Process Orchestration: Feature Overview and How to Use
Summary
Process orchestration lets you design, automate, and monitor end-to-end workflows across people, systems, and data. Use it to reduce manual work, improve consistency, and gain real-time visibility into critical business processes.
Who this is for
- Operations, product, and IT teams who need reliable, repeatable workflows
- Anyone automating tasks across multiple tools or teams
- Owners of approval flows, provisioning, onboarding, and escalations
Key Features
Visual Workflow Builder
- Drag-and-drop steps to design flows from start to finish
- Connect tasks with lines to define sequence and logic
- Inline preview shows inputs, outputs, and expected results
Triggers and Schedules
- Event-based triggers: webhook, API call, database change, form submit
- Time-based triggers: run on a schedule (hourly, daily, cron)
- Manual triggers: start runs on demand for testing or one-off tasks
Step Types
- System actions: call APIs, query databases, update records, transform data
- Human tasks: approvals, reviews, data entry, acknowledgments
- Integrations: connect third-party tools via native connectors or webhooks
- Utilities: delay, loop, merge, notify, assign, calculate
Branching and Conditions
- If/Else logic for data-driven paths
- Switch cases for multi-branch decisions
- Guards and preconditions to prevent invalid runs
Parallel and Sequential Execution
- Run independent steps in parallel to speed up workflows
- Use joins to synchronize and continue when all/any branches complete
Data Mapping and Variables
- Map inputs and outputs between steps
- Use variables, expressions, and templates to build dynamic payloads
- Secure fields for secrets and sensitive data
Reusable Components
- Subflows: encapsulate common patterns and call them from multiple workflows
- Templates: start from best-practice blueprints and adapt as needed
Error Handling and Retries
- Automatic retries with backoff for transient failures
- Custom retry rules by status code, error type, or step
- Fallback paths (e.g., notify, escalate, create ticket)
Timeouts and SLAs
- Set per-step and overall timeouts
- Define SLAs with alerts when thresholds are at risk
Approvals and Human-in-the-Loop
- Single or multi-step approvals with due dates
- Reminders, escalations, and delegation options
- Track who approved, when, and any comments
Versioning and Rollback
- Maintain versions of each workflow
- Compare changes, test drafts, and roll back safely
Testing and Simulation
- Run test executions with sample data
- Step-by-step replay to debug failures
- Validation checks for missing inputs or broken connections
Monitoring and Alerts
- Live run history with statuses, durations, and error details
- Dashboards for throughput, success rate, and bottlenecks
- Configurable notifications (email, chat, webhook) on success/failure
Audit Logs and Compliance
- Immutable logs of changes, runs, and user actions
- Exportable records for audits and incident reviews
Permissions and Roles
- Fine-grained access to view, edit, run, or publish workflows
- Environment-specific controls (dev, test, prod)
APIs and Webhooks
- Start workflows via API
- Send and receive webhooks with signature verification
- Use API tokens and IP allowlists for security
Localization and Time Zones
- Define workflow time zone for schedules and SLAs
- Localize human task content for multi-language teams
Getting Started
- Create a workflow
- Go to Workflows > New Workflow
- Name: Use a clear, action-based name (e.g., “Onboard New Customer”)
- Description: State the purpose and expected outcome
- Set a trigger
- Choose trigger type (Event, Schedule, Manual)
- For schedules, define cadence and time zone
- For webhooks, copy the endpoint and verify with a test payload
- Add steps
- Click Add Step and choose a step type (System, Human, Integration)
- Configure inputs with field hints and defaults
- Add output mappings to pass data to the next step
- Add logic
- Insert Condition to branch by data (e.g., amount > 10,000)
- Use Parallel for independent operations (e.g., notify + create ticket)
- Map data
- Open Data Mapper to connect fields between steps
- Validate required fields and mark sensitive fields as Secure
- Handle errors
- Set retry policy (e.g., 3 attempts, exponential backoff)
- Define fallback: route to Approver or Notify with error details
- Test and publish
- Run Test with sample inputs
- Review logs; fix validation warnings
- Click Publish when ready, then monitor first runs
UX Writing: Recommended UI Copy
Buttons and Actions
- New Workflow
- Add Step
- Set Trigger
- Test Run
- Publish
- Save Draft
- View Logs
- Retry Failed Steps
Field Labels and Help Text
- Name: A short, descriptive title users will recognize.
- Description: What the workflow does and when to use it.
- Trigger: Choose how this workflow starts (event, schedule, manual).
- Retry Policy: Specify attempts and backoff strategy for transient errors.
- Timeout: Maximum time allowed before the step fails.
- Assignee: Who should complete this approval or task.
Empty States
- No workflows yet: Create your first workflow to automate a repeatable process.
- No runs to show: Try a Test Run to validate your setup.
Confirmation and Success Messages
- Workflow published: Your workflow is live and ready to run.
- Test started: Running with sample data—check logs for results.
Error Messages (Clear and Actionable)
- Missing required field: “Trigger URL is required to receive events.”
- Invalid mapping: “The ‘email’ field expects a valid email address.”
- Permission blocked: “You don’t have access to publish. Request approval from an admin.”
Best Practices
- Name clearly: Use verbs and outcomes (e.g., “Route High-Risk Orders to Review”).
- Keep steps small: One action per step improves reusability and debugging.
- Validate early: Add guards to stop runs with incomplete or invalid data.
- Standardize errors: Use consistent error shapes and messages for reliable handling.
- Document inputs/outputs: Add short notes so teammates can reuse steps.
- Start with test data: Run simulations before publishing to production.
- Monitor first runs closely: Set temporary alerts during rollout.
Security and Compliance Tips
- Store secrets in secure fields; never hardcode keys.
- Limit who can publish to production.
- Use signed webhooks and rotate tokens regularly.
- Export audit logs for regulated processes.
Glossary
- Workflow: A defined sequence of automated and human steps.
- Trigger: The event or schedule that starts a workflow.
- Step: An individual action within the workflow.
- Subflow: A reusable workflow called from another workflow.
- Run: A single execution instance of a workflow.
SEO Notes (for docs pages)
- Target keywords: process orchestration, workflow automation, visual workflow builder, approvals, error handling, retries, audit logs
- Meta description suggestion: “Learn how to design, automate, and monitor workflows with process orchestration—triggers, approvals, error handling, and real-time monitoring included.”
Need help?
- See Troubleshooting: Common Trigger Errors, Mapping Issues, and Retry Failures
- Contact Support with run ID, timestamp, and workflow version for faster resolution
