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Your First Workflow

Create your first workflow in TIMF and start improving business operations.

This guide walks you through creating your first workflow in TIMF. In just 10 minutes, you'll have a working process ready to use.

What You'll Build

A Simple Onboarding Workflow

This workflow will:

  • Collect new employee information via an intake form
  • Route approval to a manager
  • Send a welcome email
  • Assign setup tasks to IT

Perfect for learning the workflow designer!

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • ✅ A TIMF account (Sign up here if needed)
  • ✅ Consultant or team admin permissions
  • ✅ 10 minutes of focused time

Step 1: Create a New Workflow

  1. Log in to TIMF and navigate to your dashboard
  2. Click Workflows in the left sidebar
  3. Click the Create Workflow button in the top-right
  4. Choose Start from Scratch (we'll use templates later!)

Name Your Workflow

  • Workflow Name: "Employee Onboarding"
  • Description: "New hire onboarding process with IT setup"
  • Category: Select "HR & People Operations"

Click Create to open the workflow designer.

Step 2: Design Your Workflow

The workflow designer uses a visual drag-and-drop interface.

Add the First Step: Intake Form

  1. From the left panel, drag the Form element onto the canvas

  2. Click the form element to configure it:

    • Step Name: "New Employee Information"
    • Assigned To: "HR Team"
    • Form Fields:
      • Full Name (Text, Required)
      • Email Address (Email, Required)
      • Start Date (Date, Required)
      • Department (Dropdown, Required)
      • Job Title (Text, Required)

  3. Click Save Step

Add the Second Step: Manager Approval

  1. Drag an Approval element onto the canvas

  2. Connect the form to the approval step (click and drag from the form's output dot)

  3. Configure the approval:

    • Step Name: "Manager Approval"
    • Assigned To: "Department Manager"
    • Approval Question: "Approve this new hire?"
    • Required: Yes

  4. Click Save Step

Add the Third Step: IT Setup Task

  1. Drag a Task element onto the canvas

  2. Connect it to the approval step (only trigger if approved)

  3. Configure the task:

    • Step Name: "IT Account Setup"
    • Assigned To: "IT Team"
    • Task Description: "Create accounts and prepare equipment for new employee"
    • Due: "1 day before start date"

  4. Click Save Step

Add the Fourth Step: Welcome Email

  1. Drag an Email element onto the canvas

  2. Connect it to the IT setup task

  3. Configure the email:

    • Step Name: "Send Welcome Email"
    • To: Use the "Email Address" field from the intake form
    • Subject: "Welcome to [Company Name]!"
    • Template: Choose the "New Employee Welcome" template

  4. Click Save Step

Your workflow should now look like this:

[Form] → [Approval] → [Task] → [Email]

Step 3: Configure Workflow Settings

Click the Settings gear icon in the top-right corner:

General Settings

  • Auto-Start: Yes (new employees trigger this automatically)
  • Notifications: Enable email notifications for step assignments
  • Deadline Warnings: Send reminders 1 day before due dates

Permissions

  • Who can start this workflow: HR Team, Department Managers
  • Who can view progress: All team members
  • Who can edit: HR Admins only

Click Save Settings.

Step 4: Test Your Workflow

Before activating it, run a test:

  1. Click the Test button in the top-right

  2. Fill out the intake form with sample data:

    • Name: "Test Employee"
    • Email: your-email@company.com
    • Start Date: Tomorrow
    • Department: "Engineering"
    • Job Title: "Software Developer"

  3. Click Submit Test

  4. Follow the workflow through each step:

    • Approve as manager
    • Mark IT task as complete
    • Verify welcome email was sent

If everything works, you're ready to activate!

Step 5: Activate Your Workflow

  1. Click the Activate button in the top-right
  2. Confirm activation in the popup
  3. Your workflow is now live ✅

What's Next?

Invite Your Team

Add team members so they can participate in workflows:

  1. Go to Settings → Team Members
  2. Click Invite Member
  3. Enter their email and assign a role
  4. They'll receive an invitation email

Create More Workflows

Try building these common workflows:

  • Client Intake – Capture new client information
  • Approval Process – Route approvals for purchases or decisions
  • Quality Review – Multi-step review and feedback cycles
  • Incident Response – Track and resolve issues

Use Workflow Templates

Save time with pre-built templates:

  1. Go to Workflows → Templates
  2. Browse categories (HR, Sales, Operations, etc.)
  3. Click Use Template on any workflow
  4. Customize it for your needs

Tips for Better Workflows

Keep It Simple

  • Start with 3-5 steps max
  • Add complexity gradually
  • Test frequently as you build

Use Clear Names

  • Name steps by their action: "Approve Budget" not "Step 2"
  • Use descriptive task names so assignees know what to do
  • Add helpful descriptions to each step

Set Realistic Deadlines

  • Allow enough time for each step
  • Account for weekends and holidays
  • Set reminder notifications before deadlines

Assign to Roles, Not People

  • Use team roles (HR Team, IT Team) instead of individual names
  • This makes workflows flexible as team members change
  • Anyone with that role can complete the task

Common Questions

Can I edit a workflow after activating it?

Yes, but changes only apply to new workflow instances. Existing in-progress workflows continue with the old design.

To update an active workflow:

  1. Click Edit on the workflow
  2. Make your changes
  3. Click Save & Republish

What happens if someone doesn't complete their step?

TIMF will:

  • Send reminder emails based on your settings
  • Show overdue tasks in red on dashboards
  • Notify managers if deadlines are missed

You can manually reassign tasks or mark them complete if needed.

Can clients submit forms without logging in?

Yes! You can create public forms that anyone with the link can submit:

  1. Edit your workflow
  2. Click the form step
  3. Enable Public Access
  4. Share the public form link

How do I delete a test workflow?

  1. Go to Workflows
  2. Click the ⋮ menu on the workflow
  3. Select Delete
  4. Confirm deletion

Note: You cannot delete workflows with active instances. Archive them instead.

Troubleshooting

"You don't have permission to create workflows"

Contact your team admin to grant you workflow creation permissions:

  • Settings → Team Members → [Your Name] → Edit Permissions

Steps aren't connecting

Make sure you're dragging from the output dot (right side) of one step to the input dot (left side) of the next step.

Email notifications aren't working

Check your notification settings:

  1. Profile → Settings → Notifications
  2. Enable "Workflow Assignments" and "Workflow Updates"
  3. Make sure you've verified your email address

Getting Help

  • Workflow Builder Guide: Advanced Workflow Design
  • Video Tutorials: Watch workflow creation videos in the app
  • Support: Email support@lerniflow.com
  • Consultant: Ask your TIMF consultant for personalized training

Next: Navigate the TIMF Dashboard