Workflow apps for every business process: 14 options

The term “workflow app” means different things to different project managers. 

For some, a basic Kanban task tracking app is enough to shape their workflow and keep their to-do list under control. Others want integrations with the software they use in different departments — like features to include budgeting in their project workflows. And then some want their workflow management to form part of a wider project management system to close the gaps in their processes. 

That’s why the best workflow apps are never one-size-fits-all — they’re the ones that adapt to the way you work. 

However complex your needs, this is my guide to the best workflow apps for every type of business process and every company size. 

I’ll cover the ways our platform, Wrike, powers four classic workflows, with examples of the benefits you can see when you manage these processes with powerful workflow tools. Then, at the end of this post, you’ll find my suggestions for more workflow apps to compare. 

Whether you’re a small business owner or the manager of a complex project team, there’s an app to optimize your workflow. 

Here, I’ll help you find the tools that are right for you. 

4 everyday workflows, streamlined by Wrike 

To keep a simple project on track, a workflow app needs to do three things: 

• Represent your tasks
• Clarify the stages that take them from input to output 
• Visualize where your current tasks are in that process 

But if you pick a tool just because it ticks these basic boxes, you probably won’t get the best solution for your team. Different kinds of workflows suit different types of tasks and different project management methodologies. The trick is to find an app that’s scalable and flexible enough to support them all. 

Instead of starting with a generic list of what to expect from a workflow app, I want to get technical. These are the areas where Wrike can boost specific, familiar business processes, and the benefits you can expect when you switch to a more powerful workflow app for your team. 

1. Document workflows

A document workflow manages the way a team creates, shares, and stores its files. Here, the workflow stages standardize the process and make sure the files comply with a company’s internal policies. 

Imagine a process supported by features like this:

• Automated intake and initiation: To kick off new document workflows, Wrike includes templates, request forms, and customizable blueprints to give you everything you need to kick off a new task — and set the workflow in motion automatically. 
• Collaboration tools: Alongside standard comment threads and discussion features, Wrike’s robust document workflow system includes live editing and tools to mark up images and PDFs. 
• File routing: At the end of your document workflow, Wrike sends the files to the people who need them and stores them in designated project folders so you can locate them in seconds. 
• Security features: With customizable permissions and user roles, you can give team members access to the files in your workflows and folders while keeping sensitive information confidential. 

In essence, Wrike automates the stages where a process can stall, smooths over the areas where it’s easy to introduce errors, and makes sure all the documents your company produces are held to the same high standards. These features save time at every stage of the document workflow and drastically reduce the number of feedback rounds you put your files through. 

Read more about document workflows and the apps that power them: Document workflow software: 5 scalable options.

2. Approval workflows

An approval workflow manages the way your workflow outputs are reviewed and authorized. It routes the completed assets — like content, presentations, proposals, or expense reports — to a designated approver, and records their decision. 

As with the document processes I discussed above, software can standardize and streamline your approval workflow. Without this clear structure, your tasks could fall at the final hurdle. With Wrike, you can reinforce accountability and consistency at the end of your workflow, helping your team maintain the highest standards across all the work you deliver. For approval workflows, Wrike’s standout features can: 

• Speed up the approval process: Our comprehensive system of automated notifications means approvers often see the files for review more quickly than if they were shared by email. We’ve seen Wrike users slash their approval times from seven days to one, or change up their system to get client approval within an afternoon. 
• Group all the materials necessary for review: Because Wrike includes all the files, discussions, and history relating to a piece of work together on the task card, the reviewer can access the information they need without requesting it from the different team members who have been involved.
• Automate the approval process: Wrike won’t give your reviewers a literal rubber stamp, but they will be able to reject or approve a task at the click of a button. This decision can notify the team, send the file back for amendments, share the task with an external client, and even adjust the project schedule. 
• Save time later: Approval workflow tools record the reviewer’s feedback and their ultimate decision, which makes it easier to reflect on or audit the process later.

In Wrike, you can include approval stages in as many task workflows as you need to. Most importantly, you can tailor those approval processes to your unique teams, projects, and clients. This brings invaluable transparency to your reviews and sets you up to maintain and improve your standards across the board. 

For a more detailed look at these tools and more, check out this post: Approval workflow software: 5 options to power your approvals.

3. Kanban workflows 

A Kanban workflow is a highly visual approach to task management. These workflows are built around a Kanban board with columns to represent the different stages the tasks move through before they’re marked complete. 

If you use Agile project management methodologies, or if your team completes deliverables in batches, this type of workflow can help your projects run smoothly — but only if your boards are robust enough to handle custom workflows and a high volume of tasks. Kanban workflows started with teams moving paper task cards across a table as they completed the subtasks, but there are clear advantages to digitizing the process in Wrike’s Kanban app. 

Wrike takes Kanban workflows to the next level with features to support: 

• Information sharing: Wrike’s task cards are detailed, laying out checklists, including the file attachments needed to complete the task, and recording the discussions that have gone into the work so far. This removes the need to schedule a sit-down meeting with a team member when a new task lands on their plate. 
• Accountability: Our Kanban boards show who tasks have been delegated to, who owns the task, and who has approval authority. We also make it easier for team members to complete their tasks by displaying them in personal dashboards and workflow diagrams. This sets up a clear chain of responsibility and reduces the risk of a task being overlooked. 
• Productivity: Wrike’s Kanban tools are fully automated, which saves time, reduces errors, and keeps your overview current. We’ll move your task cards whenever a workflow stage is completed, and notify the next team member in the chain. These productivity features help make sure tasks are completed smoothly and consistently over the course of a Kanban project. 

