Deploying a workflow is about more than switching on a digital process. It’s about bringing your school or trust community with you, replacing old ways of working, and creating confidence in a new system that saves time and ensures consistency.
Whether you are introducing a workflow to replace an existing process or setting up something completely new, a successful deployment will require clear communication, good preparation, and ongoing monitoring.
Prepare for Success
A smooth rollout starts before the workflow goes live.
- Test the workflow internally: Run through the workflow yourself or with a small group of colleagues to make sure it flows as intended. Guide on how to do so can be found here: Testing a Workflow
- Identify the stakeholders: Who will use the workflow? Who needs to be informed? This could include staff, leaders, governors, or HR teams depending on the purpose. Ensure they can see and interact with the workflow as needed. Adding a Follower
- Define ownership: Make sure everyone knows who is responsible for managing the workflow (creator, manager, or followers).
- Set expectations: Think ahead about how long tasks should take and who will be accountable at each stage.
Example: If you are deploying a New Starter Onboarding workflow, test it with one staff member first, ensure HR and line managers understand their role, and prepare guidance for new staff.
Launching the Workflow
When you are ready to deploy, make the process as clear and supportive as possible.
- Communicate the change: Explain to staff why the workflow is being introduced, what it replaces, and the benefits (e.g. less paperwork, clearer accountability, time saved).
- Use simple instructions: Share a short guide or even a short video showing how to complete their part.
- Start small if needed: Your workflow can be expanded and iterated as needed and as processes are changed.
Now that you’ve built your process in Arbor Workflows, as it is an extension of your MIS, a successful rollout ensures that data flows correctly.
Before you deploy the new workflow follow these essential steps to ensure a smooth transition.
1. Test the Experience
Before rolling out, run a test version of your workflow. Find out how here: Testing a Workflow
Trigger the Form: Submit the initial trigger form yourself. Does it ask the right questions?
Decisions: Can they easily see the comments in Activity or should these be included as an Update?
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Checklists & Tasks: Ensure that Updates and Reminders are triggering at the right intervals so staff don't miss their tasks.
2. Check Your Automated Steps
Automation is powerful, but it requires precision.
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Email Tags: Check that your email templates use the correct "Tags" (placeholders). A common error is a missing tag that doesn't exist in the trigger form.
Tip: Run a test as this will send a test email to yourself first to see how the data pulls through.
Arbor Data to Arbor MIS: If your workflow creates a student/staff record or adds an absence, double-check that the fields in your form match the requirements in the MIS.
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Delays: If you’ve added a delay (e.g., "Wait 2 days before sending reminder"), ensure this logic aligns with your school policy timelines.
3. Check Assets
A workflow is only as good as the information it provides.
Asset Library: If your workflow includes files or links, ensure the latest versions are uploaded to your Asset Library.
Workflow Documents: If you need the workflow to generate a PDF of any of the steps, ensure this is toggled on within the step and that these are tagged as workflow documents in the 'publish' tab.
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Logo upload: If you have uploaded a logo into forms, is the school logo correct?
4. Understand Your Tier Capabilities
Remember that your workflow's complexity depends on your school or MAT tier. If a feature isn't appearing, check your subscription level:
Core Schools: Focus on simple two-step processes.
Comms Schools: Use up to 5 steps, including emails and "Send Something" actions.
Perform Schools: Utilise full conditional logic, checklists, and cross-workflow triggers (up to 15 steps).
Pre-Rollout Checklist
Print or copy this list before launching any new workflow.
| Task | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-End Test | □ | Have you completed the workflow from start to finish? |
| Tag Check | □ | Do all tags in emails/documents display data correctly? |
| Decision Logic | □ | Does 'No' trigger a Rewind or Stop as intended? |
| Arbor MIS Sync | □ | For "Send Something" steps, did the data appear in the MIS? |
| Follower Audit | □ | Are the right people added as "Followers" to monitor progress? |
| Staff Training | □ | Have you sent a quick "how-to" to the staff involved in the steps? |
| Asset Check | □ | Are all linked files in the Asset Library up to date? |
Pro-Tip for MATs
If you are on the Plus or Advanced tier, remember you can Push Down these workflows to your schools centrally. We recommend testing the workflow in a "sandbox" or a single school before pushing it out to the entire Trust to ensure consistency.
Need more help?
If you're transitioning from the old Habitude platform, welcome! You'll find all your familiar tools now under the Arbor Workflows menu within your MIS. For tier-specific queries, contact your Account Manager.
Monitoring and Tracking
Deployment doesn’t end once the workflow is launched. Monitoring ensures it’s being used correctly and consistently.
- Use the Activity Page: Track live progress across schools, see what’s in progress, overdue, or complete. Activity Page
- Check adoption rates: Are staff completing their steps on time? Are managers responding promptly?
- Gather feedback: Ask staff if anything is unclear or could be improved.
- Refine the workflow: Use insights from the first weeks to adjust steps, timelines, or responsibilities.
Example: If multiple staff mention confusion about how to complete steps, update the workflow steps or communication to make it clearer.
Setting Expectations for the Future
For workflows to stick, expectations need to be consistent.
- Make the workflow the “official way”: Retire old forms or processes so there’s no duplication.
- Remind staff early on: Send reminders to ensure everyone transitions smoothly.
- Build it into your culture: Reference workflows in staff meetings, training, or policies.
A successful deployment means preparing well, communicating clearly, engaging your community, and monitoring progress. With these steps, your workflow will not just launch, it will become a trusted, everyday tool that makes processes across your school or trust smoother and more consistent.
Once you have reviewed this article and followed the steos you are ready to get the workflow into the hands of your staff. Visit this article for more information: Launching Your Workflow: How to Share and Embed for Staff.