Workflows

A workflow in ChronoFlow automates task creation and handoff in a business process. Workflows can create simple linear sequences of tasks, or they can use task data to create conditional paths that route work based on the information collected.

Overview

Workflows automate the flow of work through your organization. When one task completes, workflows can automatically create the next task in the process and assign it to the right person. This eliminates manual handoffs and ensures work moves through your processes consistently.

Workflows Powered by n8n

ChronoFlow workflows are powered by n8n , a workflow automation platform that enables you to connect apps and automate processes. n8n is a fair-code licensed tool that combines workflow automation with powerful integration capabilities.

n8n Basics

n8n helps you connect any app with an API to any other and manipulate data with little or no code. It’s:

• Customizable: Build workflows tailored to your needs
• Self-hostable: Deploy on your own infrastructure for privacy and control
• Integration-rich: Connect to 400+ different apps and services
• Visual workflow builder: Create workflows using a visual interface

For more information about n8n, see the official n8n documentation .

n8n and ChronoFlow

Your ChronoFlow instance should have access to an n8n instance to enable workflow automation. Using n8n to control ChronoFlow is done through n8n ChronoFlow nodes, which provide the integration between n8n workflows and your ChronoFlow instance.

These nodes allow you to:

• Create tasks in ChronoFlow
• Read task data from ChronoFlow
• Update task status and fields
• Trigger workflows based on ChronoFlow events
• Extract and use task data in conditional logic

This integration makes it possible to build the powerful conditional workflows that ChronoFlow supports.

Basic Workflows

At its most fundamental level, a ChronoFlow workflow automates task creation and assignment in sequence:

1. Task A is created and assigned to Person A
2. When Task A is completed, Task B is automatically created and assigned to Person B

This creates a simple linear workflow where work flows from one person to the next as tasks are completed.

Example

A basic workflow might look like:

• Task A: “Review Application” → assigned to Reviewer
• When Task A completes → Task B: “Process Application” → assigned to Processor

This ensures that applications are reviewed before they’re processed, and the handoff happens automatically.

Conditional Workflows

What makes ChronoFlow workflows powerful is their ability to use task data to create conditional paths. Because tasks are rich data containers (see Tasks), workflows can examine the data collected in a task and route work differently based on that information.

How Conditional Workflows Work

1. A task is created and assigned to someone
2. When that task is completed, the workflow extracts specific field data from the completed task
3. Based on that data, the workflow creates different tasks and assigns them to different people

Example: Age-Based Routing

Here’s a concrete example of a conditional workflow:

1. Task A is created and assigned to Person A
2. When Task A is completed, the workflow extracts the age field data from Task A
3. If age is less than 21: Create Task B and assign it to Person B
4. If age is greater than or equal to 21: Create Task C and assign it to Person C

This allows the same initial task to route to different people or processes based on the data collected, creating intelligent, data-driven workflows.

Why Conditional Workflows Matter

Conditional workflows enable you to:

• Route work intelligently: Send work to the right person or process based on the data collected
• Handle exceptions automatically: Different paths for different scenarios without manual intervention
• Scale processes: Handle variations in your business process without creating separate workflows
• Reduce errors: Automated routing based on data reduces the chance of work going to the wrong place

Workflows and Task Data

Because tasks collect rich, structured data through their fields, workflows can make decisions based on:

• Numeric values (like age, amount, quantity)
• Text values (like status, category, type)
• Boolean values (yes/no, true/false)
• Any other field data collected in the task

This data-driven approach means your workflows can adapt to the specific circumstances of each piece of work, creating more intelligent and efficient processes.

Workflows and Lists

Workflows are associated with lists. When a task in a list completes, the workflow can:

• Create new tasks in the same list
• Create new tasks in different lists
• Route to different people or departments
• Take different paths based on task data

This allows you to model complex business processes that span multiple kinds of work and multiple teams.

Creating Workflows

Workflows are created by space admins or organization admins. When creating a workflow, you define:

• Which task completion triggers the workflow
• What data to extract from the completed task
• What conditions to check (if any)
• What tasks to create based on those conditions
• Who to assign those tasks to

This gives you the flexibility to create both simple linear workflows and complex conditional workflows that adapt to your business needs.