Introduction
In this tutorial, we will walk through creating a new filing activity using GEMS. Many organizations must submit an Annual Return with audited financial statements to comply with regulations in their jurisdiction. While we will use Mexico for this example, the steps can be applied to set up renewal workflows for any region supported by GEMS.
The key benefits of using GEMS for regulatory compliance activities include:
Centralized dashboard to track deadlines and status across different countries/regions.
Flexible workflow engine to configure filing processes and assign tasks.
Documentation storage
Collaboration tools to coordinate with auditors, local subsidiaries, and legal teams
By leveraging GEMS to systematize compliance filing workflows, companies can reduce operational risks and administrative burdens. The platform's robust features enable users to easily adapt and scale regulatory processes as business needs evolve.
Example
Creating an Annual Return Activity
To create an annual return activity:
Navigate to the company snapshot and open the View More Details menu. Then go to Registration & Licenses > Incorporation/Formation.
Click the “Add Activity” icon on the left-hand side of the screen.
Select the activity type that is needed, in this example, our Administrator has set up an Activity Type of a Regulatory Return.
Please note: If the Activity Type is not available GEMS Administrators can create activity workflows for regional filings, this process is discussed later in this tutorial.
Provide an activity title for the new Activity and ensure that any required data is filled in.
Please note: Activities can also be created to track Accounts/Financial Statements. For more information please see the Accounts tutorial on the Community Support site.
Please note: The due date will be the next due date for the Regulatory Return.
You can also update the owners and assignee fields with current owners and assignees.
Owner | The user/Internal Contact Group is responsible for the overall tracking and managing of the Activity. |
Assignee | The user(s)/Internal Contract Group assigned to carry out and manage to-do items. |
The Activity Details section contains the To-Do Items. The To-Do Items can be edited and more To-Do items can be added as needed.
Click the Save button.
Accessing activities related to Registrations and Licenses.
Activities related to company registrations and licenses can be critical for ensuring regulatory compliance and meeting filing deadlines. To ensure these activities can be easily accessed when needed, GEMS enables users to view and manage registration and license activities from multiple points within the system. To ensure Activities can be easily accessed when required, Activities linked to the Registrations and Licenses screen can be accessed from many locations in GEMS.
To view the “Regulatory Return” Activity that was created above, navigate to the company snapshot and open the View More details menu. Then go to Registration & Licenses > Incorporation/Formation and select the “Associated Activities” button highlighted below.
If the “Activities” panel has been added to the Snapshot Activities for a specific entity may be accessed here.
If a user has been assigned to an Activity, they may access the Activity from the Activity Hub.
Creating a Registrations and Licenses Activity Workflow (Admin Only)
Activity workflows in GEMS provide a great way to standardize processes for managing activities. By setting up workflows for registrations and licenses, admins can ensure critical details are captured, to-do lists are followed, and deadlines are met. Through the use of Activity Workflows Admins can ensure specific Activity Details are captured for each Activity, standardized To-Do lists are followed, and recurrence patterns are followed.
Let's walk through how to create a new activity workflow for a registration or license filing:
To get started, navigate to the Admin Hub > GEMS Administration > Activity Workflow Configuration. This is where all activity workflows are configured.
Step 1 – Creation of Workflow
Let's walk through how to create a new activity workflow for a registration or license filing:
To get started, navigate to the Admin Hub > GEMS Administration > Activity Workflow Configuration in the main menu. This is where all activity workflows are configured.
Please note: Existing workflows may also be edited or cloned.
Click the “New Activity Workflow” button to create a new workflow. You can also edit or clone existing workflow from here.
In the Workflow Details section, add a descriptive name for your workflow in the Workflow Description field. This will make it easy to identify later.
Next, choose or create an Activity Type that matches the registration or license process. Users will select this type when making a new activity, so pick a name that reflects the process.
Please note: In the Activity Type field existing Activity Types can be searched for or new Activity types added. In this example, a new Activity Type was created.
