Workflows

Workflows in Archflow let you model business processes that span multiple systems. They bridge the gap between business requirements and technical architecture.

What Are Workflows?

A workflow represents a business process --- a sequence of steps that accomplish a business goal. Each step is linked to the system that performs it, creating a direct connection between business processes and your technical architecture.

Example: An "Order Fulfillment" workflow might include:

1. Customer places order (Web Application)
2. Payment is processed (Payment Gateway)
3. Order is validated (API Server)
4. Inventory is reserved (Inventory Service)
5. Shipping is scheduled (Logistics System)

Workflows Page

Navigate to Workflows in the project sidebar to see all workflows in your project. Each workflow card shows the workflow name, description, and step count.

Creating Workflows

1. Navigate to your project's Workflows section
2. Click New Workflow and provide a name and description
3. Add steps to the workflow, linking each to a system
4. Define the flow between steps with connections

Workflow Detail Page

Click a workflow to open its detail page. Here you can:

• Edit the workflow name and description
• Manage workflow steps
• Open the workflow canvas for visual editing

Workflow Canvas

Each workflow has its own visual canvas where you can:

• Add steps by clicking on the canvas or using the toolbar
• Arrange steps in a flow diagram by dragging them
• Draw connections between steps showing the process flow
• Link steps to systems --- each step maps to a system in your architecture
• Link to architecture connections --- step transitions can reference the technical connection that implements them
• Add descriptions to each step explaining what happens

Steps are color-coded by the system they belong to. The canvas state (layout, zoom, node positions) is saved and restored when you return.

Imported Workflows

When a project is imported as a subsystem, its workflows are also imported. Imported workflows are marked with a read-only flag (isImported = true) and cannot be edited --- they reflect the source project's business processes.

System-Workflow Relationships

Archflow analyzes the relationships between workflows and systems to provide insights:

• Critical Systems --- Systems involved in many workflows
• Process Gaps --- Areas where workflows might be missing
• Coverage Analysis --- Which systems are covered by documented processes

This analysis helps identify which systems are most important to your business operations and where documentation might be lacking.

Workflow in Documentation

When generating documentation, you can select which workflows to include from the Workflows tab on your diagram view. Selected workflows appear in the documentation with:

• Process flow descriptions
• Step-by-step breakdowns
• Links to the systems involved
• Business context and process importance

Workflow selections are saved per diagram view and persist across sessions.

Best Practices

• Name workflows after business outcomes --- "Process Payment" not "API Call Sequence"
• Link every step to a system --- This creates the business-to-technical mapping
• Document the happy path first --- Add error handling and edge cases later
• Keep workflows focused --- One workflow per business process