Workflows

Overview

Workflows are the structured hiring processes that Submissions follow as candidates are screened and qualified through Leadline. They define the stages, automations, and user assignments that govern how Submissions move through the hiring process — from initial application to final outcome.

→ See 112 - Submissions for more information on Submissions and how they move through Workflow stages.

→ See 111 - Positions for more information on how Workflows are assigned to Positions.

What are Workflows and Why do They Exist?

Workflows are the process that Submissions follow when candidates apply to Positions. A Workflow determines the stages, automations, and outcomes of Submissions as they are screened and processed through Leadline.

Workflows exist so that organizations can:

Standardize the hiring process — maintain a consistent screening and qualification process across departments and positions
Automate candidate communications — ensure candidates are consistently informed of where they stand in the process via automations triggered at each stage
Control position visibility — limit which users can see which positions based on Workflow assignment, reducing noise and improving efficiency across large teams
Track and optimize performance — measure the speed and effectiveness of the screening process and use that data to make improvements over time

→ See 116 - Reporting for more information on how Workflows contribute to reporting metrics.

What Makes Up a Workflow?

Workflows consist of three components:

Workflow Stages — the sequential steps a Submission moves through during the screening and qualification process
Assigned Users — the users who have visibility into all Positions assigned to this Workflow
Workflow Automations — the automated actions triggered when a Submission enters a specific stage

What is a Workflow Stage?

A Workflow Stage is a step within a Workflow that indicates what part of the screening and qualification process a Submission is currently in. A series of Workflow Stages compiled together make up an entire Workflow.

What are the Required Workflow Stages?

Every Workflow must contain a minimum of four required stages. These stages are required because they directly affect certain reporting metrics:

Incomplete Submission — always the first stage in every Workflow. All Incomplete Submissions are automatically placed here. This stage is marked with an info icon next to its name.
Applied — the stage all Submissions enter after a candidate successfully completes and submits their Application Form. A timer starts when a Submission enters this stage and is used for reporting on screening speed. This stage is marked with a stopwatch icon next to its name.
Hired — the stage used to mark Submissions that have successfully progressed through the entire Workflow and resulted in a hire or equivalent successful outcome. This stage is marked with a green checkered flag icon next to its name.
Rejected by Hiring Team — the stage used to mark Submissions that did not progress through the Workflow and resulted in a rejection or equivalent unsuccessful outcome. This stage is marked with a red user x icon next to its name.

Note: These four stage names can be renamed but their function within the Workflow cannot be changed or removed.

→ See 116 - Reporting for more information on how required Workflow stages affect reporting metrics.

→ See 117 - Incomplete-Submissions for more information on Incomplete Submissions and how they relate to the Incomplete Submission stage.

Is There a Maximum Number of Stages Allowed in a Workflow?

No. There is no maximum number of stages. However it is best practice to keep Workflows as lean as possible — fewer stages require less process, lead to faster hiring decisions, and result in a more efficient process across large teams.

What are Stage Types?

Stage Types are used to classify whether Submissions residing within a Workflow stage are considered Quality Submissions or Unqualified Submissions. This classification is used exclusively for reporting purposes and has no effect on the candidate-facing experience.

→ See 116 - Reporting for more information on how Stage Types and Quality Submissions vs Unqualified Submissions are defined and used in reporting.

→ See 1014 - Update-Stage-Type for more instructions on updating stage types when configuring a workflow.

Can I Add, Remove, or Rename Workflow Stages?

Yes — with the appropriate permissions.

→ See 1002 - Add-Workflow-Stage for instructions on adding stages to a Workflow.

→ See 1003 - Remove-Workflow-Stage for instructions on removing stages from a Workflow.

→ See 1004 - Rename-Workflow-Stage for instructions on renaming stages within a Workflow.

Can I Reorder Workflow Stages?

Yes. However there are two important constraints:

The Incomplete Submission stage must always remain the first stage in the Workflow
The Applied stage (identified by the stopwatch icon in the editor) is where all new Submissions land — moving it away from directly below the Incomplete Submission stage may cause confusion for your team

The order of stages in the Workflow editor determines how they appear when reviewing Submissions:

Kanban View — stages display left to right in the same order as they appear top to bottom in the editor
List View — stage tabs above the table display left to right in the same order as they appear top to bottom in the editor

→ See 1005 - Configure-Workflow-Stage-Order for instructions on rearranging Workflow stage order.

What are Assigned Users and Why do They Exist?

