Workstreams overview

Workstreams are no-code workflows that you configure and use to streamline and automate simple, repetitive work to deliver a business outcome. What workstreams do you need to automate your work?

For simple automations, configure your own workstreams using predefined activities, or use the out-of-the-box preconfigured workstreams that are ready to use. For a more structured automation, create and publish custom workstreams that are tailored to your business needs and use them in your work.

Workplace organizes your work as follows:
  • Tasks lists tasks that are assigned directly to you, tasks that you have claimed, and all the unclaimed tasks that are assigned to the teams that you are a member of. You can search, filter, and sort your tasks using filters and saved views. Open a task to complete the required work. To work on a task that is assigned to your team, claim it first.
  • Workflows lists all the workflows that you can view and participate in, including process, case, and workstream instances. Similar to the task list, you can search, sort, and filter your workflow list. When you start a workflow, you can choose the predefined activity based on which to configure a simple workstream.

Configurable workstreams

To automate straightforward tasks without investing much effort, you can configure simple workstreams that use predefined activities (approval, checklist, or form). You can start configuring a workstream either from scratch or from an existing workstream whose configuration you want to adjust to fit a different set of requirements. Every user role can configure workstreams.

Regardless of the starting point, the intuitive user interface guides your steps and simplifies the configuration process. A workstream for an approval request, for example, can be configured in just a few simple steps: add an approval activity and quickly configure it, select the approver, review a summary of the workstream configuration, and then run the workstream to kick off the approval. When the workstream runs, the activity that you configured generates an approval task that the approver receives and works on.

For example, you can configure a workstream for a document or an expense approval, a leave of absence approval, a list of to-do items for an event you're planning, and so on. For more information, see Configuring workstreams.

Out-of-the-box workstreams

To use automation for specific situational needs, use the out-of-the-box workstreams that are preconfigured in the system. All you need to do is fill out the necessary information and start the workstream.

  • Leave of absence request: Request your manager's approval for a leave of absence: fill in your information, upload a supporting document, assign your manager (who must be a member of the Team Managers team) to the approval, then run the workstream. You'll receive confirmation when the approval is complete. To see how the leave of absence request works, watch this video:
    Video camera icon Request a leave of absence
  • Request work-from-home resources: Assist your employees to set up a home office: submit a request for work-from-home resources to the provisioning team, receive confirmation when the provisioning is complete, then inform the employee that the resources are ready for pickup. To see how the request for work-from-home resources works, watch this video:
    Video camera icon Request work-from-home resources
  • Review new safety procedures: Send new safety procedure documents to your employees and receive confirmation once the documents have been reviewed. To see how the review safety procedures request works, watch this video:
    Video camera icon Review new safety procedures
Note that even though the videos show an earlier version of the user interface, the functionality is still valid.

Custom workstreams

To automate work that is slightly more complex, you can create custom workstreams that use no-code capabilities. You'll start by creating your own workstream definition, which can include approval, checklist, and form activities that are arranged in any sequence that meets your needs. Using the intuitive user interface, you can easily configure each activity and assign it to a team that will work on it. Once configured, you can submit the workstream definition for trial, test it, have it reviewed and approved for publishing, and then published. When the workstream is published, it is exposed to teams in your organization that can start, use, and share it.

At a high-level, some of the main steps involved in creating your own custom workstream are illustrated in the following diagram:

Main steps in workstream creation process: Configure, Review, and Use
For more information, see Creating custom workstreams.