Tutorial · Flows
Flows: build and launch your processes
A Flow is a reusable blueprint of a process. This is where you design the steps once, then launch a governed run every time the work needs to happen.
6 min read · Builders & team leads
The Flows screen
Where every process lives
Open Flows from the left sidebar under Design. Each card is one process blueprint: its name, whether it is Active or a Draft, a short description, and how many runs are currently active. Start a run in one click, or open the menu to edit, duplicate, or archive.
Flow vs. run: the core distinction
Two words you will see everywhere in Cadenio. Getting them straight makes the rest obvious.
- Flow
- The reusable blueprint. You design its tasks, fields, logic, deadlines, and approvals once. Nothing happens to real work when you edit a Flow.
- Run
- A single live execution of a Flow. Every time the process needs to happen, you start a run. It has its own owner, due dates, data, and audit trail.
- Draft vs. Active
- A Draft Flow is still being built and is hidden from most of the team. An Active Flow is published and ready for anyone with permission to launch.
Walkthrough
Create your first Flow
Two paths: start from a blank canvas, or clone a ready-made flow from the library (covered in the next tutorial).
- 1
Click New flow
The New flow button is at the top right of the Flows screen. Give the Flow a clear, action-oriented name, for example Customer Onboarding or Vendor Security Review.
- 2
Add your tasks
Break the process into ordered steps. Each task can carry form fields to capture data, an assignee, a deadline, and an approval gate. You will design these in the Flow editor (Block B tutorials).
- 3
Publish to make it Active
While a Flow is a Draft, only builders see it. Publishing flips it to Active so the rest of your team can launch runs from it.
- 4
Launch a run
Press Start on the card. Cadenio spins up a live run, applies your deadlines and assignment rules, and drops the first tasks into the right people's inboxes.
What each Flow card tells you
The card is a status dashboard for the process, not just a link.
Status
Active or Draft
- •Active = publishable and launchable
- •Draft = still in construction
- •Controls who can see and start it
Active runs
Live executions
- •How many runs are in progress right now
- •Click through to see them in Runs
- •A quick pulse on how used the process is
Quick actions
Start & manage
- •Start launches a run immediately
- •The ⋯ menu edits, duplicates, or archives
- •Search narrows a long list fast
Name flows by the outcome, not the tool. Customer Onboarding reads better in a busy list than Onboarding v2 final. Consistent naming keeps the Flows screen scannable as your library grows.
Common questions
Does editing a Flow change runs that are already in progress?
No by default. Existing runs keep the version they were started from. Cadenio can propagate template changes to live runs, but that is an explicit, controlled action, not an automatic side effect of editing.
Who can create flows?
Anyone with the build permission in your workspace. Access is deny-by-default, so an admin grants building rights per role or user group. See the Permissions tutorial in Block E.
What is the difference between archiving and deleting a Flow?
Archiving hides the Flow from the active list while preserving its history and completed runs. Use it to retire a process without losing the audit trail.
See Flows with your own process
Bring a process you run today and we will map it into a Flow live on a guided demo.