When taking a process in your firm and building it into a Workflow Template, you may find yourself confronted with a branching path. If this situation then do this, but otherwise do this other thing.

Workflow Templates, on the other hand, are relatively linear and do not have built-in functionality to follow only one path or another. How do you put this process into a Workflow Template that your firm can use? Below you will find two possibilities you can follow to accomplish the same goal.

Keep Each Path as its Own Workflow Template; Add the One You Need

The preferred method to accomplish this branch is to keep each part its own Workflow Template. In a simplified example, we would have a Workflow Template for the starting process leading up to the decision point Action. Then, we would have two (or more) additional Workflow Templates, which each have the Action paths for the possible outcomes. The primary Workflow Template uses the Notes of the final decision Action to direct Users which Workflow Templates to use for which possible outcomes.

Here is an example of a set of Workflow Templates that could accomplish this goal. We have one primary Workflow Template to start the process and two possible outcome Workflow Templates.

To use this set, the primary Workflow Template would be added to the Record. Once the decision Action is reached, the User would use the Add Related Action button to append the Workflow for the correct path to follow.

If your firm adopts this process, ensure each Workflow Template is clearly categorized and labeled so as not to cause confusion about when to use each one.

Put Both Paths in the Template; Use Only One

If the branching point of the process is simple and has only one Action step that follows the branching point, the following method may be simpler. Build all options as parallel steps at the end of the Template. The Workflow Summary pane would look something like this:

Please note this is just an example set; you could easily have more than two options. The important part is that each potential path start from the Action that contains the decision point.

When you use the Workflow Template live in the system, you will be able to follow the appropriate path when you reach the decision point Action. When that Action is marked Complete, you will be prompted to add the next steps.

At this point, clear the Add This Action checkbox for all but the path you want to follow. In other words, select only the option you want to follow. Only that path will be added to the Record and you can follow it to completion.

This method allows you to keep the entire process in one Workflow Template but introduces the potential for confusion or error if the User neglects to clear the checkbox at the correct time.