What is workflow management? Software + best practices
Airtable's Product Team
8 min read
Ever feel like your team is running in circles, chasing approvals, hunting down files, or waiting on the next step? You're not alone. Without a clear system for managing workflows, even the best teams can get bogged down by inefficiencies, messy file systems, and miscommunication.
Workflow management is the solution, providing a structured and efficient approach to organizing, tracking, and optimizing how work is accomplished across your team and the wider organization. And with AI now at the ready, workflow management is more powerful than ever.
In this guide, we'll break down everything you need to know about workflow management: what it is, why it matters, and how the right workflow management software can transform the way your team works.
Design workflows that make work flow
What is workflow management?
Workflow management involves organizing, executing, and monitoring a series of tasks required to complete a specific goal or project. The process involves mapping out each necessary step, assigning responsibilities to specific people, and monitoring progress along the way.
With AI built in, workflow management goes a step further—helping teams automate routine tasks, surface insights, flag bottlenecks, and adapt workflows in real time. The result is a smarter, more efficient way to manage work that reduces manual effort and helps teams move faster with confidence.
You can look to effective workflow management to answer critical questions like: Who does what? When does it happen? What comes next? By providing clear structure and visibility, workflow management helps teams work more efficiently and avoid the chaos of ad-hoc processes.
7 types of workflows
Not all workflows are created equal. Understanding the different types of workflows helps you choose the right approach for your needs. Across a company, you may implement multiple workflow types depending on the project and organization.
Sequential workflows follow a linear path where each task must be completed before the next one begins. Think of an invoice approval process: submission → review → approval → payment. These workflows are straightforward and work well for processes with clear dependencies.
Parallel workflows allow multiple tasks to happen simultaneously. For example, while your design team creates mockups, your content team can draft copy, and your developers can build the technical infrastructure all at the same time. There may be dependencies at various stages, but you determine which work can proceed concurrently to avoid unnecessary delays.
State machine workflows are more complex, allowing tasks to move forward, backward, or branch based on specific conditions. A customer support ticket might escalate to different teams depending on the issue type, or return to the customer for more information before resolution.
Rules-based workflows employ an “If X, then y” logic that you define. This might mean approving budgets or purchases that are above a certain threshold, but allowing for auto-approvals for amounts below the threshold.
Collaborative workflows are similar to parallel workflows, except that they allow multiple teams to weigh in on the same stage of the project. This may be true during review periods, where different teams provide feedback before final approval.
Ad-hoc workflows are just as they sound—a one-off process to be defined when unusual projects pop up outside the ordinary flow of business. In this case, you still want to understand and communicate how the project will progress.
AI-driven workflows increasingly drive business outcomes within software platforms, where intelligent autonomous agents can determine the best way to achieve a goal and set a workflow in motion.
Key elements of a workflow
Workflows typically include five key elements: tasks, dependencies, timelines, people (or AI agents) assigned to execute tasks, and status notifications.
1. Tasks represent the breakdown of individual steps that must be taken to complete a project or goal.
2. Dependencies define which tasks must be completed before others can begin so that you can prevent bottlenecks and build an accurate timeline for project completion.
3. Timelines establish when tasks should start and finish. Deadlines create accountability and help teams prioritize which work should happen when.
4. Assign people responsible for completing each task—clear assignments provide transparency into who owns what. The caveat here is that some workflows now involve autonomous agents that will execute tasks in a workflow. In these cases, a person should still be assigned for oversight.
5. Notifications keep stakeholders informed about status updates, completed tasks, and next steps. Automated alerts make this part easy and eliminate the need for manual work and extra meetings.
Benefits of workflow management
The benefits of workflow management extend beyond getting organized; they represent what careful planning and optimization result in. Here's what streamlined workflows can deliver:
Higher efficiency: By eliminating redundancies and streamlining processes—as a result of careful planning and automated workflows for repetitive tasks—teams accomplish more in less time.
Better visibility: Real-time dashboards give everyone clear insight into project status, making it easy to see what’s working or where attention is needed.
Improved collaboration: When everyone knows their role and can see how their work connects to the larger picture, teamwork becomes more productive and transparent.
Better decision-making: With access to real-time metrics, leaders can make informed decisions about resource allocation and process improvements.
Greater consistency: Standardized workflows help work become a repeatable process and ensure that teams don’t spend unnecessary time reinventing the wheel. AI and automation also reduce errors and improve quality over time.
Workflow management challenges and how to solve them
Even with the best intentions, workflow management doesn’t always proceed smoothly. Here are some common challenges and practical solutions to help achieve efficient workflows:
Siloed data and tools
It’s not uncommon for internal departments to adopt different solutions that function similarly—especially when it comes to project management. Coordination becomes difficult when this happens, as each department sets its own processes across tools.
How to solve: Implement a single workflow management platform that creates a central workspace where multiple cross-functional teams can collaborate and create views for what they need, with integration into other key solutions.
Complexity
Large initiatives with many moving parts (dozens of stakeholders, hundreds of dependencies, and constantly shifting timelines) can overwhelm traditional project management approaches.
