When diving into the world of workflow automation, understanding its key components is crucial for building effective and efficient processes. In this guide, we'll explore the three fundamental elements of a workflow - Triggers, Actions, and Logic - and how they work together to create a seamless, automated process.
Triggers: The starting point of automation
A trigger is an event that initiates a workflow. It's the 'starting gun' for the automation process, signalling that a specific action or series of actions needs to be executed.
In your Keragon workflow editor, the trigger is always the first step in your workflow, specifying both the application and the event within that application which will initiate the workflow.
Examples
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Patient intake: A new form submission can trigger a workflow.
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Test result entry: Entering new lab test results into a healthcare system could serve as a trigger for subsequent actions
Actions: The core of workflow automation
Actions are tasks executed as a response to a trigger. Once the workflow is initiated, the action is what actually happens - the work being automated.
In your Keragon workflow editor, actions are added following a trigger event. Each action specifies both the application and the task within that application which will be performed.
Examples
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Generating alerts: Pushing alerts to healthcare professionals when critical test results are entered into the system.
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Updating Electronic Health Records (EHRs): Automatically updating a patient’s EHR with new information following a trigger event.
Logic: The brain behind the process
Logic refers to the decision-making capabilities within a workflow. It's the set of rules or conditions that determine how a workflow progresses after it has been triggered. Logic can involve simple if-then statements or more complex branching scenarios.
In your Keragon workflow editor, logic components are added following a trigger or an action.
Examples
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Conditional patient routing: If a test result indicates a critical condition, the workflow routes the case to a specialist; otherwise, it follows the standard process.
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Looping and Branching: Logic might involve looping through a list of tasks until a condition is met or branching into different actions based on specific criteria.
Bringing It all together: Workflow in action
When you combine these three elements - Triggers, Actions, and Logic - you get a sophisticated workflow capable of handling complex tasks with minimal human intervention. Here's a simplified example of how they might work together:
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Trigger: A patient submits a form response.
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Logic: The workflow checks whether the patient exists in our EHR system or is a new patient.
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Action: If the patient is new, it creates a patient record; if not, it updates the existing patient record.