Steps

Workflow Steps

Steps are the building blocks of workflows. Each step performs an operation and passes data to subsequent steps.

Think of a step as one reviewable unit of work. It should have a clear input, a clear output, and a name that explains its business purpose. A workflow becomes easier to maintain when each step does one thing: fetch a record, transform fields, test a condition, send a notification, wait for approval, or write the final update. If a step performs several unrelated operations, split it so run logs can show exactly where a workflow succeeded or failed.

Step design matters most when workflows touch money, contracts, invoices, or customer data. A failed provider call should not obscure whether validation already passed. A condition should make its threshold obvious. A transform should preserve the fields needed for later review. When naming and configuring steps, assume that someone outside the implementation team may inspect the run weeks later to answer why a record changed or why an exception was routed to a human.

Step Types

Common Properties

All steps share these properties:

{
  "id": "unique-step-id",
  "type": "action",
  "name": "Human-readable name",
  "config": { }
}