Blueprint Step Types
Each step in a blueprint does one kind of work. Some steps create a task for a person. Others simply steer the process — they split it into branches, wait for a while, or call another tool — without asking anyone to do anything.
The step palette sits on the left side of the blueprint editor, grouped into four categories: FLOW, TASKS, CONTROL, and ADVANCED. Drag a step onto the canvas to add it, then click it to open its settings.
:::info Where to start If you have not built a blueprint yet, read Creating Blueprints first — it covers the canvas, connections, saving, and publishing. :::
Categories at a glance
| Category | Steps | What this group is for |
|---|---|---|
| FLOW | Start, End | Marking where the process begins and finishes |
| TASKS | Task, Approval | Giving work to a person |
| CONTROL | Sequential, Parallel | Deciding the order things run in |
| ADVANCED | Race, Approval Gate, If/Else, Loop, Timer, Auto-Assign, Webhook | Competition, multi-approver sign-off, branching, repetition, waiting, position-based assignment, and outside calls |
Flow
Start
The entry point — where the process begins.
- Every blueprint has exactly one Start step. A new blueprint already has one placed for you.
- Dragging in a second one is refused with a message telling you a Start already exists.
- Start cannot be deleted or copied, and it has no settings to open.
- Creates no task.
End
The exit point — where the process finishes.
- Every blueprint has exactly one End step, and it is placed for you in a new blueprint.
- Dragging in a second one is refused with a message telling you an End already exists.
- End cannot be deleted or copied, and it has no settings to open.
- Creates no task.
Tasks
Task
The everyday work step. When the process reaches it, it creates a task and assigns it to a person.
- The step's Title becomes the task's title, and its Description becomes the instructions the assignee sees.
- Supports the full set of task settings: department, priority, dynamic assignee, time limit, done conditions, form template, attached files, and visibility. See Settings on task steps.
Approval
An approval-style task. The assignee approves or rejects, and the process continues from there.
- Same settings as Task.
- Pair it with an If/Else step to send approvals and rejections down different paths.
- For how approvals look and behave on the receiving side, see Approvals.
Control
Sequential
Runs the steps that follow it one after another, in order.
- Creates no task.
- Only Title and Description to configure.
Parallel
Splits the process into branches that run at the same time, so independent work does not have to wait in line.
- Creates no task.
- Only Title and Description to configure.
Advanced
Race
Gives the same work to several people at once. The first person to finish wins, and the others' tasks are cancelled.
- Needs two or more assignees at launch.
- Unlike other task steps, Race can target one or more departments — add them as chips with + Add department.... With none selected, it inherits the blueprint's department.
- While it is running you can open the Race candidates window from the process timeline to see every candidate; once it resolves, a trophy marks the winner.
- Supports done conditions, form template, attached files, time limit, visibility, and dynamic assignee.
Approval Gate
Requires multiple approvers to sign off before the process moves on.
- Needs one or more approvers at launch.
- Timeout (hours) — defaults to 72, minimum 1.
- This is the one task step that has no Form Template field — its completion is the approval decision itself.
- Supports done conditions, attached files, time limit, visibility, and dynamic assignee.
If/Else
Branches the process on a simple Yes / No decision.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Decision Question | The question that is asked while the previous task is being completed — for example, "Is this company suitable for the process?" |
| Positive (Yes) | Label for the affirmative answer. Defaults to Positive. |
| Negative (No) | Label for the negative answer. Defaults to Negative. |
| Max Revisions | Matters when one of the branches leads back to an earlier step — for example to send work back for revision. It sets how many times the process may go back before it fails. Leave it empty to use the default (3). |
- Two labeled outputs: Yes (right side) and No (left side). Connect a different next step to each.
- Creates no task of its own — the answer comes from the task before it.
- Open the step and click Save at least once, even if you keep the default labels. A blueprint with an If/Else step that was never saved can't be published.
Loop
Repeats a section of the process until a limit is reached.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Max Iterations | How many times the loop body may run. Defaults to 10, minimum 1, and it is capped at 1000. |
- Two labeled outputs: Loop (the body that repeats, at the bottom) and Exit (on the right, where the process continues once the loop is done).
