Updated Sep 4, 2023
Understanding how and where workflows can be used in Dubsado will help you plan the best way to structure them for your process. You can apply a workflow to a project in one of three ways:
Manually within a project
Automatically from a lead capture form
From another workflow
In Dubsado, workflows created in Templates > Workflows are not active until after you add the workflow to a project using one of the methods listed above.
Deleting or editing a workflow template won’t affect clients who already have the workflow added to their project. To update a workflow inside a project, you will want to manually manage a workflow inside a project.
Manually apply a workflow to a project
Manually starting a workflow is great for testing out workflows or when you'd like to run a specific workflow on a particular project.
To manually apply a workflow to a project:
Go to Projects and click on the project.
Click on the Workflows tab.
Select a workflow template from the dropdown.
Click Apply.
Now that the workflow template is added to a project, the workflow is active and will start working immediately!
Automatically apply a workflow to a project from a lead capture form
A lead capture form can automatically apply and start a workflow on a newly created project in two ways:
By using the default workflow setting
Adding a workflow element to your form
⛔ A lead capture form can only apply one workflow per project. This means you can’t use both a default workflow and a workflow element. If you accidentally include both in a lead capture form, the workflow element will always take priority.
Default workflow
A default workflow runs the same workflow every time the lead capture is submitted. We recommend that you use a default workflow if you offer only one service or if you want all potential clients to go through the same workflow.
To add a default workflow to your lead capture form:
Select your lead capture in Templates > Forms.
Click Settings.
Under Default workflow, select your workflow from the dropdown.
Workflow element
Adding a workflow element adds a dropdown to your form. This dropdown allows your clients to choose different services, with each service starting a different workflow!
We recommend that you use a workflow element if you offer multiple services, such as if you’re a photographer who offers wedding, portrait, or newborn sessions.
To add a workflow element to your lead capture form:
Select your lead capture in Templates > Forms.
Click or drag the Workflow element. It will appear in your form.
In the form, click on the workflow element. A sidebar will open to edit the element.
Under Options, type the different services you want to offer.
For each service that you add, use the dropdown to select a workflow.
Now when a client chooses a specific service, the assigned workflow will run!
Start a workflow from another workflow
You can start a new workflow within another workflow using the Start a Workflow action. Use this method if you have a complex business process, since it allows you to string multiple workflows together. A series of shorter workflows may be easier to maintain than one long workflow.
Please note that the new workflow that gets started must be a different workflow from the original workflow.