Building Workflows

Learn how to design, build, and optimize workflows for your business processes.

Getting Started

Planning Your Workflow

Before building, map out your process:

1. Identify the Trigger - What starts this process?

   • New customer inquiry
   • Monthly report generation
   • File upload
   • Manual request

2. List the Steps - What needs to happen?

   • Collect information
   • Make decisions
   • Take actions
   • Notify people

3. Define Decision Points - Where do you make choices?

   • Approval thresholds
   • Customer type routing
   • Error conditions
   • Business rules

4. Map Data Flow - What information moves between steps?

   • Customer details
   • Calculated values
   • External system responses
   • Configuration settings

Workflow Builder Interface

Our visual builder makes workflow creation intuitive:

Drag and Drop

• Add actions from the sidebar
• Connect actions with arrows
• Rearrange steps as needed
• Delete unwanted components

Step Configuration

• Click any step to configure
• Fill in required parameters
• Use variables from previous steps
• Test with sample data

Visual Flow

• See the entire process at a glance
• Follow the flow path visually
• Identify potential bottlenecks
• Spot missing connections

Basic Workflow Patterns

Linear Workflow

Simple step-by-step process:

Trigger → Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3 → Complete

Example: New Employee Onboarding

1. HR submits new hire form
2. Create email account
3. Add to company directory
4. Send welcome email
5. Schedule orientation

Branching Workflow

Different paths based on conditions:

Trigger → Decision
             ├─ Path A → Action A
             └─ Path B → Action B

Example: Support Ticket Routing

1. New ticket submitted
2. Check priority level
   • High priority → Escalate to senior agent
   • Normal priority → Assign to available agent

Parallel Workflow

Multiple actions happening simultaneously:

Trigger → Split into parallel paths
             ├─ Action A ─┐
             ├─ Action B ─┤→ Join → Next Step
             └─ Action C ─┘

Example: Order Processing

1. New order received
2. Simultaneously:
   • Check inventory
   • Process payment
   • Generate shipping label
3. When all complete → Send confirmation

Advanced Workflow Patterns

Loop Processing

Handle lists of items:

Trigger → Get List → For Each Item → Process Item → Next Item
                                        ↓
                                    All Done → Complete

Example: Monthly Report Generation

1. Get list of all customers
2. For each customer:
   • Calculate monthly usage
   • Generate individual report
   • Email report to customer
3. When all complete → Send summary to management

Conditional Loops

Process items until a condition is met:

Trigger → Action → Check Condition
             ↑         ├─ Continue → Loop Back
             └─────────└─ Stop → Complete

Example: API Retry Logic

1. Call external API
2. Check response
   • Success → Continue
   • Error → Wait and retry (up to 5 times)
   • Max retries → Send alert

Nested Workflows

Complex processes with sub-workflows:

Main Workflow → Sub-Workflow A → Continue Main
                     ↓
              Sub-Workflow B

Example: Customer Onboarding

1. Main: New customer signs up
2. Sub: Account setup workflow
3. Sub: Welcome sequence workflow
4. Main: Schedule follow-up call

Workflow Validation

Automatic Checks

The system validates your workflow before saving:

Structure Validation

• All steps properly connected
• No orphaned actions
• No circular loops
• Valid trigger configuration

Parameter Validation

• Required fields completed
• Correct data types
• Valid API endpoints
• Proper authentication

Logic Validation

• Reachable paths
• Reasonable timeouts
• Error handling present
• Variable references valid

Manual Review

Best practices for reviewing workflows:

Flow Logic

• Does the sequence make sense?
• Are all edge cases covered?
• Is error handling adequate?
• Are timeouts appropriate?

Data Handling

• Are variables passed correctly?
• Is sensitive data protected?
• Are transformations accurate?
• Is data validated properly?

Performance

• Are there unnecessary delays?
• Can steps run in parallel?
• Are external calls minimized?
• Is caching used effectively?

Testing Workflows

Test Mode

Safe environment for testing:

• Use sample data
• No real actions performed
• See step-by-step execution
• Validate logic and data flow

Sample Data

Create realistic test scenarios:

• Typical use cases
• Edge cases
• Error conditions
• Large data sets

Step-by-Step Testing

Test individual components:

• Test each action separately
• Verify data transformations
• Check conditional logic
• Validate error handling

End-to-End Testing

Test complete workflows:

• Use production-like data
• Test all execution paths
• Monitor performance
• Verify final outcomes

Error Prevention

Common Issues

Missing Connections

• Ensure all steps are connected
• Check for orphaned actions
• Verify trigger connections
• Test all execution paths

Invalid Variables

• Use correct variable syntax
• Check variable availability
• Validate data types
• Handle missing data

Timeout Problems

• Set realistic timeouts
• Consider network delays
• Plan for slow systems
• Implement retries

Permission Issues

• Verify API credentials
• Check access permissions
• Test authentication
• Validate system connections

Prevention Strategies

Design Review

• Map process before building
• Review with stakeholders
• Consider edge cases
• Plan error scenarios

Incremental Building

• Start with simple version
• Test each addition
• Build complexity gradually
• Validate at each step

Documentation

• Document business rules
• Explain complex logic
• Note external dependencies
• Record testing scenarios

Optimization Tips

Performance Optimization

Parallel Execution

• Identify independent actions
• Run simultaneous operations
• Reduce total execution time
• Improve user experience

Data Efficiency

• Minimize API calls
• Cache frequently used data
• Batch operations when possible
• Use appropriate data formats

Resource Management

• Set appropriate timeouts
• Monitor memory usage
• Optimize data transfers
• Plan for peak loads

Maintainability

Clear Naming

• Use descriptive step names
• Document complex logic
• Explain business rules
• Note external dependencies

Modular Design

• Break complex workflows into pieces
• Create reusable components
• Separate concerns clearly
• Enable independent testing

Version Control

• Save workflow versions
• Document changes
• Enable rollback capability
• Track modification history

Deployment Process

Pre-Deployment Checklist

• All tests passing
• Error handling in place
• Performance acceptable
• Security review complete
• Documentation updated
• Stakeholder approval received

Deployment Options

Gradual Rollout

• Start with small subset
• Monitor performance
• Gather feedback
• Expand gradually

Blue-Green Deployment

• Keep old version running
• Test new version in parallel
• Switch when confident
• Quick rollback if needed

Post-Deployment

Monitoring

• Watch execution metrics
• Monitor error rates
• Track performance
• Gather user feedback

Optimization

• Identify bottlenecks
• Optimize slow steps
• Improve error handling
• Enhance user experience

Collaboration Features

Team Development

• Share workflows with team
• Set editing permissions
• Review changes together
• Merge improvements

Approval Process

• Submit for review
• Get stakeholder approval
• Track approval status
• Implement feedback

Documentation

• Built-in documentation tools
• Version history
• Change tracking
• Knowledge sharing