Using Categories in Willow360

Categories in Willow360 are used to organise workflows and make them easier to find, filter, and manage. They do not affect how workflows behave, they simply help users navigate the system more efficiently. This article outlines a recommended category structure and practical guidance for using categories effectively.

Why Use Categories?

As your organisation creates more workflows, the dashboard can become crowded. Categories allow users to:

Quickly filter workflows by function or department
Group related processes together
Improve usability for both new and experienced users

Recommended Category Structure

Below is a commonly used structure that works well across most organisations.

1. Finance

Used for workflows related to financial processes:

Invoice processing
Expense approvals
Purchase orders
Payment authorisation

2. HR (Human Resources)

Used for employee-related workflows:

Employee onboarding
Contracts and offer letters
Leave requests
Employee documentation

3. Operations

Used for general day-to-day business processes:

Internal requests
Job sheets
Service forms
General document handling

4. Sales / Customer

Used for customer-facing workflows:

Customer onboarding
Order processing
Quotes and agreements

5. Compliance / Legal

Used for controlled or regulated processes:

Contracts requiring approval or signing
Policy acknowledgements
Compliance and audit workflows

6. Document Processing

Used for automation-focused workflows:

AI Data extraction (e.g. invoices, IDs)
Document classification
Data capture processes

7. Archive / Storage

Used for final-stage or storage workflows:

Document archiving
Export to cloud storage
Completed file handling

8. Admin / Internal

Used for internal or restricted workflows:

Test workflows
IT or admin processes
System-related tasks

Optional: Templates / Examples

Used for training or reusable workflows:

Demo workflows
Example configurations

Best Practices

Keep It Simple

Avoid creating too many categories. A smaller set (typically 5–8) is easier for users to understand and use consistently.

Use Clear, Familiar Names

Choose category names that match how users think about their work (e.g. “Finance” instead of something abstract).

Use Multiple Categories Where Needed

A workflow can belong to more than one category.
For example:

An invoice workflow could be categorised as Finance and Document Processing

Start Simple and Evolve

Categories can be added or removed at any time. If a category is no longer used, it will automatically disappear from filters.

Think About Filtering

Categories are primarily used in dashboard filters. Structure them in a way that helps users quickly narrow down to the workflows they need.

Summary

Categories are a simple but powerful way to organise workflows in Willow360. By applying a clear and consistent structure, organisations can:

Improve user experience
Reduce time spent searching for workflows
Maintain a clean and scalable system

Start with a small set of meaningful categories, and refine them as your workflow library grows.