VISUAL WORKFLOW BUILDER

Flowchart-Based Workflows.

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Visual Workflow Designer

Visual workflow designer is a web-based interface that facilitates modeling and visualizing workflows. This can be used by even a non-technical user to drag and drop workflow elements and steps into the right place to incorporate business rules wherever needed to make business decisions.

It is a well-known fact that humans communicate better visually than with words and with Cflow, we aim to make workflow automation easier than ever, with a visual workflow builder.

Drag and drop process stages, create rules automatically, and set any process in motion. We strongly believe in the no-code ecosystem where everyone in your organization can create the processes relevant to their use case and the workflow management is not dependent on just the folks at IT.

With an intuitive user interface, the visual workflow builder simplifies the steps involved in creating a new workflow and you are ready to get going in a matter of minutes. The flowchart-based workflow designer helps users visualize the actual working of a process and dramatically reduces the complexity of building workflows and setting rules.

The designer also provides a huge library of process templates that can be used as a good starting point for your process automation. These templates are organized by departments and use cases. We also have box solutions that provide a connected set of workflows neatly bundled together and ready to install and work with. With Cflow, What you see is what you get!

Easily build new workflows with a simple drag-and-drop interface
An intuitive 2-step wizard-driven builder with visual cues
Tools to build your workflows quickly. More configuration options are available in the Control Center after the workflow is published.
Pre-designed templates for a wide variety of processes

What is Visual Workflow Builder?

A visual workflow builder is a tool for project management approach and technique that makes use of visual cues and flows to aid project implementation and management. Graphical visual workflow designer allows non-technical users to drag-and-drop the sequence of events in a workflow along with various business rules that need to be satisfied. The right visual workflow automation software allows you to build powerful and intuitive visual workflows.

Features of a Visual Workflow Builder Include

Template Creation: The drag-and-drop form builder must provide templates for various business functions. The templates can be customized according to the nature and type of the process. The tasks in the workflow are according to the end goal of the process and are executed according to preset business rules.

Process Overview: The visual workflow must provide an overview of the entire process. The tasks and their dependencies are represented in the form of visual workflows.

Visual Consistency with Standard Toolset: The form builder tool must include a standard set of tools for creating visual workflows. The toolset must include standard symbols for various tasks, connectors, decisions, and triggers that make up the workflow.

Automatic Line and Shape Drawing: The lines and shapes for different types of tasks and triggers should be automatically assigned by the workflow builder. Automatic assignment of lines and shapes not only speeds up the workflow creation process but also ensures standardization in workflows.

Switching Between Tasks and Processes: The workflow builder must enable seamless switching between tasks and processes. The smooth flow of the process can be maintained only when the switching happens quickly and without any lag.

Implementing Business Rules: Rule-driven business processes are the ones that operate according to preset business rules. These processes are best suited for automation. The first step to automating such processes is to map out the process according to business rules.

Low-code or No-code Drag-and-Drop Functionality: The visual form builder must be easy to use and understood even by a person without any technical background. A low-code or no-code form builder enables any user to create visual workflows using the drag-and-drop functionality.

How to Design Visual Workflows?

A visual workflow builder is used to build a visual workflow – as simple as that. A visual workflow is a process that enables the user to build a sequence of tasks with a visual-first approach. The visual workflow represents the passing of data from one task to another.

A visual workflow can be imagined as a road with stops. Each stop represents a task that needs to be completed in order to achieve the end goal of the process. The visual workflow builder is used to connect these tasks together in a predetermined sequence.

Every workflow is made up of 3 parts

An action, an event, and a trigger. While building a visual workflow, the main focus must be on mapping business requirements to these components. Once accurate and appropriate mapping is done, building a visual workflow is a piece of cake.

Action

Action is any task that needs to be automated, sending an email is an example of a simple task.

Event

An event specifies the instance at which a task has to be carried out. Sending an email notification when a record is created is an example of an event.

Trigger

Trigger is a user input that initiates a workflow. Submission of a form may be considered a trigger for creation of a record.

