Workflow Activation And Routing
One of the platform’s most important jobs is deciding when the orchestrator should wake up and what it should do next.
That may sound abstract, but it is the center of the product. Workflows do not move because a page exists in the dashboard. They move because the platform records state changes, creates activations, and turns the current situation into fresh executable work.
Typical Flow
Section titled “Typical Flow”- a workflow is launched
- the platform creates the initial workflow record and input packet
- an activation is created
- the orchestrator processes the current workflow state
- the platform creates or updates tasks and work items
- runtimes claim executable tasks
- new results, approvals, or failures can trigger later activations
The pattern repeats. A workflow can cycle through multiple activations as new evidence arrives and new decisions become possible.
Why Activations Exist
Section titled “Why Activations Exist”An activation gives the platform a clean unit for orchestration progress. It separates “the workflow exists” from “the orchestrator is processing the current situation.”
That distinction matters because it lets the platform keep durable workflow history while still treating orchestration as an explicit, repeatable control-plane action.
Routing Inputs
Section titled “Routing Inputs”Routing decisions can depend on:
- the playbook
- workflow and work-item state
- role definitions
- operator actions
- results and artifacts already recorded
The runtime should not infer this on its own. The platform must deliver the contract explicitly.
How It Connects To The Rest Of The System
Section titled “How It Connects To The Rest Of The System”This routing loop is what powers the visible workflow experience:
- Playbooks And Authoring defines the process intent and specialist expectations the platform routes against
- Workflows and Workflow Detail show the operator-facing results of those activation and routing decisions
- Orchestrator is the control-plane actor being woken and supervised through this mechanism
- Runtime Overview is the execution plane that later claims the tasks the platform routes out
This page explains the hidden loop behind the visible board movement and task creation the dashboard shows.