Assigned Users are the Leadline users who have visibility into all Positions that are assigned to a specific Workflow. Workflow assignment determines what users can see — their User Role and permissions still determine what they can do with what they can see.

Note: Workflow assignment controls Position visibility only. All other permissions are still governed by the user's assigned role and permissions configured in the Admin Hub.

→ See 125 - User-Permissions for more information on user permissions and what users can do within Positions they have access to.

→ See 102 - Admin-Hub for more information on configuring user roles and permissions.

→ See 1006 - Assign-Users-To-Workflow for instructions on assigning users to a workflow

What are Workflow Owners?

Workflow Owners are users designated as responsible for overseeing a specific Workflow. This is particularly useful in large organizations where different departments manage their own hiring processes independently. Workflow Owners have the ability to edit and configure Workflows regardless of their standard user role and permissions.

What are Workflow Automations?

Workflow Automations are automated actions that are triggered when Submissions enter different stages within a Workflow. Each automation can have a unique outcome and is used to ensure a consistent candidate and internal experience throughout the screening and qualification process.

What Workflow Automations are Supported?

The following Workflow Automations can be configured:

1. Send Email Message to Candidate
Triggers an email to be sent to the candidate when their Submission enters the stage.

→ See 107 - Communications for more information on Email Messages and how they are used in Workflows.

→ See 1007 - Configure-Email-Automation for instructions on configuring email automations within Workflows.

2. Trigger Message Flow
Triggers the start of an SMS Message Flow when a Submission enters the stage.

→ See 107 - Communications for more information on Message Flows and how they are used in Workflows.

→ See 1008 - Configure-SMS-Text-Message-Flow-Automation for instructions on configuring SMS Message Flow automations within Workflows.

3. Send Candidate to ATS
If an ATS is connected, triggers a sync between Leadline and the connected ATS to create an application for the candidate within the ATS.

→ See 120 - ATS-Integrations for more information on ATS integrations and what candidate information is supported when triggering syncs.

→ See 1009 - Configure-Sync-to-ATS-Automation for instructions on configuring ATS sync automations within Workflows.

→ See 1010 - Remove-Workflow-Automation for instructions on removing automations from Workflow Stages.

Who Creates Workflows?

Any user with the appropriate permissions can create, edit, and modify Workflows. As best practice, it is recommended that a Company Administrator or department head responsible for overseeing the screening and qualification process takes ownership of Workflow creation and configuration.

→ See 1001 - Create-Workflow for instructions on creating a Workflow.

→ See 125 - User-Permissions for more information on permissions required to create and manage Workflows.

When are Workflows Created?

One default Workflow is created automatically when a new organization is set up in Leadline. All additional Workflows must be created manually. Workflows can be created at any time.

What are the Default Workflow Stages, Assigned Users and Automations?

The single default Workflow created when a new organization is set up in Leadline includes the following out-of-the-box configuration:

Workflow Stages:

Incomplete Submission
Applied
Qualified
Hired
Rejected by Hiring Team

Assigned Users: None — users must be assigned manually.

Automations: None — automations must be configured manually.

Note: All default stage names can be renamed and additional stages can be added. However the four required stages — Incomplete Submission, Applied, Hired, and Rejected by Hiring Team — cannot be removed.

→ See 1001 - Create-Workflow for instructions on creating additional Workflows.

→ See 1002 - Add-Workflow-Stage for instructions on adding stages to a Workflow.

Is There a Minimum Number of Workflows Required?

Yes. Every Position must have a Workflow assigned — at a minimum, at least one Workflow must always exist in the platform.

Is There a Maximum Number of Workflows Allowed?

By default, organizations are limited to 5 Workflows. If more than 5 Workflows are required, an upgrade to an Enterprise plan is needed. Contact your Customer Success representative to upgrade.

Can I Set a Default Workflow to be Assigned to any New Position I Create?

Yes. A default Workflow can be configured so that it is automatically assigned to all new Positions at the time of creation. The default Workflow can always be changed to a different Workflow during or after the Position creation process if needed.

→ See 1015 - Set-Default-Workflow for instructions on setting a default Workflow for new Positions.

Where are Workflows Configured?

Workflows can be configured in two places depending on the user's role and permissions:

Company Administrators — Admin Hub > Workflows
Users with Workflow permissions — Global Navigation > Workflows

Note: If you do not have permission to create and edit Workflows, the Workflows option will be hidden from the Global Navigation entirely.

→ See 101 - Platform-Links for direct links to both locations.

→ See 102 - Admin-Hub for more information on the Admin Hub.

