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

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Etymology

Origin of workflow

First recorded in 1945–50; work + flow

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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

Binance has been addressing “some historical workflow issues, including approval requirements and timing gaps between recommendations and final administrative steps,” the spokesperson said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Last week, Anthropic rolled out a suite of Claude workflow tools that hook up to platforms run by the likes of Schwab and Vanguard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Employees should have an open and clear line of communication about what actions will improve workflow and productivity, without making any assumption about perception of competency.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Ask questions about what exactly is tripping her up and come up with systems that can streamline her workflow.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

ServiceNow was founded as Glidesoft in 2003 by Fred Luddy as a cloud-based software company that manages business workflow systems for HR, IT and customer service operations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

It said directors told staff "no more hand-written code" and are switching to having all the game's art "generated with full AI workflows".

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

With lean teams, many small-caps can adopt AI tools quickly, automate workflows, and expand capacity without proportionally growing head count.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

While AI helps cut the cost of development, Borges noted that many businesses have a difficult time building tools customized for their clients, given the separation between data, workflows and eventual execution.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

As more companies add AI to their daily workflows, they will also need strategies to manage their use, such as training employees on which model to use for a particular task.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Bayne is an inventor, with patent-pending applications for artificial intelligence tools that automate legal workflows.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

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