Creating & Running Service Flows

A running workflow template is called an Instance. Let's look at how to start a workflow and enter details step-by-step.

Instance CRUD Operations & Search Filters

Once workflow instances are launched, you can track them on the main Service Flows board. Below are the CRUD buttons and filter options available:

Action / Filter	Button / Field	Who Can Use?	Function Description
Create (C)	`+ Create Service Flow`	Staff, Admin	Launches modal to initialize a new instance.
Read (R)	`Open in App` / `Open in New Tab`	All Roles	Views current step details, active fields, progress bar, and logs.
Update (U)	`Save Draft` / `Request Review`	Assigned Step Owner	Updates inputs inside the step fields form.
Delete (D)	`Delete` icon	Admin Only	Deletes instance. Permitted only if the instance is in Draft or cancelled.
Keyword Search	`Search...` Input	All Roles	Filters rows in real-time by Reference ID or Customer Name.
Status Filter	`Status` Dropdown	All Roles	Filters rows to show only `IN_PROGRESS`, `COMPLETED`, or `DRAFT` flows.

Step 1: Starting a Flow (Create Instance)

To start a new service flow:

Navigate to the Service Flows tab on your dashboard.
Click + Create Service Flow.
Select the Template (e.g. "Residential Fiber Installation").
Select the Customer and the Field Agent.
Select the Initial Approver (who will review your first step).
Click Create. A unique Reference ID (e.g., SF-20260519-0001) will be generated.

Successfully Created Service Flow Instance

Step 2: Entering Step Fields & Groups

Once the flow starts, it is placed in the first step. Open the flow details page to enter data:

Field Groupings

To make complex data entries readable, fields are often grouped in blocks (like "Company Details" or "Billing Details"). Each group has a title and holds fields that belong together.

Example Step Data Entry Screen:

Step 1: Contract Signing

Group: Company Details

Company Registration No. *

Group: Contract Details

Contract Term (Months) *

Monthly Recurring Charge (MRC) *

File Management & Customer Directory Scoping

When uploading or selecting files for step fields (such as contract scans or ID cards):

Auto-Created Folder: Creating a Service Flow automatically generates a customer-specific folder named Customer Name [Short UUID] in the background storage (using the customer's unique 8-character uppercase ID, e.g., 0LINCAYF).
Scoped File Browsing: Clicking the Browse button inside any file field automatically opens the File Manager with the root folder set specifically to that customer's directory, ensuring you only access and manage files relevant to this client.
Download Restriction: When viewing file or image previews within the service flow form, the Download button is restricted and only visible to Manager and Admin roles.

Step 3: Form Access Control & Edit Permissions

A crucial part of the Service Flow engine is data integrity. Whether a step's form fields and "Save" buttons are editable depends strictly on a combination of the Flow Status, Step Status, and your User Role/Actor status.

Condition	System Behavior & Logic
Global Flow Status (Completed or Cancelled)	If the overall Service Flow is marked as `COMPLETED` or `CANCELLED`, the entire instance is locked. No fields or save buttons are available for any user, regardless of their role.
Closed Step Status (Approved or Rejected)	If a specific Step has been `APPROVED` or `REJECTED`, its fields are permanently frozen. The "Save" and "Request Review" buttons are hidden for all users. This ensures the exact data that was reviewed cannot be tampered with.
Open Step Status (Draft or In Progress)	When a step is `DRAFT` or `IN_PROGRESS`, its form is unlocked, but only for Authorized Users (see below). If an unauthorized user views it, the fields remain read-only.
Authorized Users (Actors & Roles)	You can edit an open step's fields and save data if you meet either of these criteria: Actors: You are directly involved in the flow (you are the Author, the Field Agent, the Requestor, or the assigned Approver). Roles: You have system-wide privileges as a `Manager` or `Admin`.

Step 4: Saving and Requesting Approval

As you work on the fields, you can save your progress by clicking Save Draft. When all mandatory fields are complete, click Request Review to freeze your inputs and generate a pending approval task for the approver.

Backend Validation & Trigger Calculations

When you click Request Review, the backend executes the following checks and triggers:

Lenient Drafts vs. Strict Submit: Click Save Draft to skip validations (saves partial/incomplete values). But clicking Request Review performs strict field validation. If a required field is empty, the database rejects the submission.
Progress Rate Calculation Hook: The system automatically calculates progress: Progress % = (Completed Steps / Total Steps) * 100 This percentage is recalculated in real-time by a database model trigger whenever a step is signed off.
Auto-Complete Transition: When the final step of a template is approved, the system hook transitions the instance status to COMPLETED and flags all inputs as permanently read-only.

Previous: 2. Templates & Steps Next: 4. Approval Chain