GravityFlow for powerful WordPress Solutions will be the next catch cry. To get an idea of the power of GravityFlow, and what it can add to your site, it helps to look at what would normally happen when a GravityForm is submitted, and what can happen using GravityFlow.

Using GravityForms

When form is submitted, the user can get an immediate notification message, and email. An email can also be sent to a nominated email address. Depending on what other GravityFlow AddOns are active, you can also process a payment, update a mailing list, link the data to other services (Slack, Trello a whole range) or perhaps create a post etc.

Don’t get the impression that GravityForms is limited. It’s actually very powerful and the range of general and Certified Add-Ons is huge, the most comprehensive of any forms plugin on WordPress or elsewhere. GravityFlow is just one of these, but it is an exceptional Add-On.

Adding GravityFlow

As well as all the things GravityForms covers you can add as many follow on actions / steps as you like. Actions for approval, follow up, scheduling, registration, various notifications and emails. You can fill and submit subsequent forms, update these and related GravityForms entries, seek any users input to this or other forms, update fields and more. All controlled by conditions you set or branches controlling actions / steps. Sound good? Well, there’s much much more.

InBox

A dedicated Inbox for each user. When workflow item is allocated to a user, it shows up in their Inbox. Clicking on it opens a description of what is required, the necessary form data is shown, and the user can make their decision or add their input and approve an entry (sending to to the next GravityFlow step and/or User Inbox).

Status

The Status window shows where every WorkFlow item is in its progress, up to completed. It remains as a record. A user can only see the particular items they created by form submission, or selected or all items depending on their Role. Each item includes a completed actions list appended to the bottom of the form records keeping the workflow history. Users may search their Status history, and see the progress of uncompleted items.

Roles – Using, Assigning Tasks, Updating

In most steps a workflow items is allocated to individual users, or particular roles (groups of users), or both. A workflow step is set to complete when any allocated user approves it, or when all approve it. A Users details may be updated in one particular step (a Role is added or removed for example).

Reminders

Each step has a duration (time limit) for completion. If the step remains incomplete then, the workflow may be finished, set as complete, or directed to an alternate step to manage the delay.

Complex Decisions and Loops

Using the comprehensive array of options you may set up decision loops. This may seek input from a range of experts or authorities, and allow comments as part of a collective decision process, and is very powerful.

A Full Audit Trail

All activity, decisions, comments are kept and available in the Status area including who did what and when (and why if they comment, which may be required).

Limiting Information Seen by Different Users

Not everyone sees everything. A user needing to approve some aspect of the WorkFlow is limited to seeing only the data relevant to their decision. If they are adding information, only the relevant fields are presented for their input. A considerable aid to privacy. Or useful in maintaining a non biased decision process.

Resetting WorkFlow

If any thing goes amiss, the workflow can be reset to any step and recommenced from there. This is recorded in the workflow history, of course.

FlowChart

To aid in designing complex workflows, GravityFlow provide a FlowChart view of the whole business (see above). This is invaluable in designing and in finding and fixing flaws. 

ParentChild Forms

Creates a persistent relationship between a nominated Parent Forman child forms. This is useful to maintain close links between a particular form and several input forms fro a range of contributors or decision makers recording their agreement in the child form.

Form Connector (on this site or another site), Incoming Webhook

At any step in the WorkFlow you can interact with specific records in other Forms (or create new records in that form). This can be on your website, or another. You can create, delete or update entries, provide user input from there, or pause the WorkFlow awaiting remote approval. Neat.

The incoming WebHook is the other side of this functionality ensuring proper and private connections.

Folders

Workflow items may be added to particular Folders at relevant steps (and later removed) providing a useful way to access particular items. Think of this as a limited Status function only showing particular decision points for easy access or a particular form in progress. This is most useful in high volume situations. 

PDF Generator

You can add simple PDF views of parts of a form at any point, adding Logos and selected field information for email or later download.

Checklists

This allows you to publish a series of forms each requiring a single submission for each user. You can specify they be completed in order and have its own separate workflow.

Woo Commerce

This adds a workflow and automation to WooCommence orders allowing you to manage provision of complex services through WooCommerce. 

Enough (for now)

Obviously, each of these functionalities requires more detailed explanation (in future posts). But I think its clear from the above just how powerful GravityFlow is and how it can significantly contribute to developing and managing a powerful WordPress website.

Recommendation

GravityFlow for powerful WordPress Solutions. This amazing plugin speaks for itself. It is strongly recommended. The full range of functionality is of course only available with their ‘Ultimate Licence‘. But that’s exactly what you get If you sign up for a GravWorks website. 

Follow Up

We need to show you how many of the GravityFlow capabilities are used, starting with the simpler aspects, but were looking forward to describing how the powerful loop collaboration works, and how it can be used to empower remote collaboration and bring together organisations in mutual support. One unusually powerful benefit is standardising process. Once you get this right, and get users familiar with their part in this, it leads to consistently better outcomes, and manageable documented processes.

One of our main objectives in creating GravWorks is getting more people knowledgable and engaged in developing and managing these solutions. Why. Well, we’ll tell you all about that another time 🙂