Workflow process: Cut approval time and eliminate bottlenecks

A workflow process defines who does what, when, and how.

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Key workflow process terminology

Understanding these five concepts helps teams design, implement, and optimize workflow processes.

Workflow mapping

Process mapping shows how work moves through your system — tasks, decisions, and handoffs. Map your current workflow to find what’s broken or slow.

Workflow orchestration

A workflow engine routes tasks between people, runs automated actions, and enforces your business rules. Modern workflow engines handle both human tasks and system integrations. Nutrient Workflow does both — so a single approval step can notify a manager, update a database, and trigger a followup task without manual intervention.

Process optimization

Workflow analysis finds bottlenecks and wasted steps in your current processes. Use what you learn to decide what to redesign and what to automate first.

Workflow governance

Business process management is how you design, run, and improve workflows across your organization. It keeps processes aligned with business goals and compliance rules.

Cross-functional coordination

Task orchestration handles dependencies between activities so work moves between departments without getting stuck. You need clear handoffs, visible status, and defined ownership. Nutrient Workflow gives every department a single view of where work stands, who owns it, and what’s overdue — so handoffs don’t stall in someone’s inbox.

Workflow process types by execution pattern

Not all workflows follow the same structure. The right pattern depends on what the process needs to accomplish.

Sequential workflows

Tasks run one after another in a fixed order. Each step must finish before the next begins. Use sequential workflows for processes with strict dependencies — like document approvals where legal must sign off before finance releases payment.

Example — Invoice approval > Manager review > Finance processing > Payment release.

Parallel workflows

Multiple tasks run at the same time. Parallel workflows reduce cycle time by splitting work across departments or teams that don’t depend on each other.

Example — New hire onboarding — IT provisions accounts while HR processes paperwork and facilities prepares a workspace.

State machine workflows

Work items move between defined states based on events or conditions. Unlike sequential workflows, state machine workflows allow items to move backward or skip steps. Use them for processes where the path isn’t always linear.

Example — Bug tracking — A ticket moves between Open, In Progress, In Review, and Closed statuses, and can reopen at any point.

Rules-driven workflows

Business rules determine what happens at each step. The workflow engine evaluates conditions (dollar amounts, risk scores, employee roles) and routes work automatically. Rules-driven workflows reduce manual decision-making and enforce consistency.

Example — Expense reports under $500 get auto-approved; $500–$5,000 go to a manager; more than $5,000 require VP sign-off.

Nutrient Workflow supports all four patterns. You can combine them in a single process — for instance, a purchase order that follows sequential approval steps with parallel notifications and rules-driven routing based on amount.

Types of workflows by department

Workflows are common across all industries and departments. Here’s a selection of the most common processes.

Essential workflow process components

Workflow processes share common structural elements.

Activities and tasks

Workflow activities are the individual tasks in your process — data entry, approvals, reviews, decisions. Each activity takes inputs, produces outputs, and has criteria that determine what happens next.

Activities are structured based on their execution requirements:

• Sequential activities follow a linear path where completion of one triggers the next
• Parallel activities execute simultaneously to speed up the process
• Conditional activities execute based on specific criteria or decision outcomes
• Automated activities run without human intervention through system integrations

Decision points and routing

Decision points determine which path the workflow takes based on data values, rules, or user input. In Nutrient Workflow, you set up these branching rules visually — no code required — so business teams can own their routing logic without waiting on IT.

Participants and roles

Workflow participants include individuals, teams, or systems responsible for executing activities. Clear role definition ensures accountability and prevents confusion about responsibilities. In Nutrient Workflow, you assign tasks by role rather than by name. When someone is out, work automatically routes to the next available person instead of sitting idle.

Data and documents

Information assets — documents, forms, records — move through the workflow, created or modified at each stage. In Nutrient Workflow, forms and files attach to each step automatically, so participants never waste time hunting for the right document or working from outdated information.

Workflow process examples

These examples show how different departments structure their workflows.

Employee onboarding

In this workflow, multiple departments coordinate through parallel and automated tasks — sending welcome emails, creating system accounts, reviewing documents, setting up equipment, and scheduling orientation.

Key workflow elements in this example:

• Triggers — Job offer acceptance initiates the process
• Parallel paths — IT setup occurs simultaneously with HR documentation
• Decision points — Equipment needs determine provisioning requirements
• Handoffs — Clear transitions between HR, IT, and management responsibilities
• Completion criteria — All tasks must finish before employee start date

Pattern — Parallel workflow with automated triggers. Nutrient Workflow coordinates the parallel paths and notifies each department when their tasks are ready.

Purchase order approval

1. Requester submits a PO with item details, quantity, and vendor
2. The system checks the budget and auto-rejects the PO if funds are unavailable
3. Rules-based routing ensures orders less than $1,000 skip to step 5; $1,000–$10,000 go to department manager; more than $10,000 require director approval
4. The approver reviews and decides to approve, reject, or send back for revision
5. Procurement creates the order and notifies the vendor
6. Requester confirms receipt and triggers payment

Pattern — Rules-driven with sequential approval steps. Nutrient Workflow handles the routing logic automatically based on dollar thresholds.

