Creating Workflows

Available on:

StudentEssentialsProEnterprise

Learn how to build, test, and deploy automated workflows that streamline your practice operations.

Getting Started

Prefer to describe your automation in plain English? The AI Co-builder lets you type what you want and receive a complete draft workflow to review, edit, and save — no manual node-building required.

Accessing the Workflow Builder

1. Go to Workflows in the Practice section of the sidebar
2. Click Create Workflow
3. Choose:
   • Start from template - Pre-built workflows
   • Start from scratch - Blank canvas

Workflow Builder Interface

Area	Purpose
Canvas	Visual workflow design area
Node palette	Drag nodes onto canvas
Properties panel	Configure selected node
Toolbar	Save, test, activate, undo/redo
Minimap	Navigate large workflows

Step-by-Step Creation

Step 1: Name Your Workflow

1. Click the workflow name (top left)
2. Enter a descriptive name
3. Add a description explaining the purpose
4. Select a category for organisation

Good Name	Bad Name
"New Client Welcome Sequence"	"Workflow 1"
"Invoice Overdue Reminder (7 days)"	"billing"
"AHPRA Expiry Alert - 30 Days"	"credential check"

Step 2: Add a Trigger

Every workflow starts with a trigger:

1. Drag Trigger node from palette
2. Click to configure
3. Select trigger type:
   • Event -- when something happens in Praxi
   • Schedule -- at specific times (daily, weekly, monthly)
   • Manual -- user-initiated on demand
   • Webhook -- external system calls Praxi
   • Invoice Event -- invoice lifecycle events
   • Client Event -- client-specific events
   • Form Event -- form submitted, started, or expired
   • Feedback Event -- feedback submitted, resolved, or escalated
4. Configure trigger settings

Step 3: Add Action Nodes

Add actions that the workflow will perform:

1. Drag Action node onto canvas
2. Connect from trigger (click and drag)
3. Click action to configure
4. Select action type
5. Fill in action parameters

Available Actions

Category	Actions
Communication	Send email, Send SMS, Push notification
Client	Create client, Update client details
Appointment	Create appointment
Billing	Create invoice, Determine MBS item, Submit Medicare claim, Submit HealthPoint claim, Process Tyro payment
Task	Create task
Assessment	Send assessment to client
Telehealth	Create telehealth session, Send telehealth reminder
File	Tag file, Verify file, Share file, Notify file uploaded, Auto-categorise file, Run OCR
Document	Generate document from template
Form	Send form to client and optionally wait for completion
Payment	Query overdue invoices, Evaluate reminder rules, Send payment reminder, Escalate payment

Step 4: Add Decision Points

Add conditions to create branching logic:

1. Drag Condition node
2. Connect from previous node
3. Configure the condition
4. Connect True and False paths

Condition: client.is_new equals true
  ├─ True → Send welcome email
  └─ False → Send standard reminder

Step 5: Add Delays (Optional)

Insert waiting periods:

1. Drag Delay node
2. Set duration:
   • Seconds, minutes, hours, days, or weeks
   • Until a specific date and time

Trigger: Appointment created
  ↓
Delay: Wait until 24 hours before appointment
  ↓
Action: Send reminder SMS

Step 6: Add an End Node

Explicitly end workflow paths:

1. Drag End node
2. Connect from final action
3. Optionally add completion status

Always End Workflows

While not strictly required, End nodes make workflow logic clearer and help with debugging.

Node Configuration

Communication Nodes

Send Email

Field	Description
To	Recipient(s) - can use variables
Template	Email template to use
Subject	Email subject line
Variables	Data to merge into template
Attachments	Optional file attachments

To: {{client.email}}
Template: appointment-reminder
Subject: Reminder: Your appointment tomorrow
Variables:
  - client_name: {{client.full_name}}
  - appointment_date: {{appointment.date}}
  - practitioner: {{appointment.practitioner.name}}

Send SMS

Field	Description
To	Mobile number (must start 04)
Message	SMS content (160 char limit)
Variables	Data to merge

To: {{client.mobile}}
Message: "Hi {{client.first_name}}, reminder of your appointment tomorrow at {{appointment.time}} with {{practitioner.name}}. Reply YES to confirm."