How to solve: Break work into smaller, manageable components and use visualization tools like flowcharts and dashboards to maintain clarity. Map out dependencies clearly so teams understand how their work affects others. Leverage automated workflows to handle routing and notifications as the project progresses.
Adapting to change
Business processes evolve constantly, but rigid workflows can't keep up. What worked last quarter might not work today, yet many teams stick with outdated processes because they are familiar.
How to solve: Choose workflow management solutions that offer flexibility to modify existing workflows as your needs change. Look for drag-and-drop interfaces and customizable templates that let you quickly adjust processes without requiring IT support or extensive training.
Getting buy-in
Teams resist new systems if they seem complicated or add work to already full plates. Even the best workflow management tool fails if people don't use it.
How to solve: Start with workflows that solve clear pain points and demonstrably simplify day-to-day tasks. Involve your team in the design process so they feel ownership over the solution. Communicate the benefits clearly—not just efficiency gains for the organization, but specific ways the new system makes individual jobs easier.
Best practices for workflow management success
Implementing these strategies will help you optimize workflow management:
Start with process mapping: Before automating anything, document your current workflows. Identify inefficiencies, unnecessary steps, and areas where work gets stuck.
Involve your team: The people doing the work understand the process best. Get input from team members about pain points and improvement opportunities.
Begin with simple workflows: Don't try to overhaul everything at once. Start with straightforward processes, prove the value, then expand to more complex workflows.
Use templates: Create reusable AI-powered workflow templates for recurring processes like onboarding, content approval, or software development cycles. Templates ensure consistency and save time.
Leverage automation: Identify repetitive tasks that follow clear rules and automate them. Routing requests, sending follow-ups, and updating statuses are perfect candidates for automated processes.
Monitor and iterate: Track metrics to understand how your workflows are performing. Look for bottlenecks, measure completion times, and continuously refine your approach.
What is a workflow manager?
A workflow manager is both a role and a function. As a person, a workflow manager oversees the design, implementation, and optimization of business processes. They analyze existing workflows, identify improvement opportunities, and ensure teams follow established processes.
As a function within workflow management software, a workflow manager orchestrates tasks, assigns work, tracks progress, and ensures processes move forward efficiently. Modern workflow systems combine both—designated people with automated tools to manage complex workflows.
What is workflow management software?
Workflow management software is a digital solution that helps teams design, set in motion, and monitor workflows. Rather than relying on spreadsheets, email chains, or manual tracking, this software provides a centralized platform where teams can visualize processes, assign tasks, automate repetitive work, and track progress in real-time.
What is a workflow management system?
A workflow management system (WMS) is a solution that encompasses the software, processes, and organizational structures needed to manage workflows at scale. While workflow management software refers to specific tools, a workflow management system describes the entire framework used to coordinate work. An effective workflow management system combines technology with clear processes, defined roles, and practices that support continuous improvement.
Best workflow management software
Choosing the right workflow management tool depends on your specific needs, team size, and the complexity of your processes. Here are ten solutions to consider:
Airtable
Airtable is a connected AI workflow management platform that allows teams of any size, across industries or functions, to design the workflows they need to be successful—whether that’s project planning, managing a marketing campaign, or building a product roadmap. The platform connects workflows to key business strategies and provides adaptable workflow management that goes beyond task management. AI and automation anticipate risks, optimize resources, and keep work on track. Teams can use the platform’s conversational builder to create complex workflows without coding, and connect to all other systems via API and many integration options.
Monday.com
Monday.com is an AI work platform that color-codes and visualizes project management, offering workflow automation features. Users can start with pre-built templates for common workflows across marketing, sales, operations, and engineering, customize automation recipes, and employ AI assistants.
Asana
Asana is a work management platform that includes workflow templates, timelines, and automation features that support project management and team collaboration. The platform helps manage dependencies and offers multiple views of the same workflow. Asana's rules feature automates routine work like assigning tasks, updating statuses, and sending notifications based on triggers you define.
Trello
Trello, an Atlassian product, uses a card-based system to provide simple, visual workflow management to break projects down into to-dos and organize tasks. The solution works for smaller teams or simpler projects that don't require extensive customization. The drag-and-drop interface provides ease of use, and Power-Ups extend functionality by integrating with apps like Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet offers a spreadsheet alternative with workflow management capabilities. The solution may appeal to teams comfortable with Excel who need more sophisticated automation. The platform also offers features like resource management, portfolio reporting, and approval workflows, along with multiple views.
ClickUp
ClickUp is an all-in-one platform offering docs, tasks, goals, and workflows in one workspace. Organizations can customize the platform and workflows to their needs or use ClickUp Brain to help with automation and task assignments. The platform offers multiple views, custom dashboards, and built-in documentation.
Jira
Jira, by Atlassian, is a software development tool with workflow management capabilities. For teams that work closely with product development, Jira helps manage complex cross-functional workflows and offers issue tracking, sprint planning, and detailed reporting, helping development teams manage everything from bug fixes to feature releases. The platform integrates with other development tools like GitHub, Bitbucket, and Confluence.
