workflow

American  

[wurk-floh] / ˈwɜrkˌfloʊ /

noun

workflows plural

1. the flow or amount of work to and from an office, department, or employee.

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Usage

What is a workflow? A workflow is most often a series of repeatable steps in completing a work project, such as creating a product (like a computer) or performing a service (like writing an article). For example, the steps in writing a news article might include:

1. Receive an assignment from your editor.
2. Research the topic.
3. Interview people involved.
4. Write an outline of the article.
5. Write the article.
6. Edit the article.
7. Hand in the article to your editor.

When a workflow involves more than one person, it will describe all the steps to be done as well as who will do them. It might also describe how long each step should take, where any physical objects should be moved to (as in manufacturing), and other details important to managing the workflow. Workflow is also the amount of work one or more workers or an entire organization has at one time, as in The machine shop’s workflow was so high that they hired temporary help. Example: The consultant was able to change the steps in our manufacturing workflow, and now we are sending out product orders on time.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• workflows
  plural

Etymology

Origin of workflow

First recorded in 1945–50; work + flow

Explanation

The step-by-step process you use to get a task done is workflow. You may not want to interrupt your workflow in the middle of the day, but it's important to eat lunch! While bosses and workers have always had some concept of the idea of workflow — the series or pattern of steps from the beginning of a work project to the end — this term didn't emerge until the mid-20th century. Originally, workflow was used to describe the process of manufacturing and factory work, while today it's often used in the context of office work. Do you have a routine process for completing homework assignments? Then that's your workflow.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

workflow workflows

If a company leaves a supplier, do its data and workflow go with it?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

“We’re running a tight ship here,” McDermott said, adding that ServiceNow has kept its head count flat and saved $1 billion in costs by using its autonomous workflow tools internally.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

Their customized workflow allowed them to observe protein interactions directly inside intact cells rather than relying only on samples that had been broken apart.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

But when the additional request for color came during prep, a new visual strategy and workflow were devised to accommodate both formats simultaneously.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

“The laggards sit squarely in AI’s crosshairs: creative tools, CRM, workflow automation, and productivity software, where investors are reassessing the durability of their competitive advantages and future growth.”

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

Weaker areas are application and vertical software owing to worries about fallout from automated AI workflows.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

Companies in tech and beyond are learning how long it can take to effectively implement new AI tools and working to better understand how well it handles tasks and workflows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

In short: The deal’s all about workflows, like storyboarding and tech specs.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

Under the A24-Google DeepMind partnership, the two businesses will work on using technology to help with “new workflows and technique,” Collins wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

Analyst Tyler Radke believes AI will make Figma a “system of record” for design workflows.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026