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 workflow is manually launched
A date or milestone is reached, such as start date
The trigger tells Worknice when the workflow should begin.
Onboarding workflows are launched manually or triggered by a date such as the start date. Accepting an invite does not start a workflow.
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.
That means the person going through the workflow, such as a new starter. Each participant gets their own run, and every step in that run is about them.
Other people can still play a part without being participants. A task step can be assigned to the participant, to the participant’s manager or to a specific person, so a manager or an account owner can pick up tasks for each person going through.
People can be added to a workflow from inside it, or the other way around: from their profile, or in bulk from the People list or a custom table.
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.
A run's status is Draft, Active or Complete. A person can only have one live run on the same workflow at a time, and can be re-enrolled once their earlier run is complete or archived.
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.