In many areas of work, especially in business environments, we often find ourselves repeating the same processes again and again. Whether it's sending the same notifications, processing similar data, or following the same approval steps, this repetition wastes time and increases the risk of inconsistency.

In programming, there's a concept called a function. It is like a block of reusable code that can be called whenever it's needed. So why can’t we apply that same idea to business automation? Why recreate the same logic for every team or department when we could simply reuse what's already been built?

That’s exactly where subflows come in!

A subflow is a self-contained process that you can build once and use many times across different workflows or teams. Think of it as a ready-to-use function that saves time, ensures consistency, and reduces errors. Subflows can be triggered by other processes, helping teams automate repetitive tasks and focus on what really matters.

For example, imagine an IT Service Management (ITSM) team that builds a workflow to automatically open a support ticket when a critical incident is detected. Instead of every department creating their own version of this process, this workflow can be published as a subflow. Then, any other team, like HR or engineering teams, can simply call this subflow whenever they need to log a ticket in the same way. This not only speeds up development but also ensures everyone follows the same consistent process.

In this blog, we’ll explore what subflows are, how they work, and what the best ways to implement them in your workflow are.

What are subflows?

As mentioned earlier, subflows are self-contained processes; they can be called in a larger workflow or can run on their own. Subflows can be found in a larger network of main workflows. In main workflows, you can find multiple types of subflows that perform different tasks, these include:

•  Reusable subflows: subflows that can simply be reused multiple times.
• Nested subflows: subflows that are ingested in other subflows or larger workflows.
• Conditional subflows: subflows that are executed based on specific conditions or criteria.

Understanding and effectively using subflows can significantly enhance your workflow efficiency and productivity. Being able to easily recognize the types of subflows and how they can be applied would help you create more well organized and adaptable workflows.

Figure 1: Diagram illustrating a subflow.

Benefits of subflows

The benefits of using subflows range from their reusability to their productivity enhancement abilities. Essentially, utilizing subflows helps automate repetitive tasks, thereby freeing up resources. However, there are a few more benefits to using subflows.

Subflows can be called many different times from multiple main flows or parent flows. These are the main flows where everything comes together. This reusability of subflows helps reduce redundancy and saves time when developing. Essentially when a subflow is created, it can be used whenever the action it performs is needed, no matter how many times it needs to be called.

Additionally, implementing subflows into your work makes maintaining your main workflows much easier. If a change needs to occur in a subflow that has been created to perform a specific action, this can easily be tweaked as you just need to fix it in the subflow, and not everywhere you see the action. Essentially, this also helps debugging. Since subflows are self-contained, errors can be easily identified and fixed within the subflow without impacting the entire main workflow. Therefore, changes can be made to individual subflows without affecting main/parent workflows.

In real-life situations, subflows are seen to help save development time and make workflows run more smoothly. For example, a team might use subflows to handle data tasks automatically, so developers would have more time to focus on more important tasks.

Best practices for implementing subflows

When implementing subflows there are some aspects that need to be taken into consideration. The first thing would be to keep the subflows small and focused. They should only perform small, singular tasks. This makes it easier for them to be reused or for the subflows to be edited and maintained. Therefore, if you notice a certain flow is getting larger, it would be best to breakdown the flow into smaller more manageable pieces.

Clear and consistent naming is essential when creating subflows. Choose names that explicitly indicate the flow is a subflow and describe the specific action it performs. This makes it easier for you to identify and reuse them correctly. Always include a brief description outlining what the subflow does, along with any input and output parameters it may require.

Additionally, ensure you only pass the data that is truly needed between flows. Overloading subflows with unnecessary data can lead to confusion, performance issues, or unintended behavior. Keeping your data scope minimal and relevant helps maintain clean, reliable automation.

Testing subflows and ensuring they work before implementing them in main workflows is another important habit to get used to doing. Once you've ensured the subflow works then you can incorporate it into your main workflow and see if it integrates smoothly and if it works.

And lastly, in your subflows you want to avoid infinite loops, as these could cause issues down the line. You want to make sure your subflows have an explicit exit condition, therefore your subflow can break out of the loop and break into your main workflow.

By following these practices, you would be able to create efficient and maintainable subflows that enhance your overall workflow management. Remember, the key to successful subflow implementation is careful planning, thorough testing, and sticking to best practices!

Conclusion

Subflows are powerful, self-contained processes that can work independently or as part of a larger workflow. Whether you're just getting started or have used subflows many times before, it's important to keep best practices in mind when designing and integrating them. Subflows can be used in a wide range of tasks—from programming to process automation—making them a flexible and valuable tool for you in any workflow.

By applying these principles, you'll improve how you manage both your subflows and your main workflows. Start putting them into practice today to improve your processes and boost overall productivity!