Anatomy of a workflow

Understand the core building blocks that make up a workflow in Worknice.

Introduction

Workflows in Worknice help automate repeatable processes by combining triggers, groups, steps, participants, and runs.

Understanding each part of a workflow will help you design structured and scalable workflows for onboarding, compliance, approvals, and operational processes.

Triggers

A trigger is the event that starts a workflow.

For example, a workflow might begin when:

• A new person accepts their invite to Worknice

• A workflow is manually launched

• A date or milestone is reached, such as start date

The trigger tells Worknice when the workflow should begin.

Groups

A group is a collection of one or more workflow steps that are designed to trigger at the same time.

Groups are primarily used to organise steps based on timing or workflow stages.

For example, an onboarding workflow may contain:

• A Pre-start group that triggers immediately

• A Day 1 group that triggers on the employee’s start date

• A Post-start group that triggers 14 days after commencement

Each group can contain multiple steps that all execute together when that group’s timing conditions are met.

This makes it easier to:

• Organise complex workflows

• Trigger multiple actions simultaneously

• Structure workflows into logical phases

Steps

Steps are the individual actions inside a workflow group.

Examples of workflow steps include:

• Assigning documents

• Assigning forms

• Assigning questionnaires

• Assigning certificates

• Creating tasks

Each step performs a specific action when the group is triggered.

Participants

A participant is a person involved in the workflow.

Participants are used to determine who actions apply to during the workflow.

This may include:

• The employee or onboarding person

• Their manager

• An Account Owner

• Another internal stakeholder

Participants can receive tasks, notifications, approvals, or paperwork requests depending on the workflow configuration.

Runs

A run is a single live instance of a workflow.

For example, if an onboarding workflow is triggered for three different employees, Worknice creates three separate workflow runs.

Each run tracks:

• Current workflow progress

• Completed steps

• Pending actions

• Workflow timing and status

Runs make it easy to monitor workflow execution across individuals or teams.

You’re All Done!

You now understand the key components of a Worknice workflow: triggers, groups, steps, participants, and runs.

If you have any questions, please reach out to help@worknice.com or through the help section within Worknice.