How To Create A Workflow That Works For You

workflow creation

Key takeaways

  • Workflows can improve efficiency and reduce errors by eliminating manual repetitive tasks.
  • Choosing the right workflow automation tool is crucial considering factors such as business needs, scalability, budget, user-friendliness, and data security. 
  • There are many workflow creation tools available such as Nintex, ProcessMaker, Automation Anywhere, and Workato which you can select that align with your organizational needs.
  • Cflow offers a user-friendly AI-powered solution that has streamlined the business operations of companies like Alpelby Communications and SnF management with its no-code workflow automation capabilities. 

What is a Workflow?

A workflow handles repetitive processes and tasks that occur in a specific order. It’s the mechanism that people and enterprises use to outline the steps involved in a process from start to finish. For eg. order processing, product manufacturing, project management, providing a service, information processing, or any other value-generating activity.

Table of Contents

Understanding the Anatomy of a Workflow

The core elements of a workflow are – 

  • Components
  • Connectors
  • Connections

Workflow is an essential roadmap for completing a task or process it consists of several other components such as:

  • Activities – these are the individual tasks involved in the workflow such as data entry, approvals, calculations, sending notifications, etc. 
  • Transitions – these elements are responsible for setting the flow of the workflow. They specify which activity comes next based on certain conditions. 
  • Data – the information exchanged between activities. This is the input data to start an activity or output data generated from completing an activity. 

Structure and logic of a workflow

  • Processes – This is a collection of interconnected activities and transitions needed to accomplish a specific goal.  
  • Subprocesses – comprises smaller self-contained workflows that are embedded within larger workflows. This helps break down complex processes into manageable bits.
  • Participants – these are the people or the systems involved in the workflow and are assigned specific tasks based on their roles and responsibilities. 

Additional components

  • Conditional logic – decisions involved in the workflows are taken based on specific conditions. For instance, an approval workflow has conditions like “approve” or “reject” and each condition has a different sequence of activities.
  • Loops and iterations – workflows contain loops and interactions when certain tasks or steps are repeated until a specific condition is met. 
  • Handling errors – workflows need to consider potential errors and ways to handle them effectively by notifying relevant team members. 

Steps In Creating a Workflow

Creating an effective workflow requires a systematic approach. It involves:

  • Identify the problem and define the goals you want to achieve using the new workflow. 
  • Analyze the current workflows and map them. Identify the inefficient areas and gather feedback from stakeholders to understand different perspectives and challenges.
  • Design the workflow by breaking down the tasks, assigning them to specific individuals or teams, establishing decision points, setting deadlines and SLAs, anticipating potential issues, and developing a contingency plan. 
  • Choose a suitable workflow automation tool that aligns with your business needs and budget and can integrate seamlessly with existing systems. 
  • Implement the workflow, equip the team with training, test, and launch the workflow. 
  • Keep track of how the workflow is performing and identify areas of improvement and regularly make adjustments to avoid inefficiencies.
  • Finally, document the process and develop clear guidelines for future reference. 

Cflow is a workflow automation tool that offers a systematic approach to creating workflows within minutes. 

  1.  To create a new workflow in Cflow, click on the “Create workflow” button on the workflow setup page. 
  2. Assign a name to the workflow and add stages. By default, the first and last stage is created and you can add the rest of the stages in between. The stage collects all the information and performs the approval process.
  3. Design the forms for each stage and use appropriate fields (text, number, date, dropdown, etc). 
  4. Automate the stages by defining rules and conditions for each stage based on the form data. Specify the necessary actions that need to be performed such as routing to the next stage, sending notifications, calculations, etc. 
  5. Now assign users to specific stages and tasks and define notification settings.
  6. Test the workflow to identify errors and make necessary changes.
  7. Configure additional settings in the advanced step such as enabling access to public form, lookups, custom documents, and SLAs.
  8. Once every stage is configured and the workflow is tested and set click on the publish workflow button. 

Workflow Examples

Manual business operations are susceptible to human errors and inconsistencies which can affect the quality of product and user experience. This is why automation is significant where businesses leverage the power of business process management (BPM)

It is a strategic approach that when combined with robotic process automation (RPA) businesses can design, manage, and optimize business processes by automating repetitive, rule-based tasks thus freeing up human resources for higher-value activities. 

RPA excels in handling processes involving repetitive tasks such as:

  • Generating automated email responses 
  • Processing transactions
  • Interacting with multiple databases to retrieve information. 

