine you apply for a new mobile phone contract at a branch of your preferred Telco:
- You tell the clerk which subscription you want and give your particulars
- In the process start form the clerk will enter your information
- The system (workflow) will now generate a contract based on this information
- The clerk will review if everything is correct and then print this contract (User Task)
- The clerk takes the paper from the printer and hands it over to you, you read the T&C and sign the paper, the clerk takes the signed paper from you and scans it (Manual Task(s))
- The clerk, back at his desk uploads the scan to the system (User Task)
- The workflow proceeds with everything required to activate your subscription
The system does not care what you and the clerk are doing between the contract is printed and the signed contract is uploaded. But the Manual Task there is still helpful since it indicates that the main activity that has to happen before the automated workflow can proceed is you signing the contract.