What is a Workflow?
• When creating web content (a page, file, image, etc.), a workflow is a series of ordered steps that the content must go through to be quality-checked, and either approved, modified, or disapproved by the appropriate user (an approver) before being publish-ready. Workflows can be customized or created from scratch. Workflows provide Cascade Server users with a customizable, assignable method of assuring that content (any asset) is checked multiple times by multiple users before being published. The resulting diversity of input ensures that content is accurate and presented in a professional manner. All users may initiate a workflow when creating or editing content. Users assume different roles in the workflow process according to their system role. A higher-level user, such as an Approver, reviews the content, and either approves it to be sent to the next step in the workflow, or returns it to the user associated with the previous step for changes. After the content has been approved
A lot of people use the word Workflow when they actually mean workflow engine. Let’s talk only about workflow here. A workflow is a set of activity (or tasks, something that have to be done by somebody) organized in a graph that has one or more beginning and one or more ends. A very (very) simple workflow could be “Joe produces a web page, Pete reviews it and when he agrees, Mike publishes it on a web site”. This workflow only includes human participants but most vauable workflows also include other pieces of software as participants. A workflow is also very often called a process.