Some common examples of workflow:

  • Procurement and finance – with workflows purchase order approval processes can be streamlined ensuring compliance with the budgetary constraints and legal requirements.
  • E-commerce – tasks such as inventory management, payment processing, and shipping in the order fulfillment process can be effectively streamlined.
  • Human resource management – workflows enhance the onboarding experience by automating the paperwork, IT provisioning, and training assignments.
  • Custom support – workflow automation accelerates response times that improve customer satisfaction. Tasks such as ticket routing, issue resolution, and knowledge base searches can be automated.
  • Financial services – automation improves processes such as account opening, compliance checks, and fraud prevention.
  • Health care – automation enhances operational efficiency and improves patient outcomes. Tasks such as scheduling appointments, managing medical records, and processing insurance claims are automated.
  •  Manufacturing – automation in the manufacturing industry is one of the biggest revolutions and it has optimized processes such as inventory management, supply chain management, and quality control.

Tools for Creating a Workflow

The choice of tool for creating a workflow completely depends on the complexity of the processes, the desired level of automation, and the specific needs of your organization. Here are some of the popular tools: 

Cflow

Cflow is an AI-powered workflow automation software that is designed to optimize business processes. It offers a no-code AI-driven automation that can automate complex workflows without needing extensive coding knowledge. 

Key features

  • Drag-and-drop form builder
  • Fuzzy search
  • Kanban
  • OCR- data extraction
  • Routing and notifications
  • Customization
  • Integration
  • Reports and analytics
  • Rules engine
  • Cloud storage
  • E-signature
  • SLAs and escalations
ProsCons
  • Has a user-friendly interface and is highly scalable with excellent customer support and training.
  • Though we are user-friendly our learning curve might be steep and can be a little overwhelming.
  • The no-code approach lets users create and modify workflows without needing technical coding knowledge.
  • Users might need additional support and training for some advanced features.

Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a cloud-based project management and collaboration tool that facilitates automated alerts, instantaneous updating, resource sharing and management, nested tasks, and automated reports. 

Key features

  • Spreadsheet like interface
  • Work management, project planning, and resource allocation
  • Real-time collaboration 
  • AI-powered automated workflows
  • Customizable reports and dashboard
  • Integration 
ProsCons
  • A versatile tool that can be used for different projects within the organization.
  • Users have mentioned a steep learning curve
  • Excellent flexibility 
  • Overly complex workflows can be difficult to manage
  • Facilitates teamwork and collaboration
  • Limited mobile app functionality

Hive

Hive offers comprehensive project management solutions that can automate workflows and enhance collaboration.  

Key features

  • Data warehousing
  • Batch processing
  • Data transformation
  • Integration
  • Hive server
  • Open source
ProsCons
  • User-friendly interface with a low-code platform
  • Some users mentioned the interface could be improved
  • Offers a comprehensive project management
  • Limited templates and design
  • Excellent scalability and customization
  • Limited custom integrations

Nintex

Nintex offers a comprehensive automation solution to optimize business processes with advanced workflow automation, digital document generation, e-signatures, RPA, and process discovery technology. 

Key features

  • Model execution
  • Process player
  • Business rules engine
  • SOA support
  • Process designer
  • Dashboards
  • Custom reports
  • Form builder
ProsCons
  • User-friendly interface with drag-and-drop interface
  • Some users have mentioned the platform to be difficult to learn
  • Offers a comprehensive platform 
  • Dependency on Sharepoint
  • Scalability for a variety of complex workflows
  • Limited customization options

ProcessMaker

ProcessMaker offers a dynamic end-to-end automation solution that facilitates users in creating and implementing workflows. It offers low-code platform intelligent automation that helps businesses process and gain insights to make informed decisions.

Key features

  • Process designer
  • Business rules engine
  • SOA support
  • Process simulation
  • Process player
  • Model execution
  • Form builder
  • Dashboards and custom reports
ProsCons
  • Low code automation for rapid deployment
  • Users have mentioned a steep learning curve
  • Open source option making it flexible and cost-effective
  • Limited custom integrations
  • Is scalable for both small  and large-scale workflows
  • Users have mentioned that the user interface can be improved
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Monday.com

Monday.com is an open work operating platform designed to offer users to build what they think. It offers a user-friendly interface and a visual project management platform.

Key features

  • Task management
  • Workflow automation
  • Resource management
  • Gantt charts
  • Email integration
  • Mobile access
  • Project and financial reporting
ProsCons
  • Easy to use
  • Limited automation features
  • Highly customizable and visually appealing
  • Limited mobile application
  • Is scalable for both small and large enterprises
  • Difficult managing larger projects

Workato

Workato is a cloud-based automation software that is designed to connect applications and automate workflows. It has pre-built connectors that connect easily with over 100 business applications.