- Connect the last step of the repeated part back to the top of the Loop step — that is what makes it repeat. Without that connection, or without Exit connected, the blueprint can't be published.
- The Loop step itself does not create a task, but the step inside its body does — so people will see work from every iteration.
Timer
Pauses the process for a set amount of time, then continues on its own.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Timeout (hours) | How long to wait. Shown as 24 by default, minimum 0.5 (half an hour). |
- Creates no task — nobody is asked to do anything while it waits.
- Useful for cooling-off periods, "wait a day before the reminder", or giving an external system time to catch up.
Auto-Assign
Creates a task for whoever currently holds a chosen position in the org chart, instead of a named person.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Position | Pick a position from the Select position... dropdown. If none exist yet, you will see "No positions defined yet". |
- Because the position is resolved when the process runs, the task always reaches the current holder — no blueprint edit needed when someone changes roles.
- Auto-Assign configures a position rather than an assignee picker, so it does not carry done conditions, a form template, or the other task-step settings — only Title, Description and Position.
- Positions are managed in Positions.
Webhook
Calls an external web address so the process can notify or trigger another tool.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Webhook URL | The address to call, for example https://... |
| Headers (JSON) | Optional. Extra header values to send. If the text is not valid JSON, saving is blocked with "Invalid JSON format". |
- Creates no task.
:::caution Check your headers
The Headers box expects properly formed JSON, such as {"Authorization": "Bearer ..."}. A stray comma or missing quote will stop the step from saving.
:::
Does the step create a task?
| Step | Category | Creates a task? |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Flow | ❌ |
| End | Flow | ❌ |
| Task | Tasks | ✅ |
| Approval | Tasks | ✅ |
| Sequential | Control | ❌ |
| Parallel | Control | ❌ |
| Race | Advanced | ✅ |
| Approval Gate | Advanced | ✅ |
| If/Else | Advanced | ❌ |
| Loop | Advanced | ✅ (its body step does) |
| Timer | Advanced | ❌ |
| Auto-Assign | Advanced | ✅ |
| Webhook | Advanced | ❌ |
:::tip Assignment at launch Steps with a fixed assignee ask you to pick a person when you launch. Steps that resolve their assignee automatically (Auto-Assign, and task steps set to a dynamic assignee) fill in on their own, and non-task steps run as system steps. See Running Blueprints. :::
Steps with labeled outputs
Most steps have one outgoing connection point at the bottom. Two steps have two, and each one is labeled on the canvas so you can tell them apart:
| Step | Outputs | Where the connection sits | What flows out of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| If/Else | Yes | Bottom, right-hand side | The path taken when the decision is answered affirmatively |
| If/Else | No | Bottom, left-hand side | The path taken when the decision is answered negatively |
| Loop | Loop | Bottom | The body that repeats, up to Max Iterations |
| Loop | Exit | Right-hand side | Where the process carries on after the loop ends |
:::caution Connect both outputs Leave a labeled output unconnected and the process has nowhere to go when it takes that path. Always connect both Yes and No, and both Loop and Exit — publishing checks this. See What publishing checks. :::
Settings on task steps
Click a step to open its settings panel. The panel header shows the step type. Task, Approval, Race, and Approval Gate share the settings below.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Title | Becomes the title of the task that is created |
| Description | Optional instructions shown to the assignee |
| Department | Dropdown. The first option is Inherit from blueprint; pick a department to narrow who can be assigned. (Race uses a multi-department picker instead.) |
| Priority | Low, Medium, High, or Critical. Defaults to Medium. |
| Dynamic assignee (self-serve) | Decides who gets the task automatically when the process starts — see the table below |
| Time Limit (hours) | Optional deadline for the task. Leave it empty for no limit. |
| Done Conditions | Requirements the assignee must meet before the task can be finished — see Done conditions |
| Form Template (optional) | Choose a saved form template, or — No template —. Template fields are captured when the blueprint is published. Not available on Approval Gate. See Form Templates. |
| Attached Files (optional) | Use Upload file to attach reference documents. They are copied into every task the step creates; assignees can view and download them but cannot delete them. Each file can be up to 50 MB. The Upload file button is shown only if your role allows uploading files to blueprints. |
| Visibility | Lets chosen departments or people read the created task and add comments or files, without being able to edit it |
The panel closes with a Save button, and a Delete Step button if you want to remove the step.
