workflow

[wurk-floh]

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of workflow¹

First recorded in 1945–50; work + flow

Example Sentences

The real bottleneck to AI adoption is that it requires changing whole workflows inside of companies, which typically involve more than one person, he adds.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Technologies typically hit routine tasks first, then workflows, and only later reshape jobs, writes Matt Sigelman.

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Such AI tools are used for “scheduling, audience insights, data analysis, workflow automation, show prep, editing and organization,” he said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Technologies typically hit routine tasks first, then workflows, and only later reshape jobs, with second‑order hiring around the backbone.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As in other industries, AI is already streamlining antiquated and inefficient workflows in finance, for example through tools that extract terms from dense financial agreements and develop code.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When To Use

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.