WorkflowHero

Create Your First Workflow

Follow this step-by-step tutorial to build your first workflow.

Tutorial Overview

This hands-on tutorial will guide you through creating your first workflow in WorkflowHero. By the end, you'll have a fully functional workflow with stages, approvals, forms, and team assignments.

Time required: 10-15 minutes

Prerequisites

  • An active WorkflowHero account
  • At least one team member invited to your organization
  • Basic understanding of approval workflows

Step 1: Create a New Workflow

From your dashboard, click the "New Workflow" button in the top-right corner.

Fill in Basic Information:

  • Workflow Name: "My First Approval Workflow"
  • Description: Brief description of what this workflow does
  • Priority: Select "Medium" for this tutorial
  • Folder: (Optional) Assign to a folder for organization

Click "Continue" to proceed to the workflow builder.

Step 2: Choose Your Workflow Builder

WorkflowHero offers two ways to build workflows:

Simple Builder

Best for straightforward, linear workflows. Add stages one by one in sequence.

✓ Recommended for beginners

Advanced Builder

Visual drag-and-drop interface for complex workflows with branching and parallel stages.

✓ For advanced users

For this tutorial, select "Simple Builder" to get started quickly.

Step 3: Add Your First Stage

Every workflow consists of stages. Let's add your first stage:

Stage 1: Initial Review

  • Stage Name: "Initial Review"
  • Stage Type: Select "Approval"
  • Description: "First review of the request"
  • Assignee: Select yourself or a team member
  • Due Date: Set to 2 days from now
  • Mandatory Sign-Off: Enable this toggle

Click "Add Stage" to save this stage.

Step 4: Add More Stages

Let's add two more stages to create a complete workflow:

Stage 2: Document Collection

  • Type: Form Completion
  • Assignee: Requester (person who started workflow)
  • Description: "Upload required documents"
  • Due Date: 3 days from now

Stage 3: Final Approval

  • Type: Approval
  • Assignee: Manager or team lead
  • Description: "Final review and approval"
  • Mandatory Sign-Off: Enabled
  • Due Date: 5 days from now

Your workflow now has a clear progression: Review → Document Collection → Final Approval

Step 5: Add a Form (Optional)

Forms collect structured information from users. Let's add a simple form to Stage 2:

Create a Document Upload Form:

  1. Click on "Stage 2: Document Collection"
  2. Click "Add Form" button
  3. Add form fields:
    • Field 1: Text input - "Document Title" (Required)
    • Field 2: File upload - "Attach Document" (Required)
    • Field 3: Textarea - "Notes" (Optional)
  4. Click "Save Form"

The form will now appear when the assignee reaches Stage 2.

Step 6: Configure Workflow Settings

Before launching, configure important workflow settings:

Notifications

Enable email and in-app notifications for stage assignments and completions.

✓ Recommended: Keep all notifications enabled

Auto-Progression

When enabled, workflow automatically moves to next stage after approval.

✓ Recommended: Enable for faster workflow progression

Comments & Collaboration

Allow team members to leave comments and feedback throughout the workflow.

✓ Recommended: Enable for better collaboration

Step 7: Review and Launch

Before launching your workflow, review the summary:

Workflow Summary

  • • 3 stages configured
  • • 2 approval stages with mandatory sign-offs
  • • 1 form completion stage
  • • Notifications enabled
  • • Due dates set for all stages

If everything looks correct, click "Launch Workflow" to activate it.

Success! Your workflow is now active. Assigned team members will receive notifications to begin their tasks.

Step 8: Monitor Progress

Once launched, you can monitor your workflow:

Dashboard View: See all active workflows and their current stages
Workflow Details: Click on your workflow to see detailed progress, comments, and history
Audit Log: View complete history of all actions taken in the workflow
Notifications: Receive real-time updates when stages are completed or require action

What You've Learned

  • Creating a new workflow with basic information
  • Adding multiple stages with different types (Approval, Form Completion)
  • Assigning team members and setting due dates
  • Creating forms for data collection
  • Configuring notifications and workflow settings
  • Launching and monitoring workflow progress

Next Steps

Now that you've created your first workflow, explore these advanced features:

  • Learn about different stage types and when to use them
  • Master the Advanced Builder for complex workflows
  • Set up workflow templates for repeated processes
  • Explore workflow analytics and reporting
Back to DocsLearn Workflow Basics