Overview
In Tropic, workflows are sequences of tasks designed to complete purchase requests efficiently. Workflows allow you to customize processes for different request types, ensuring every purchase runs smoothly and meets your organization’s needs. You can create multiple workflows, each tailored with unique tasks for specific request types.
Workflow Types
Tropic supports two main workflow types, each designed for different use cases:
- Purchase Workflows: Used for purchase requests that require approvals, budget checks, or procurement steps before moving forward. These workflows ensure that purchases align with your organization’s policies.
- General Workflows: Used for non-purchase requests such as contract reviews, vendor security assessments, NDA approvals, and internal processes. These workflows help manage tasks that don’t directly result in a purchase.
Tropic also distinguishes between Tropic-Managed Workflows and Organization-Managed Workflows, which determine who controls and maintains the workflow.
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Tropic-Managed Workflows
These workflows are maintained by Tropic staff and are used for requests managed by Tropic's Assisted Purchasing team. -
Organization-Managed Workflows
These workflows are created and maintained by your organization and are used for requests that do not involve Tropic's Assisted Purchasing team.
Note: This article primarily covers organization-managed workflows. For details on Tropic-managed workflows, see Tropic-Managed vs. Organization-Managed Workflows.
Workflow Details
When creating a workflow, you will assign the following:
- Name: A unique identifier for your workflow.
- Workflow Starting Point: Choose from a workflow template, a blank workflow, or an existing workflow.
- Purchase Category: Used to assign requests to the workflow.
Note: You can change a workflow's name and purchase category later if needed.
Workflow Studio
Workflow Studio is where you build and edit workflows. It provides a visual representation of your workflow tasks as a flow chart, making it easy to understand the sequence of tasks and their relationships.
If your workflow is not tied to a purchase category, you can assign one in here in the Workflow Studio by clicking Assign a Purchase Category
Assigning a category enables advanced task rules, simplifying workflow management.
Selecting this option opens the Edit Workflow Details form, where you can assign a category.
If the workflow is tied to a purchase category, you can access its associated request form directly by selecting Edit Intake Form.
Selecting this option directs you to the Request Forms associated with your workflow
Go to Stage
The Go to Stage widget in the bottom left corner allows you to navigate directly between stages like Requirements Gathering, Negotiation, Approvals and Signatures, and Closing. Each stage is represented by an icon, which also appears on individual tasks within the workflow, helping you easily identify their corresponding stages.
You can quickly access stages by clicking on a stage to jump directly to the associated tasks, making navigation easy without scrolling through the entire workflow.
You add tasks to a workflow in Workflow Studio. Each task has one or more triggers. These triggers are other tasks that must be completed or skipped to open the task. You can use triggers to create tasks that can be completed in parallel or in sequence.
You can also use task rules to add conditional tasks to a workflow. The rules let you include tasks based on anticipated spend or answers in the request form.
Workflow Assignment Rules
Workflows are automatically assigned to requests based on workflow assignment rules. These rules match requests to workflows based on:
- The workflow's purchase category.
- Responses to the request form questions.
By setting clear assignment rules, Tropic ensures that each request is routed to the appropriate workflow seamlessly.
Additional Resources
For more detailed information, guides, and support, visit our Help Center.