You’ll find more options for Kanban apps in this post: Kanban software for everyone: 6 workflow visualization tools. 

4. Agile workflows

Agile workflows group outputs together in cycles called sprints. Crucially, this style of working includes a chance to adjust the workflow based on feedback from the team and their clients. 

Workflow apps are incredibly useful for managing the high number of tasks in an Agile sprint. Still, more than any of the other processes on this list, they need specific features if they’re going to streamline your process and support your team. Whether you take a true Agile or a hybrid approach to your workflows, we built Wrike to be customizable. Plus, to adapt to Agile more quickly, we include project management templates and dashboards to set up your workspace with sprints and Scrums in mind. 

Wrike’s Agile workflow software includes tools to: 

• Gather or submit items for the backlog: Wrike helps Agile project managers track and groom their lists of future tasks, so they can set strong priorities for their upcoming sprints.
• Delegate tasks: When you kick off a new workflow, Wrike includes capacity management and delegation features to help allocate work in a way that makes the best use of your resources. 
• Track progress: During a sprint, Wrike helps you track progress on both the individual tasks and story points and the sprint as a whole. 
• Report on results: Wrike gathers data on when and how each task was completed, so you can draw on the latest information about your sprint during Scrum meetings and retrospectives. 

If you’re just getting started with the Agile method, you’ll find more information in this post: How to build an Agile workflow for any type of project.

Top benefits of Wrike for better workflows

The main advantage of Wrike over simpler workflow software is that you can adapt our platform to manage all these contrasting workflows simultaneously in a shared workspace. 

You might have teams who work in different ways, projects with various regulatory requirements, and workflows that span multiple departments. But with Wrike, you can manage all those tasks and track all those processes within one user-friendly workflow platform. 

I’d sum up the benefits like this: 

Enhanced collaboration and communication 

When you want to improve collaboration in your team, you look for ways to improve information sharing and centralize communication. There’s no better source of truth for your team than the live data on the workflow tasks they’re completing today. Wrike keeps all the vital updates at your team’s fingertips, so they can plan the most effective way to approach their shared tasks.In a Wrike workspace, we translate live data on your tasks’ progress through your workflows into: 

• Shared project dashboards that show where your tasks are sitting, when they’re due, and who they’ve been assigned to 
• Individual dashboards to show team members their incoming tasks, the work they need to prioritize, and how their work fits into the bigger picture 
• Centralized communication tools like comment threads on task cards, AI summaries of discussions and meeting notes, and automated reminders for upcoming deadlines 

All these features boost collaboration by breaking down information silos and removing the need for internal emails, progress reports, and sit-down meetings. 

Time saved on repetitive tasks 

One of the main benefits of standardizing a workflow in an app is the time it can save your team. Instead of going through the manual tasks it takes to add a new item to the start of your workflow, you create a new task card, and your team knows how it needs to progress. Wrike makes this process even more efficient. 

With our workflow software, you can set up custom item types with workflow stages tailored to the task. For example, an IT team could set up custom item types for the different types of support requests they receive, or even the preferences of their different clients. Once you have these templates in place, an incoming task does more than add an item to your list of upcoming work; it sends it to your workspace dashboards, assigns it to a team member, kicks off a workflow, and schedules it on your shared timeline. 

Wrike also reduces the number of repetitive tasks you have to complete at the execution stage of your workflow. 

Every time a task changes status, you can set it to trigger an action with a simple when/then automation. For example, when a new presentation is approved, then sent back to the team so it can be rehearsed and scheduled with the client.If these status changes will affect the time it takes to complete a task, we’ll even update the team’s shared overview and dynamically adjust your Gantt chart timeline. 

As you continue to work with Wrike, the machine learning element of our groundbreaking Work Intelligence system notes patterns in the ways your team completes their tasks. Then, it uses this information to suggest improvements to your workflow, eliminating more repetitive tasks and helping your business process turn even more smoothly in the future. 

Improved results for every team

Transferring your process to a workflow app helps you understand it better, which is a great first step to improving your results. But the best workflow apps do even more. 

With Wrike, you can analyze your workflow performance and plan your next moves. The data on your workflow structure and progress isn’t just there to keep you on track for this project; you can also use it to improve the next project you schedule for your team. 

The same data that updates your dashboards and workflow diagrams in real time can also generate exhaustive, tailored reports on your performance. Then, you can use these reports to: 

• Provide quick, clear updates to managers and clients on, for example, the weekly progress on your projects 
• Inform team meetings, like daily Scrums and progress updates, so you can run them more productively 
• Manage risks to your projects while they’re still emerging, so you have time to adjust course

Wrike’s reporting features help you manage your workflows now and plan strategically to improve your approach to upcoming projects. And, because all our workflow tools are seamlessly integrated into our powerful project management platform, it’s easier than ever to share these insights and apply them across your organization in one unified, powerful platform.