Notion
Notion combines notes, docs, and databases for a combination of workflow and knowledge management. Teams can use Notion's block-based editor to build simple task lists or more complex project databases with custom properties and views. The platform also includes collaboration features like shared wikis, meeting notes, and project documentation. AI agents and automation features also help to streamline work.
Wrike
Wrike is a workflow management platform with reporting, resource allocation, and approval workflows. Customizable dashboards give executives and stakeholders real-time visibility into portfolio performance across the organization. The platform also offers proofing and approval features to streamline review cycles for creative and marketing teams managing content workflows.
Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects is project management software within the Zoho ecosystem. The platform offers workflow automation, timelines, and integration with other Zoho apps. The platform includes built-in time tracking, issue management, and resource utilization reports that help teams optimize their workflows.
Features to look for in workflow management software
Your workflow management software should become a central hub for your company, where workflows become clearer and easier to execute. Prioritize these core capabilities:
Customization: Every team works differently, so it’s important that your software enables you to create custom workflows to suit your processes and modify any prebuilt templates.
Automation: The best systems include workflow automation to streamline repetitive tasks, notifications, and routing decisions.
Integration: Your workflow software should connect seamlessly with existing tools and core data sources.
Visualization: Flowcharts, kanban boards, and dashboards help teams understand complex workflows at a glance and quickly identify where work stands.
Scalability: Choose a management platform that grows with you, handling increasingly complex workflows as your business expands.
No-code interfaces: Look for solutions that allow you to build and modify workflows without technical expertise or coding skills via drag-and-drop components, or even through AI-powered conversational building.
Real-time collaboration: Team members should be able to work within the system simultaneously, with updates appearing instantly across the workspace.
Reporting and metrics: Ensure the solution allows you to easily track the metrics that matter most to your organization. Reporting should help you see what’s working and where you can optimize your processes.
How AI is redefining workflow management
Artificial intelligence plays a large role in how workflow management systems function today. Older, more rigid rules-based workflows required a lot of manual work and intervention, and development dependencies, but AI-powered solutions remove much of that work and maintenance. Modern, AI-powered tools help you work proactively—helping to anticipate and immediately identify issues before timelines are impacted.
Here are a few things that AI can offer within your workflow management:
Predictive insights: AI analyzes patterns in your workflows to predict bottlenecks, suggest optimal task assignments, and estimate completion times more accurately.
Smart automation: Beyond simple rule-based automation, AI handles more complex tasks like categorizing requests, extracting information from documents, and routing work based on content analysis.
Intelligent recommendations: AI suggests process improvements by identifying inefficiencies and providing the option to optimize your workflows.
Natural language processing: Create and modify workflows using conversational language rather than navigating complex configuration menus.
How to manage workflows effectively
Managing workflows effectively requires both the right tools and the right approach:
1. Map before you build: Start by documenting your current process, identifying all steps, decision points, and stakeholders involved.
2. Define clear ownership: Every task needs an owner. Ambiguity about responsibilities creates delays and confusion.
3. Establish metrics: Decide how you'll measure success—completion time, error rates, customer satisfaction—and track these consistently.
4. Communicate expectations: Ensure team members understand not just what they need to do, but why it matters and how their work connects to larger goals.
5. Review regularly: Schedule periodic reviews of your workflows to identify what's working, what's not, and where you can streamline processes.
6. Stay flexible: The best workflow is the one that adapts as your business needs evolve. Don't get so attached to your process that you resist beneficial changes.
Improve workflow management with AI in Airtable
Airtable provides AI-powered workflow management that adapts to businesses of all sizes, across industries. A library of prebuilt templates are available to get you started, along with the flexibility to modify or build custom workflows that match your organizational structure and how your team works best.
Airtable's intuitive interface and no-code, conversational app building allow you to create workflows that are visualized across teams based on the view they choose and on the same underlying real-time data.
Explore Airtable's automations and discover how much you can accomplish when your workflows work as hard as you do.
Design workflows that make work flow
Frequently asked questions
These terms describe different aspects of workflow structure. A task represents an individual piece of work that needs to be done. Mapping refers to the visual representation of how tasks connect, showing the process for how a larger goal will be accomplished. Mapping tasks is the act of documenting each specific task within your overall process map. Task flow describes the sequence and dependencies between tasks—the path work follows from start to finish. Together, these concepts help you design and understand how work moves through your organization.
Airtable is the most effective tool to improve workflows because of its ability to adapt to any team’s processes or use case, with no-code, AI-powered conversational workflow building. Teams don’t need to be technical to build and manage complex workflows.
Workflows can vary, but most follow five fundamental steps: (1) Initiation—triggering the workflow with a request or event, (2) Planning—determining what needs to happen and who's responsible, (3) Execution—completing the assigned tasks, (4) Monitoring—tracking progress and addressing bottlenecks, and (5) Completion—finalizing the work and capturing lessons learned. This creates a cycle for continuous improvement.
Yes, workflow management is a skill that can be learned and refined. It requires analytical thinking to break down complex processes, communication skills, attention to detail, and adaptability to adjust workflows as circumstances change. It also involves technical proficiency with workflow management tools and data analysis to track and optimize performance.
Latest in Project management skills
Latest in Project management skills
Browse all in Project management skills