Other components of a workflow include filters and branching filters. Filters are optional parts of an automated workflow. These are used to narrow the scope of triggers. Filters are tested when triggers are fired. The yes/no branching filters are also optional parts of automation that are associated with evaluation at a designated point during the workflow. A branching filter evaluates whether a specified criteria is met or not, and filters down to their own Yes or No Action groups. An example of a branching filter is checking if contacts have or have not opened an email.

Creating a visual workflow in Cflow is shown in the screenshot below. From CapEx approvals to eCommerce product catalog updates – a variety of workflows can be represented visually using the drag-and-drop visual form builder in Cflow. Pre-designed templates in Cflow can be used for creating visual workflows for a wide variety of processes.

Tips for Creating Visual Workflows

The first tip in creating effective workflows is to master the use of the visual workflow builder.

Users must be well aware of the features and functionalities provided by the process mapping software. The only way you can leverage all the features provided by the software is to understand each feature and how to use it.

The second most important tip is to have clarity on what you wish to accomplish with the workflow.

Well-planned and built workflows are essential to successful automation. Creating workflows on aesthetics alone will not get you far in terms of automation and productivity. It would help if you had clarity on what to automate first and how to align it with the features of visual workflow software.
Another important factor you need to bear in mind while creating visual workflows is to stick to short and crisp text. Visually appealing workflows are often those that have compelling visuals supported by appropriate text.

Difference between Visual Workflows and Regular Workflows

What is the difference between visual workflows and regular workflows? They are different in two aspects – how they are built, and the resulting workflow. Regular workflows are built based on text inputs or code without a notation method in place. Visual workflows on the other hand are built on automation platforms like Cflow. Automation platforms help define and visualize each step of the workflow. Additionally, rule-based parameters enable real-time movement of data through the workflow.

Regular workflows are more of text and less of visual elements. Details of the business process like process flow direction, key tasks, dependencies, etc are explained with the help of text-based content. A visual workflow on the other hand makes immediate sense to the user. When a workflow is visualized using a visual workflow designer, it is easier for all project or process stakeholders to see not only what they have to do, but where they fit into the overall project. Modeling and visualizing workflows is usually done via a web-based interface that allows even a non-technical user to drag-and-drop workflow elements and steps to incorporate business rules when decision points are reached in the process. A visual workflow empowers managers to evolve the workflow and make improvements on the fly.

Benefits of Using A Visual Workflow Builder

The right visual workflow builder can create highly effective workflows that can be automated easily and quickly. Even complex workflows can be mapped easily using a visual form builder.

So what are the benefits of using a visual workflow builder?

Speeds up workflow automation – A visual workflow forms a basis for automating the workflow. A clearly defined visual format of the workflow is key to quick and effective automation. Visual models enable faster translation of requirements into workable solutions up to 10 times faster than traditional methods.
Understand roles clearly – A visual representation of the process using a visual workflow builder makes more sense to the process team. When a workflow is visualized, it becomes easy for all project and process participants to understand their roles and see where they fit into the bigger picture.
Intuitive web-based interface – Modeling and visualizing workflows usually happens via an intuitive web interface that allows even non-technical users to create workflows easily. You do not need to write even a line of code, all you need to do is to drag-and-drop workflow elements into place and incorporate business rules.
Gets the entire team on the same page – When the whole process and the game plan are out there as a visual workflow for everyone in the team to view and understand. Everyone on the team understands the game plan and strategies and feels valued. The more visual management that comes into play, the easier it becomes for management and front-line employees to detect problems and inefficiencies.
Simplifies workflow monitoring – Monitoring the status and performance of workflows becomes easy and more efficient with visual workflows. Learning the status of even one aspect of the project takes unacceptable levels of time when done manually. When you have a visual representation of the workflow, you can learn about the last edit made, by whom, when, and the impact on the rest of the process.
Easy maintenance of the process – A visual representation of the entire workflow makes it easy to spot bottlenecks and areas of improvement. Moreover, anyone can quickly modify the records and values of the workflow with a simple drag-and-drop option. Single-click upgrades and automatic updates enable easy workflow maintenance in the long run.
Improves scalability – Creating visual workflows makes it easy to identify potential areas for improvement and scale up the process. Future enhancements and expansions to the process become easy when you have a visual representation of the process.