Chapter 9

Workflows

Design modular task execution pipelines on a drag-and-drop canvas with automated validation, review loops, plugin pathways, and strict edge connection rules.

Overview

Workflows define how tasks move sequentially or conditionally through annotation, quality assurance review, plugin execution, and completion. Navigate to Workflows in the left sidebar to build and manage flow graphs.

Workflow Node Types

Every workflow is constructed from five distinct node types:

START

Start Node

Entry point of the pipeline. All newly generated tasks begin here. Exactly one outgoing edge.

ANNOTATION

Annotation Node

Human annotation stage where annotators complete labeling tasks. Exactly one outgoing edge.

REVIEW

Review Node

Quality assurance gate where QC reviewers evaluate submissions. Exactly two outgoing edges: approve and reject.

PLUGIN

Plugin Node

External automated ML or heuristic processing. One or more outgoing edges, each mapped to a unique Pathway ID.

COMPLETE

Complete Node

Terminal node. Tasks reaching this node are locked, verified, and complete. Zero outgoing edges.

Guide: Creating a Workflow

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Navigate to Workflows and click Create Workflow

Click Workflows in the left navigation and click the blue Create Workflow button.

Figure 51: Create Workflow Page

Figure 51: Create Workflow Page

2

Configure workflow name and template

Enter a unique Workflow Name, optional Description, and select a starter template: Blank Workflow, Annotation & Review, or Assisted Annotation.

3

Add START node

Drag a START node from the Node Library onto the visual canvas.

4

Add ANNOTATE node and connect

Drag an ANNOTATE node onto the canvas and connect the outgoing handle of the START node to the input of ANNOTATE.

Figure 52: Workflow - Annotate Node

Figure 52: Workflow - Annotate Node

5

Add REVIEW node and connect

Drag a REVIEW node onto the canvas and connect the outgoing handle of ANNOTATE to REVIEW.

6

Add COMPLETE node and connect approval/rejection paths

Add a COMPLETE node. Connect the REVIEW node's Approve path to COMPLETE, and its Reject path back to the ANNOTATION node.

7

Assign Pathway IDs (for Plugin nodes)

If using PLUGIN nodes, assign a distinct Pathway ID to each outgoing branch (e.g. confident, needs_review, escalate).

8

Validate and Save

Click the Validate button to run the automatic rule checker. Once passed, click Save to publish.

Managing Workflows

  • Edit Workflows: You must remove a workflow association from any active project before modifying its node architecture.
  • Delete Workflows: Only workflows not actively linked to any existing project can be deleted.

Workflow Validation Rules

Canvas Graph Edge Constraints
  • START and ANNOTATION nodes must have exactly one outgoing edge.
  • REVIEW nodes must have exactly two outgoing edges (one approve path and one reject path).
  • PLUGIN nodes must have at least one outgoing edge, each designated with a unique Pathway ID.
  • COMPLETE nodes are terminal and must have zero outgoing edges.
  • All non-terminal nodes must have at least one outgoing edge (no dead ends).
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