Workflow templates and workflow runs

A workflow template is the playbook you build once. A workflow run is what your team actually does each time the template fires. This page explains the difference, where each lives in Pilla, and how to move between them.

What a workflow template is

A workflow template is built on the canvas, the visual builder on the web app. The template defines what staff are asked to do, in what order, and the trigger that decides when it should run. You can add inputs (text, photos, numbers), choices (single or multiple options), guidance (videos, instructions), groups (collapsible containers), and Poppi steps (briefings, decisions, actions).

A template needs three things before it can fire: a name, a tag, and one or more teams that will run it. The trigger you choose decides how the template turns into runs:

Manual -- a member of staff starts the workflow on demand from the mobile app
One-time -- the workflow runs once at a specific date and time
Recurring -- the workflow runs on a schedule (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)
External -- an outside service triggers the workflow through an integration (Pro and Enterprise only)

For step-by-step canvas building, see the canvas section.

What a workflow run is

A workflow run is a single execution of a template. Each time a template fires (someone taps Run on mobile, the schedule comes around, or an external trigger arrives), a new workflow run is created. The run is what your team works through and finishes. One template produces many runs over time.

A run carries everything from the template plus what staff add as they work: their answers, photos uploaded, choices ticked, the start time, the finish time, and whether it was completed on time or late.

The Workflow templates view on web

The Workflow templates view shows every template in your account, grouped by how it gets triggered. Open it from the Dashboard "workflow templates" card or from the sidebar.

The view has three columns side by side:

Manual triggers -- templates that staff start themselves on mobile
External triggers -- templates fired by an integration
Scheduled triggers -- templates that fire on a date or recurring schedule

Each column shows the count of templates and lists them alphabetically. Click any template row to open it on the canvas. Click the three-dot button on a row and choose Edit template to do the same.

At the top of the view you can filter by team or tag, search by template name, browse Pilla Templates (the public library), or click New template to start a fresh canvas.

The Workflow runs view on web

The Workflow runs view is a data table where each row is a single run. Open it from the Dashboard "workflow runs today" card or from the sidebar.

Each row shows:

Date -- the day the run is scheduled for, with the start and end times below
Name -- the workflow name with the team below
Tag -- the progress (for example "5/8") with the tag name below
Frequency -- how often the parent template repeats (Daily, Weekly, etc.) with "Recurring" or "Single Event" below

A coloured strip on the left edge of each row tells you the status at a glance. See Filtering and status for the full meaning.

At the top of the view you can pick a date or date range, filter by team, tag, or status, and search by name. Click a row to open the run and see every element, who answered what, and when it was finished. The three-dot button on each row offers extras like Edit this work, Reset this work, View workflow template history, and Delete.

On the mobile app

Staff do not see the Workflow templates or Workflow runs views. On mobile, the bottom tab is called Work Items and shows the workflow runs scheduled for them on the selected date. They tap a row to work through it and mark it complete. For the full mobile flow see Completing a work run on mobile.

Tips

One template, many runs. Edit the template on the canvas to change every future run; edit a single run to change only that one
The Workflow runs view is date-scoped: pick a date or range at the top to control what you see
The Workflow templates view is not date-scoped because templates do not have a date themselves; only their runs do
External triggers are a Pro and Enterprise feature