How are Workflows Created and Managed?

→ See 1001 - Create-Workflow for instructions on creating a Workflow.

→ See 1012 - Duplicate-Workflow for instructions on duplicating a Workflow.

→ See 1013 - View-Assigned-Positions for instructions on viewing all Positions assigned to a Workflow.

→ See 1011 - Delete-Workflow for instructions on deleting a Workflow. Note: Workflows can be deleted but cannot be archived.

How are Workflows Assigned to Positions?

→ See 412 - Assign-Workflow for instructions on assigning a Workflow to a Position.

Can a Workflow Be Assigned to Multiple Positions?

Yes. The purpose of a Workflow is to apply one consistent process across multiple Positions — it is encouraged to reuse Workflows across Positions to ensure a standardized screening and qualification experience.

Can a Workflow Be Changed After it is Assigned to a Position?

Yes. Workflow stages, assigned users, and automations can all be edited and reconfigured at any time.

Note: Any new automation assigned to a stage will only trigger for new Submissions that enter that stage going forward. Existing Submissions already residing in the stage will not have the new automation triggered retroactively.

Can I Assign a New Workflow to a Position That Already Has Submissions?

Yes. However, you will need to map existing Submissions from the old Workflow stages to the corresponding stages in the new Workflow before the migration is complete.

→ See 413 - Update-Workflow-Assignment for instructions on updating a Workflow assignment for a Position that already has Submissions.

Who Has Access to a Position Based on Workflow Assignment?

Any user listed in the Assigned Users tab of the Workflow assigned to that Position has visibility into that Position.

→ See 111 - Positions for more information on Collaborator access as an alternative way to grant Position visibility outside of Workflow assignment.

What Happens to Submissions When a Workflow Stage is Deleted?

When a Workflow stage is deleted, the user will be prompted to migrate any existing Submissions in that stage to another stage within the Workflow before the deletion is completed. The stage will only be deleted after all Submissions have been successfully migrated.

Is There an Easy Way to View All Positions Assigned to a Workflow?

Yes. There are two ways to view Positions assigned to a specific Workflow:

→ See 1013 - View-Assigned-Positions for instructions on viewing assigned Positions directly from the Workflows page.

→ See 2706 - Apply-Filters-to-Position-View for instructions on filtering Positions by Workflow on the Positions page.

111 - Positions — Understand how Workflows are assigned to Positions and how assignment controls visibility
112 - Submissions — Understand how Submissions move through Workflow stages
117 - Incomplete-Submissions — Learn about the Incomplete Submission stage and how it relates to Incomplete Submissions
116 - Reporting — Learn how Workflow stages and Stage Types affect reporting metrics
107 - Communications — Learn how Email Messages and Message Flows are triggered by Workflow automations
120 - ATS-Integrations — Learn how Workflow automations trigger candidate syncs to connected ATS systems
125 - User-Permissions — Learn about permissions required to create and manage Workflows
102 - Admin-Hub — Learn how Workflows are managed in the Admin Hub
1001 - Create-Workflow — Instructions for creating a Workflow
1002 - Add-Workflow-Stage — Instructions for adding stages to a Workflow
1003 - Remove-Workflow-Stage — Instructions for removing stages from a Workflow
1004 - Rename-Workflow-Stage — Instructions for renaming stages within a Workflow
1005 - Configure-Workflow-Stage-Order — Instructions for rearranging Workflow stage order
1007 - Configure-Email-Automation — Instructions for configuring email automations within Workflows
1008 - Configure-SMS-Text-Message-Flow-Automation — Instructions for configuring SMS Message Flow automations within Workflows
1009 - Configure-Sync-to-ATS-Automation — Instructions for configuring ATS sync automations within Workflows
1011 - Delete-Workflow — Instructions for deleting a Workflow
1012 - Duplicate-Workflow — Instructions for duplicating a Workflow
1013 - View-Assigned-Positions — Instructions for viewing all Positions assigned to a Workflow
1014 - Update-Stage-Type — Instructions for updating Stage Types within a Workflow
1015 - Set-Default-Workflow — Instructions for setting a default Workflow for new Positions
2706 - Apply-Filters-to-Position-View — Instructions for filtering Positions by Workflow on the Positions page
412 - Assign-Workflow — Instructions for assigning a Workflow to a Position
413 - Update-Workflow-Assignment — Instructions for updating a Workflow assignment for a Position with existing Submissions
101 - Platform-Links — Direct links to the Workflows page and Admin Hub

Workflows

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