The Holy Trinity of Pneumatic: Workflow Templates, Workflows and Tasks
The three fundamental entities in Pneumatic are Workflow Templates, Workflows and Tasks.
Standard operating procedures, a.k.a. Workflow Templates
You start by defining your business process or standard operating procedure (SOP) as a unique custom Workflow Template. A Workflow Template comprises a workflow kick-off form and a sequence of steps (or tasks), delays and conditions.
One Workflow Template = Multiple Workflows
Once a new Workflow Template is created, multiple Workflows can be run from it.
As soon as a new Workflow is run, Pneumatic starts assigning the Tasks the Workflow is comprised of to the performers specified for each Task in the underlying Workflow Template.
One Workflow = Sequence of Tasks
The Tasks making up a Workflow get assigned sequentially, with every subsequent Task only getting assigned after the previous one in the Workflow has been completed. You and your team can find the tasks currently assigned to you in My Tasks section.
When you select a Task, you see its description, output fields as well as the log of all comments, file attachments, and events that happened in this workflow up until now. As you complete a task, it disappears from your list and as the workflow progresses from step to step or new workflows are launched, new tasks get assigned to you and your teammates.
Thus in Pneumatic:
- You start by building a Workflow Template based on your standard operating procedure
- You then run multiple Workflows from it
- and finally, you and your team complete the Tasks assigned to you by the running Workflows
