What Are the Components
of Workflow?

A workflow represents an orchestrated sequence of steps designed to streamline and automate a multifaceted business process. Comprising several interrelated components, a workflow ensures seamless progress from one stage to the next. In this blog post, we explain the essential elements that make up a workflow.

Steps or Stages

The first component of a workflow is the steps or stages that make up the business process. Each step or stage represents a discrete portion of the process that needs to be completed before the next step can be started. Steps or stages can range from simple to complex, depending on the nature of the process being automated.

Tasks

Each step or stage in a workflow can comprise one or several tasks. A task represents a specific action that needs to be completed within the step or stage. Tasks can be assigned to one or several performers who will be responsible for completing the task.

Performers

Each task in a workflow must have at least one performer assigned to it. The performer is the person responsible for completing the task. A task can have several performers, and the performers can have different roles and responsibilities within the task. When a step in a workflow comprises several tasks, each task can be assigned to a different performer or group of performers.

Workflow Kickoff Form

When initiating a new workflow, the necessary variable inputs are provided through a workflow kickoff form. This form collects the essential information required to start the workflow. It can be tailored to gather any relevant data needed for the specific workflow. Additionally, workflow kickoff forms can be made public or embedded onto a webpage. If a third-party application or another workflow automatically launches a workflow, the kickoff form fields must be passed into it using a programmatic approach.

Variables or Data Fields

Both the workflow kickoff form and the tasks within a workflow can contain variables, also referred to as data fields. These data fields serve to gather information and transfer it to subsequent steps in the workflow. They can store various types of data, including dates, times, text, and numbers. Additionally, data fields can be utilized in conditional statements to initiate particular actions or make decisions within the workflow.

Comments and team interactions

Comments in workflows serve as a collaboration and communication tool, enabling your team to efficiently exchange information within the context of specific workflows. Not only can you embed videos and images in comments, but you can also upload files and incorporate links. Furthermore, mentioning specific colleagues in your comments is an effective way to capture their attention.

Summary

Workflows are complex processes that are made up of several components. Each component plays a vital role in automating the business process. Understanding the components of a workflow can help you design, develop, and implement workflows that are efficient, effective, and accurate. If you are still having trouble with your workflows, reach out to your workflow software vendor for additional assistance.