Launching Your Arbor Workflow: How to Share and Embed for Staff

Congratulations! You’ve built, tested, and refined your workflow. Now it’s time to move from the sandbox to the school office. If you have not tested the workflow yet you can find out how to do so here: Testing a Workflow.

There is no "one right way" to launch a workflow; instead, you have the freedom to embed these processes wherever your staff are already working.

Here are the most effective ways to share your workflow trigger forms and get your staff engaging with your new automated processes.

Sharing via Direct Links

Every workflow begins with a Trigger Form. Once your workflow is live, you can generate a unique URL for this form. Find out more about the trigger form here: Setting up a Trigger Form

How to do it: Navigate to your live workflow. Select the 'Copy links' button.

Selecting Copy links will open a pop-up with the available links for your workflow. This will include a general link as well as school seperate, if part of a MAT.

You can use these links however works for you. Sending via a message or email, hosting links in shared folders or shortcuts. 

• Remember, for staff to be able to access this URL directly they must have a workflows account. To create a workflows account all they need to do is navigate from the MIS to Arbor Workflows once. 

External users who are accessing workflows that have been set to be available to 'Anyone' will not be expected to go through the MIS to Arbor Workflows route but will still have to enter their email and be sent a 'magic link'.

Hosting Locally on Your Staff Portal

Most schools and MATs have a central "hub" (like a SharePoint, Google Site, or internal staff intranet). This is a recommendation as this route happens outside of Workflows but a helpful option. Here is the method other users take:

Create a dedicated page on your internal portal. Add buttons or hyperlinks that point directly to the specific Arbor Workflow trigger forms.

Make sure that your workflows are configured to be available in the way you desire via the Review & Test area.

Best for: Creating a "one-stop shop" for staff. They don't need to remember where a specific form is; they just go to the Staff Portal.

• Remember, for staff to be able to access this URL directly they must have a workflows account. To create a workflows account all they need to do is navigate from the MIS to Arbor Workflows once. 

Embedding into School Policies

Make your Workflows part of your school's "source of truth" by linking them directly within your policy documents. This is a recommendation as this route happens outside of Workflows but a helpful option. Here is the method other users take:

In your PDF or Word policy documents (e.g., Staff Absence Policy or Expenses Policy), include a "Click here to submit a request" link that leads to the Arbor Workflow form.

Best for: Ensuring compliance. When a staff member reads the policy, the tool to execute the process is right in front of them.

• Remember, for staff to be able to access this URL directly they must have a workflows account. To create a workflows account all they need to do is navigate from the MIS to Arbor Workflows once.

Device Shortcuts

Desktop: Save the trigger form URL as a shortcut on school office desktops.

• Remember, for staff to be able to access this URL directly they must have a workflows account. To create a workflows account all they need to do is navigate from the MIS to Arbor Workflows once.

Batch Triggers 

For workflows that need to happen for many people at once (available on Perform and MAT Plus/Advanced tiers), you can trigger workflows in "Batch."

How to do it: Use the  feature to trigger a specific workflow for a selected group of students or staff. Find out how here: Bulk or Batch Trigger of a Workflow

Best for: End-of-term reports, staff appraisals for a whole cohort, or MAT-wide policy sign-offs.

• Remember, for staff to be able to access this URL directly they must have a workflows account. To create a workflows account all they need to do is navigate from the MIS to Arbor Workflows once.

Which method should I choose?

The beauty of Arbor Workflows is that you don't have to choose just one. You might:

1. Host all forms on your SharePoint.

2. Embed the link in the relevant PDF policy.

3. Email the link to the specific staff member during their induction.