Reusable no-code workflows

There are several short-comings with designing workflows in the current version of SharePoint Designer (but there’s always Visual Studio and some excellent third-party tools to combat those short-comings). One of the problems with SharePoint Designer workflows for MOSS 2007 is that you can’t reuse them. If I were to design a workflow on a document library and wanted to use that exact same workflow on a different document library, I would have to start all over again.

With the new SharePoint Designer for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, you just choose the option to create a reusable workflow in your initial design. Then you can attach the same no-code workflow to any list, document library or content type where it’s appropriate. You can also take an existing reusable workflow, use it as a template and make any necessary changes. This should cut the time needed to design multiple workflows considerably.

If you buy MOSS 2007 with Software Assurance now, you’ll get the upgrade rights to 2010 when it’s released. There’s no better time to buy!