Workflows: Before you get started

Important Things to Know About Workflows

Before you start building your Workflows & Automations, we recommend reviewing the information below. Understanding how workflows, phases, tasks, triggers, and client progression work will help you build automations that behave as expected and avoid common setup issues.

This article is intended as a “before you build” guide and highlights the most important concepts to understand before creating or modifying your workflows. For step-by-step instructions, see the related workflow articles below.


  1. Workflows are built around phases and tasks
  • Workflow = overall client journey
  • Phases = stages of that journey
  • Tasks = individual steps within each phase
  1. Tasks happen in order
  • A task generally needs to be completed before the workflow moves to the next task.
  • A future trigger does not bypass an incomplete previous task.
  • Tasks can be manually completed or skipped when appropriate.
  1. Automation only happens when the phase is active
  • Phases need to be turned on for automations to run.
  • When editing tasks or automation settings, the phase must be paused.
  • Remember to turn the phase back on when finished.
  1. Understand the difference between triggers and actions
  • The action is what Doulado does, such as sending an email, resource, paperwork, invoice, etc.
  • The trigger determines when it happens, such as manually, after a delay, at a gestational age, or at a baby's age.
  1. Past trigger dates won't automatically run
  • This is particularly important for pregnancy and postpartum workflows.
  • If a client reaches a task after the gestational or baby's-age trigger has already passed, the task won't automatically schedule.
  • The team can manually complete or skip it.
  1. Status and labels determine who enters a workflow, but don't automatically remove them
  • A client can qualify for a workflow based on their status or labels.
  • Changing their status or labels later does not automatically remove them from an existing workflow.
  1. Workflows can be customized for individual clients
  • Skipping a task only affects that particular client's workflow.
  • It does not change the workflow template for everyone else.
  1. Watch out for overlapping automations
  • If the same client is in multiple workflows with similar automated tasks, they could potentially receive duplicate communications or actions.
  • Be mindful of how many workflows a client is pulled into based on their status or label combination.
  1. Start simple and test
  • Recommend starting with a small workflow and a few clients.
  • Test the sequence and automations before building a complex client journey.
  1. Try out a template
  • Check out the templates at the top right corner of workflows
  • Use an example to get started, and customize for your care plans