Key features

  • Cloud data integration
  • Pre-built connectors
  • API management
  • Real-time support for batch integrations
  • Data profiling and other data quality services
  • Centralized monitoring console
ProsCons
  • Ease of workflow configuration
  • Limited native connectors
  • Task monitoring is simple and efficient
  • Unable to handle large, complex enterprise integrations
  • Executing complex tasks is made efficient
  • Steep learning curve

Quixy

Quixy offers a no-code automation platform that enables business users, especially citizen developers to easily automate simple to complex workflows. It eliminates manual processes making businesses more innovative and productive. 

Key features

  • No code automation
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop interface
  • Built-in reporting and analytics
  • Advanced dashboards
  • Integration
  • Agile process development
ProsCons
  • Offers real-time data insights
  • Limited documentation capabilities
  • Helps informed decision-making
  • Can offer hovering magic tips for features
  • Simplified approval process
  • Users have mentioned that navigation could be made better

SS&C Blue Prism

Blue Prism offers comprehensive RPA solutions that can automate and perform critical processes. 

Key features

  • RPA
  • Connected RPA integrated with AI, machine learning, and other cognitive tools
  • Centralized platform 
  • Security and compliance
  • Process mining
  • Scalability 
ProsCons
  • Offers robust security
  • Surface automation
  • Simple and easy-to-understand architecture
  • Lack of knowledge base
  • Scalability and integration with multiple automation tools
  • Difficulty managing multiple projects
  • Easy to learn and implement
  • Limited customization

Automation Anywhere

Automation Anywhere is a robotic process automation software that is designed to optimize and streamline business processes.

Key features

  • Code free development
  • Drag-and-drop interface
  • Automation 360
  • Recorder
  • Multiple bot views
  • Intelligent automation
ProsCons
  • Offers comprehensive platform
  • Complex for advanced automation
  • Has a user-friendly interface
  • Some of the features can be overwhelming 
  • Excellent automation of manual, repetitive tasks.
  • Limited scalability options

Tips to Invest in the Right Tool

Choosing the right workflow automation tool can significantly boost business efficiency and productivity. 

  • Recognizing the needs of your business can pinpoint the time-consuming and inefficient processes.
  • Clearly set goals of what you expect to achieve using your workflow automation tool.
  • Consider scalability as it is an important factor that aligns with your business growth and ensures that the tool can accommodate the increased workload and complexity of the processes. 
  • Assess the core functionality, integration capabilities, scalability, customization options, user interface, ease of use, and no-code. 
  • Determine the budget and be realistic with it. Consider not only the initial cost but also other expenses such as maintenance and potential upgrades.
  • Research vendors. This is an essential step where you need to evaluate factors like response times, knowledge base, and training options. 
  • Compare multiple options and explore different workflow automation tools to invest in the best fit. Compare features, pricing, user reviews, and vendor reputation. Request demos and free trials.
  • Prioritize data security and ensure that the tool has features like encryption, access controls, and compliance certification. Protecting sensitive information is of utmost importance. 
  • Develop a detailed implementation plan and include factors such as resource allocation, user training, and timelines. Plan effectively to ensure a smooth transition.

How Cflow’s Workflow Automation has Transformed Businesses!

Cflow is transforming businesses with its AI-powered workflow automation is flexible and leverages no-code technology facilitating users with holistic capabilities. Here are some of the instances where Cflow optimized the operational efficiencies of these companies.

Apelby Communications

is a global communications provider looking for ways to streamline its business travel request processes and they opted for Cflow’s workflow management platform. Cflow automated approvals, reduced processing time, and improved visibility for both managers and business travelers. When multi-level approvals and mixed approval options are implemented Apleby’s travel management efficiency significantly improved. 

SnF Management

is a renowned company that offers a multitude of professionals skilled in nursing and rehabilitation services. SnF struggled with the slow and opaque CapEx approval process and they opted for Cflow’s no-code automation. Cflow transformed the weeks-long approval process into days which accelerated visibility and operational efficiency. Cflow’s user-friendly platform and exceptional support accelerated the implementation and helped SnF deliver top-notch services.  

Conclusion

Workflow automation can significantly optimize business processes and improve efficiency. Businesses need to create workflows to have a systematic approach. Investing in the right tool can streamline repetitive tasks and improve productivity. Learn more about how Cflow can enable your business to leverage scalable features across your business operations. 

What should you do next?

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