IT change request

1. The requestor documents the change — what’s changing, why, and what systems are affected
2. Engineering conducts a technical review to assess risk and scope
3. For high-risk changes, the change advisory board (CAB) votes to approve or deny
4. The team executes the change during the approved implementation window
5. Testing validates that the change works as expected
6. The request is closed and documented for audit

Pattern — State machine workflow. Changes can move backward (CAB sends back to technical review) or skip steps (low-risk changes bypass CAB). Nutrient Workflow logs every state transition, so your team has a complete audit trail when compliance reviews come around.

Contract review and approval

1. The business owner submits the contract with supporting documents
2. An attorney conducts a legal review, examining terms and redlining issues
3. Finance reviews payment terms while compliance checks regulatory requirements in parallel
4. If changes are needed, the contract cycles between legal and the counterparty in a negotiation loop
5. An authorized signer executes the agreement for final approval
6. The signed contract is filed and key dates (renewal, expiration) are tracked

Pattern — Parallel workflow with a negotiation loop. Nutrient Workflow tracks each revision and maintains a full audit trail.

How to create a workflow process

Follow these six steps to build a workflow from scratch.

1. Identify the process and its boundaries

Pick a specific process — not “all of finance,” but “invoice approval from receipt to payment.” Define where it starts (trigger), where it ends (outcome), and who’s involved.

2. Map the current state

Document how the process runs today, even if it’s messy. Talk to the people who actually do the work. Write down every step, handoff, and decision — including the workarounds people use when the official process breaks down.

3. Identify bottlenecks and waste

Look for steps that cause delays: manual approvals that sit in inboxes, redundant data entry, unclear ownership. These are your highest-value automation targets.

4. Design the target workflow

Sketch the improved process. Decide which steps should be sequential, which can run in parallel, and where rules can replace manual decisions. Keep it as simple as possible — you can add complexity later.

5. Build and test

In Nutrient Workflow, use the drag-and-drop builder to create your process. Assign roles, define routing rules, and attach forms. Run the workflow with a small group before rolling it out company-wide.

6. Monitor and improve

Track completion times, bottleneck locations, and error rates after launch. Use this data to refine the process. Workflows that aren’t reviewed regularly drift from how work actually gets done.

Workflow process optimization benefits

Organizations that automate their workflows report measurable results. According to McKinsey, employees spend 1.8 hours per day — roughly 9.3 hours per week — searching for and gathering information. Structured workflows reduce that overhead by routing the right data to the right people at each step.

• Reduce manual entry and request handling to speed up internal workflows.
• Track request status (completed, pending, or in progress) in real time.
• Identify performance trends (group and individual) over time.
• Identify process redundancies.
• Switch from single to parallel processing of tasks.
• Eliminate circumvention of organizational business rules.
• Provide staff members with reminders and alerts when tasks age.
• Allow 24/7 access to approve and monitor requests and tasks.
• Allow staff and management to focus on value-added projects instead of repetitive tasks.
• Reduce license overhead for enterprise systems (ERP, CRM, etc.).
• Monitor team progress against service level agreements.
• Identify and remove process barriers or bottlenecks.
• Reduce errors and rework.
• Reduce the risk of improperly approved requests, contracts, hires, etc.
• Improve compliance with audit trails.
• Increase throughput and productivity.
• Give employees a single place to submit and track requests.
• Match tasks to staff members with the right skills.
• Reduce paperwork and its associated costs.
• Reduce the need for manual decision-making and handling of business rules.

Organizations using Nutrient Workflow typically cut approval cycle times by 40–75 percent and eliminate manual routing errors entirely. Start a free trial to see the impact on your processes.

Workflow process design best practices

Follow these practices to build workflows that hold up over time.

Document current state thoroughly

Map current activities, identify pain points, and trace information flow before designing improvements. Skipping this step leads to costly rework.

Design workflows that adapt

Build workflows you can change without starting over. Use configurable rules and escalation paths so the process adapts as your business does. Nutrient Workflow’s modular builder lets you add steps or change routing rules without rebuilding an entire workflow.

Implement governance and continuous improvement

Assign clear ownership, define metrics, and review workflows regularly. Track KPIs and collect user feedback to find what needs improvement. Nutrient Workflow’s dashboards surface cycle times, aging tasks, and completion rates in real time.

Nutrient Workflow’s approach to workflow process automation software

Nutrient Workflow is a platform for building customized, department-specific automated workflows. Since no two companies run the same way, we built it to adapt to your business — not the other way around.

Go live faster — Build workflows from scratch, start from a template, or have our service team design them for you. Customers typically have their first process running within weeks, not months.

Handle your most critical processes — Some of the largest companies in the world run cybersecurity response, customer onboarding, and capital expenditure approvals through Nutrient Workflow. It scales with your volume and complexity.

Connect your existing systems — Integrate with ERPs, CRMs, databases, and intranets through APIs and prebuilt connectors. Embed forms directly into SharePoint, your intranet, or any webpage — so users submit requests where they already work.

Get hands-on support — Our implementation team works alongside yours during onboarding and process design. You get guided help building your first workflows and the training to build the rest on your own.

Interested in automating your workflows?

If you’re interested in learning more, you can schedule a 30-minute live, guided demonstration(opens in a new tab) or try Workflow Automation free for 14 days.

Related

• What is workflow automation?
• What is process analysis?
• How to design a process

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