A Workflow is the process through which Stories move, from creation to completion. Workflows are set by you, and can be customized to be as simple or as complicated as you want. As long as there is a Workflow state in each state type, we can accurately measure cycle time for you.

At creation, your Workspace comes with 6 default workflow states that fall into the 3 Workflow State types (Unstarted, Started, and Done). You can keep these default workflow states as is, edit them, or delete them and add your own -- it’s up to you!

If your Workspace has multiple Workflows, you will find a Workflow switcher at the top of the left sidebar on the Stories page. Select the Workflow you wish to view. You will also see the Projects in the sidebar updated to those belonging to the current Workflow selected, as well as the Workflow States in the main area.

Epics can be filtered down to just the Projects on that board by hovering over the Epics menu and selecting ... and then pressing Only Epics from Selected Projects. 

Creating a New Workflow

You can create a new Workflow by navigating to Settings > Workflows and using the Workflow wizard (i.e. Create a New Workflow). 

• Step 1: Name and describe your new Workflow  - Assign a name to your Workflow - a description is optional.

  Step 2: Add Teams to Workflow (optional) - You can assign Teams to a Workflow so that it appears under the Workflow field during Story Creation when the Team is selected.

  Step 3: Select Workflow - You can select from our Standard Workflow (which is our sensible default for software development teams), Simple (which is the minimum Workflow for the system), or you can select to model your new Workflow after an existing Workflow.

  Once you select the Create Workflow button, you will be brought back to the main screen where you can edit the name, description, and Workflow States of any of your Workflows.

Managing Team <> Workflow

Workflows can be assigned to multiple teams and vice-versa so creating Team <> Workflow relationships can bring structure and versatility to your Workspace.

You can either assign Workflows to a Team upon Team creation or by simply navigating to the individual Team page and editing the associated Workflows.

Assigning Team color will help distinguish one Team from another, so feel free to change this to your liking on the individual Team page as well.

Deleting a Workflow

Workflows are an integral part of Shortcut and because of their various associations, it can be an involved process to delete a Workflow. While we typically suggest repurposing a Workflow, deletion may be a necessary step at times.

To start, navigate to Settings > Workspace Features > Workflow States and select the Workflow you wish to delete from the dropdown. You’ll see that hovering over the magnifying glass icon next to each State will let you know how many Stories/Story Templates are associated with each State. Selecting this icon will open a Search page with the Story or Stories, both active and archived, in that State.

From this Search page, you can bulk edit those Stories to be reassociated to a new Workflow or deleted entirely. Please note, if you have any Projects, active or archived, associated with a Workflow you are attempting to delete, those will also need to be either reassociated or deleted entirely.

After those Stories, and if applicable, the Projects, have been reassociated, you should then be able to remove any Teams and delete the Workflow. Another note, a Team must have a Workflow associated so if the Workflow is the only Workflow associated, you will need to go to that Team’s detail page to associate it with another Workflow first.

Updated May 24, 2023 00:09