# Process Design Document (PDD)
The Process Design Document (PDD) is a template for documenting automated processes in Sherpa Designer.
The PDD is generated by clicking the "Document..." button in the "Project" menu.
The PDD template is automatically loaded by Sherpa Designer in the "PDD Template" field and is not modified during the document generation process.
The PDD is intended to describe current (AS IS) and target (TO BE) processes, parameters, and configurations.
* AS IS in the template contains a diagram and description of the current manual or partially automated process. It records actual steps, applications, employee roles, and bottlenecks for analysis before robotization.
* TO BE includes a diagram with the automated process (Sherpa Designer blocks, sequence of actions, number of steps) and reflects the final process with integrations from Sherpa Orchestrator and block statistics.
* Parameters include tables containing data intended for transfer between blocks and JSON schemas.
* Configurations include: credentials, flags, statistics on block performance and interactions, data from Sherpa Orchestrator, and logging.
### Template Structure
The template includes sections with tables and diagrams:
1. Purpose of the document — this section defines the goal of the PDD (standardized documentation of RPA processes in Sherpa RPA for knowledge transfer between developers, analysts, and stakeholders).
2. Document control — this section allows tracking every change in the document.
It contains information about:
2.1. Change history — a table with columns "Date", "Version", "Brief description of changes", "Author", "Role". It records the evolution of the document for auditing and control.
2.2. Contacts — a table that contains a list of responsible persons: "Full Name", "Role", "Email", which simplifies communication regarding the project.
3. Glossary — a table for recording terms, their abbreviations, and definitions, which helps standardize terminology within the project.
4. General information about the process — a table with key metrics and characteristics for assessing the effectiveness of robotization.
5. Description of the AS IS process — a section that provides information about the current process before automation.
5.1. General information — a description of the current process with blocks and integrations.
5.2. High-level diagram of the AS IS process — an image (650px) displaying the diagram of the current process.
5.3. Description of the AS IS process steps — a table detailing the steps of the current process, user actions, and software used.
6. Description of the TO BE process — a section that provides information about the automated process.
6.1. General description of the robotic process — a description of the optimized process with blocks and integrations.
6.2. High-level diagram of the TO BE process — an image (650px) displaying the diagram of the automated process.
7. Environment and interacting IT systems — a table describing the systems involved in the process: system names, logins and passwords for robot access, as well as external services and corresponding Sherpa Designer blocks: service names, automation block names, palettes.
8. Input data — a table describing the parameters that are fed into the robot to perform tasks within the process, as well as the data storage location and an example of the file containing them.
9. Output data (Robot performance reporting) — a table describing the parameters generated as a result of the robot's work and provided in the form of process reports, as well as the data storage location and an example of the file containing them.
10. Project folder structure — a table describing the structure of the project folders.
11. Project diagrams — two tables, the first of which describes the key diagrams in the presented process, while the second describes each diagram individually, as well as the number of different blocks included in it.
12. Block statistics — a table containing data on the number of executions of Sherpa Designer blocks involved in this process.
13. Dependent libraries — a table containing data on the libraries used by the robot during its operation, as well as their language and purpose.
13. Working with the Orchestrator — a section containing information about queue settings, assets, and schedules in Sherpa Orchestrator.
14.1. List of queues used in the project — a table describing the configuration of Sherpa Orchestrator queues for each robot block.
14.2. Assets. Orchestrator Variables (Assets) — a subsection that records the binding of Sherpa Designer blocks to Sherpa Orchestrator assets.
14.3. Credentials — a table describing the credentials used by the robot to interact with Sherpa Orchestrator.
14.4. Other variables — a table describing the variables used by the robot in the process (when working with Sherpa Orchestrator).
15. Logging — a section that documents all logging points of the Sherpa RPA robot for monitoring, debugging, and auditing.
15.1. NLog logging — configuration nlog.config.xml, containing log paths. It defines rotation and levels (Info, Error, Debug) for file logging.
15.2. Local logging points — a table describing blocks that, when the robot is run locally, collect data about diagrams and errors occurring in them.
15.3. Logging points in the Orchestrator — a table describing blocks that, when logging in Sherpa Orchestrator, collect data about diagrams and errors occurring in them. It also includes screenshots and levels of outgoing messages.
16. Logins and passwords for systems — a table listing all logins and passwords needed to access the systems and services used in the robot's operation.
17. Robot operation mode — a table describing schedules and settings for launching the robot in Sherpa Orchestrator.
18. Errors during robot operation — this section provides descriptions of errors that are handled by the robot or are system failures, which helps understand the course of action during various incidents.
18.1. Errors handled by robots (embedded in process logic) — a table describing user behavior during failures embedded in the process logic.
18.2. System failures and other errors — a table describing user behavior during system failures.
### PDD Generation
Detailed information on document generation is available at the link:
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