Dynamic assignee options
Instead of naming a person, a task step can work out its assignee automatically at the moment the process starts. Self-serve starts from Start a Process rely on this, because the person starting does not pick anyone.
| Option | Who gets the task |
|---|---|
| None (assign a fixed person at launch) | A specific person is chosen at launch — the default |
| Whoever starts the process | The person who starts the process becomes the assignee |
| Starter’s department manager | Worked out from the starter's department at the moment they launch |
| General Manager (pick an executive) | A fixed executive that you choose here; the member sees who it is before they start |
:::info About the General Manager option Choosing this option reveals a Select executive… list. If nobody has the Executive role yet, you will see "No executives found — set a user’s role to Executive first." Self-serve runs also show the starter a "This process will route to" preview — see Start a Process. :::
Step-specific settings
Steps outside the task group have their own small set of fields.
| Step | Fields | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Start / End | — | Nothing to configure |
| Sequential / Parallel | Title, Description | |
| If/Else | Decision Question, Positive (Yes), Negative (No), Max Revisions | Labels default to Positive / Negative; Max Revisions defaults to 3 |
| Loop | Max Iterations | Default 10, minimum 1, capped at 1000 |
| Timer | Timeout (hours) | Shown as 24, minimum 0.5 |
| Approval Gate | Timeout (hours) (plus all task-step settings except Form Template) | Default 72, minimum 1 |
| Auto-Assign | Position | Chosen from your org chart positions |
| Webhook | Webhook URL, Headers (JSON) | Invalid JSON is rejected on save |
Done conditions on task steps
Task, Approval, Race, and Approval Gate can carry done conditions — requirements the assignee must satisfy before the task can be marked complete.
- Add one with + Add. Each row has a type dropdown and a Label — the label is what the assignee reads, for example "Document uploaded".
- Remove a row with the × next to it.
- With none set, the panel reads "No conditions — task can be completed directly".
Condition types
| Type | What the assignee does | Extra settings you can set |
|---|---|---|
| Checklist | Ticks the item off | Label only |
| Text | Types an answer | Label only |
| Approval | Approves the item | Label only |
| Number | Enters a number | Min and Max |
| Currency | Enters an amount and picks the currency | Min amount and Max amount — leave empty for no limit |
| Date | Picks a date | Label only |
| Dropdown | Chooses from your list | Options (comma-separated) |
| File | Uploads a file | Accepted types (for example pdf, docx, png) — leave empty to accept any type |
:::info Currency conditions You set the amount range only. The assignee picks the currency when completing the task, so the same step works across regions without you locking one currency into the blueprint. :::
:::tip File conditions complete themselves A File condition is satisfied automatically as soon as a matching file is uploaded to the task — the assignee does not need to tick anything. :::
These are the same conditions used on regular tasks. For the assignee's side of the experience, see Completion Conditions.
Tips
- Start with Task and Approval — together they cover most simple processes.
- Put an If/Else after an Approval so approved and rejected work follow different paths.
- Parallel speeds things up when steps do not depend on each other.
- Race when speed matters — the fastest available person takes it and the rest are freed up.
- Approval Gate when consensus matters — everyone signs off, with a timeout so it cannot stall forever.
- Auto-Assign for role-based work — the task follows the position, not the person, so it survives staff changes.
- Give long steps a Time Limit so nothing quietly sits untouched.
Related pages
- Creating Blueprints — build and connect the canvas
- Running Blueprints — assign people and launch
- Start a Process — self-serve starts for your team
- Completion Conditions — how done conditions work on the task side
- Form Templates — reusable field sets for task steps
- Positions — what Auto-Assign points at