Workflows
Turn a model into a repeatable process: stages of widgets, who works each one, and where an approver must sign off.
Where: Workflows
A workflow is a recipe your team follows on a model: a sequence of stages, each with its own widgets, and gates that decide when the next stage opens. Author it once, publish it, and run it every week or month. Running one is on Workflow runs.
Other ways in: Ctrl/⌘+K → Go to Workflows; the Workflows card on the model home; MY WORKFLOWS on Home; See all N workflows → on Scenarios. Picking the Operator persona at first run lands you here.
Find a workflow
ALL WORKFLOWS / THIS MODEL switches between every workflow you can see and the open model's. It starts on THIS MODEL when you came from a model.
| On a row | Means |
|---|---|
| ORG / PERSONAL | The workflow's tier. |
| Published | Ready to run. The row border turns green. |
| Locked by you / Locked by … | Someone holds the lock; the reason is in the tooltip. The border turns amber. |
| rev NN | The revision. |
| attached to {model} | The model it runs on. |
| N stages · N widgets · N assigned (N roles) · Updated … | Its size, and how many people are Contributors or Approvers. |
Then the row's actions: Start run (see Workflow runs), Edit, and the icons in Publish and share.
With nothing to show, the list says No workflows for this model yet. or No workflows authored yet., with Author your first workflow.
Create a workflow
- Click New workflow.
- Pick the Attached model, give it a Name and, if you like, a Description (optional).
- Click Create + edit. The editor opens.
You need to be able to edit the model. A new workflow starts with one stage, Review, on Manual advance, and three roles: Contributor, Approver and Viewer.
Author stages
The editor has three columns: the workflow and its stages, the selected stage, and the Widget palette. ← Workflows goes back.
- Name the workflow and say what it does in one sentence.
- Under Stages, click Add. Each new stage is "Stage N" with Manual advance. Hover a stage for Move up, Move down and Remove stage.
- Click a stage, then give it a name, a one-sentence description, and a Gate.
- Add widgets from the palette; see below.
- Click Save workflow.
Choose a gate
| Gate | Next stage opens when |
|---|---|
| Manual advance | Whoever is working the stage clicks Advance ›. The lightest gate. |
| Approval required | Someone with the Approver role clicks Approve this stage. Until then the stage can't advance. |
Add widgets to a stage
Click a widget in the Widget palette to add it to the selected stage. Everyone in the run sees it. Under Widgets in this stage, drag a tile by the grip in its header to move it and by its corner to resize it. Its Widget actions (⋮) menu has Move up, Move down and Remove widget. Tiles show a live preview from the model, with the same ?, Full screen and error states as on a workspace. What each widget shows is on Widgets.
With no stage selected, the middle column says Add a stage on the left to start composing.
See the roles
Roles lists each role and up to three of its people. It's read-only: roles are set when you accept a RIA proposal (Draft a workflow with RIA).
Save
Save workflow is enabled once you've changed something. If you can't edit the workflow or it's locked, your changes aren't kept.
Draft a workflow with RIA
✨ Propose with RIA builds a stage structure for the model and its roles. Pick a Cadence:
| Cadence | Stages |
|---|---|
| Weekly cycle | Review demand → Plan → Sign-off → Distribute. Approval on Sign-off. |
| Monthly cycle | Review actuals → Demand → Plan → Sign-off → Distribute. Approval on Sign-off. |
| Ad-hoc / triggered | Three stages for a quick triage. Approval on Plan + decide. |
Role assignment shows who holds each role now. Click Generate proposal to see Why these stages, the Proposed team and Proposed stages (N) with their widgets and gate. Under Assigned to, pick who works each stage. Re-propose tries again.
Accept proposal → puts the stages in the editor, unsaved, so you can change them before Save workflow. It also sets the workflow's Contributors, Approvers and Viewers to the proposed team straight away; Owners stay.
✨ Refine with RIA changes the stages you have. Say What should RIA change?, for example Add a data quality stage before Sign-off, and click Refine. What RIA changed shows the Revised stages (N). Apply edit → loads them the same way, or Try another edit. Runs already in progress keep working.
Publish and share
A workflow can be run once it's published.
| Control | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Publish workflow / Publish | Library row / editor | Makes the workflow runnable. In the editor, with unsaved changes, it asks to Save and publish. Needs at least one stage. Later edits show Re-publish. |
| Lock workflow | Library row / editor | Stops edits until it's unlocked. The prompt asks for an optional reason: Lock saves it, Cancel locks without one. While locked, every edit control in the editor is disabled, even for you. |
| Unlock / Force-release | Library row / editor | Releases the lock. On the library row, force-releasing someone else's lock asks first: "The holder loses the seat without warning." In the editor, Unlock releases it without asking. |
| Globe | Library row | Switches the tier between organizational and personal, after Switch tier to organizational?. |
| Delete | Library row | Deletes the workflow after Delete workflow "{name}"?. Runs already started stay, but open on "This run's workflow definition is no longer available." |
| Action | Who |
|---|---|
| Create, edit, draft with RIA | Anyone who can edit the model. |
| Publish, change tier | The workflow's owner, its Promoters, and Org Admins. The tier globe shows only for the Org Admin and Promoter roles. |
| Lock, delete | The owner and Org Admins. |
Publish, Lock and the tier globe are disabled while the workflow is locked; Start run and Edit stay available. Deleting a model deletes its workflows and their runs.
Limits
- A workflow runs on one model.
- Roles change only by accepting a RIA proposal or edit.
Related
- Workflow runs: start, work, approve and discuss a run
- Widgets
- Workspaces: a run stage's Open analysis opens one
- Roles and personas