Please note: Activity Types will be selected by users in the future when making a new Activity so the Activity Type should reflect the Registration and License being created.
Next, choose or create an Activity Type that matches the registration or license process. Users will select this type when making a new activity, so pick a name that reflects the process.
As this Activity will be related to annual compliance relating to Entities, indicate what record type this workflow applies to by selecting "Entities" under “Activities Workflow relates to”.
If required Default Owners and Assignees may be assigned users Internal Contact groups.
For more information on Internal Contacts please see the dedicated Manage Activity Workflow or Internal Contact Wizard guides.
Once your workflow details look good, click Next to continue setting up the workflow stages.
Step 2 – Activity Creation Options
The next screen allows for the specification of how Activities should be created. Activities can be created in several ways. For Activities that are to be related to the Registrations and Licenses screen, it is important that one or more of the following are selected (as this will allow the Activity to be linked to the relevant screen).
Manually from transactions within an Existing Entity
Automatically after completing the Add Entity Wizard
Automatically after saving transactions within an Existing Entity
Manually from transactions within an Existing Entity
The quickest way to manually create an activity is to do it from transactions within the existing entity.
Automatically after completing the Add Entity Wizard
When completing the Add Entity wizard to create a new company record, one has the option to automatically generate an activity.
Automatically after saving transactions within an Existing Entity
For existing entities, you can enable auto-activity creation from transactions like licenses, registrations, corporate, etc. Navigate to Gems Administration > Activity Configuration to turn this on and specify activity details.
Please note: For more information on Activity Creation Options, please see the dedicated Activity Workflow tutorial on the Community Support site.
Please note: It is very important for Activities related to filings that the “Activity Type relates to the Registrations & Licenses section” is checked as this will allow for key dates relating to the filing to be tracked on the Activity Details.
Please note: Once the Activity has been related to the Registrations & Licenses section, it will then be possible to also specify that the Activity Type relates to the Accounts/Financial Statement section of GEMS. For more information on this screen in GEMS please see the dedicated Accounts/Financial Statements tutorial.
Please note: If Activities that relate to the Registrations & Licenses or Accounts screens require a Made Up date in the Activity Details this can be specified on these stage of the wizard. This date is often used for forms whereby there may be a “grace period” whereby forms should be “Made Up” to a certain date but are “Due” on another.
Once these details have been specified click Next to continue the Workflow Wizard.
Step 3 – Activity Fields
When customizing the activity fields, the user has full control over which fields to display and the order in which they appear.
Fields can simply be dragged and dropped to the desired location.
The user also designates each field as mandatory or optional.
A key decision is selecting the date field to base due date calculations on. Flexibility is provided here - due dates can be based on the account end date, account start date, a custom date field, or any other date field in the system.
Step 4 – To-Do Items
The To-Do Items section lets you define a checklist of tasks that should be completed for activities using this workflow. This helps standardize processes and ensure important steps aren't missed.
The to-do feature allows users to define checklists of steps to guide assignees through completing activities. When configuring to-dos, users can give each item a descriptive name and due date based on offsets or custom dates. Multiple to-do items can be added as needed to fully outline a process. Dependencies between to-do items can also be set up. Once configured, the to-do checklist will appear when assignees open the associated activity, providing clear direction on required tasks to complete the activity. Please refer to the Manage Activity Workflow tutorial for step-by-step instructions on setting up to-dos for activities.
Step 5 – Screen Profiles
Since this activity should be automated, this section allows for the specification of the screen it will link to after creation. For guidance on choosing screens, refer to the Admin Tutorial section on Screen Selection in the Compliance Tracker.
Please note: As the Activity has been specified to relate to Registration and Licenses screens only these screens will be available for selection.
When configuring activity settings, the user must indicate if prompts to manually close activities upon completion are desired. For more information on screen profiles, please see the Activity Workflow Configuration tutorial on the Community Support site.
Step 6 – Recurrence
Finally, the frequency for the activity to reoccur must be specified. Options include daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. Select the appropriate recurrence interval based on the needs of the activity workflow being configured.