Document Generation Nodes

Generate documents from templates with AI:

Field	Description
Template	Document template to generate from
Format	Output format (PDF, DOCX, or HTML)
Send to	Email address to send the generated document to

Form Nodes

Send forms to clients and optionally pause the workflow until the form is completed:

Field	Description
Form template	Which form to send
Delivery	How to deliver (email, SMS, portal, in-session)
Expiry	Days until the form link expires
Wait	Whether to pause the workflow until submitted
Reminders	Reminder schedule (e.g. 3 days and 1 day before)

Agent Nodes (AI)

Use AI agents for complex decisions:

Field	Description
Agent	Which AI agent to use
Task	What the agent should do
Context	Data to provide
Output variable	Store agent response

Agent: Clinical Assistant (Praxi)
Task: "Review this note and suggest improvements"
Context: {{note.content}}
Output: suggested_improvements

Approval Nodes

Require human approval before continuing:

Field	Description
Approver(s)	Who can approve
Message	What needs approval
Timeout	Auto-action if no response
Options	Approve, Reject, other

Approver: Practice Owner, Supervisor
Message: "Client {{client.name}} has requested account closure. Approve?"
Timeout: 48 hours → Escalate to admin
Options: Approve, Reject, Request more info

Testing Workflows

Test Mode

1. Click Test in toolbar
2. Enter sample trigger data
3. Click Run Test
4. Watch execution step by step
5. Review results at each node

Test Data

Provide realistic test data:

{
  "client": {
    "id": "test-123",
    "first_name": "Jane",
    "last_name": "Smith",
    "email": "jane.test@example.com",
    "mobile": "0400000000"
  },
  "appointment": {
    "id": "apt-456",
    "date": "2024-01-20",
    "time": "10:00",
    "type": "Initial Consultation"
  }
}

Test Execution Results

Status	Meaning
✅ Passed	Node executed successfully
⚠️ Skipped	Condition was false
❌ Failed	Error occurred
⏸️ Waiting	Delay or approval pending

Preview Actions

In test mode, actions are simulated:

• Emails shown but not sent
• SMS shown but not sent
• Database changes shown but not applied

Activating Workflows

Pre-Activation Checklist

• All nodes configured
• All paths have endpoints
• Test execution successful
• Error handling in place
• Reviewed by team member

Activation Steps

1. Click Activate in toolbar
2. Review activation summary
3. Confirm activation
4. Workflow is now live

Managing Workflows

Workflow States

State	Description
Inactive	Being built or temporarily stopped (not processing)
Active	Running and processing triggers

Deactivating a Workflow

1. Go to workflow details
2. Toggle the active switch off
3. Running executions continue to completion
4. New triggers are ignored
5. Toggle back on to reactivate

Editing Active Workflows

Editing Live Workflows

Changes to active workflows take effect immediately. Test thoroughly before saving.

Options for safe editing:

1. Deactivate first - Turn off, edit, test, reactivate
2. Clone - Copy the workflow, edit the clone, test, then swap

Workflow Versions

Praxi automatically increments the workflow version number each time you make structural changes (adding, removing, or reconnecting nodes). The current version is displayed in the workflow details.

Workflow Templates

Using Templates

1. Go to Workflows → Templates
2. Browse categories
3. Preview template
4. Click Use Template
5. Customise for your practice

Built-in Templates

Praxi includes a large library of pre-built templates. Here are some popular ones:

Template	Description
Appointment Reminder Sequence	SMS and email before sessions
New Client Welcome Sequence	Email, intake forms, and scheduling prompt
Invoice Overdue Escalation	Multi-step payment reminder sequence
Unsigned Notes Reminder	Daily AHPRA compliance check
Client Birthday Greeting	Annual client message
No-Show Follow-up	Automatic outreach after missed sessions
MHCP Session Tracking	Monitor Mental Health Care Plan sessions
Consent Expiry Reminders	30/14/7 day consent renewal warnings
AI Client Intake Automation	AI-assisted intake with agent nodes
Treatment Plan Review	Scheduled review reminders
Inactive Client Re-engagement	Re-engage clients after inactivity

Error Handling

Automatic Retries

Praxi automatically retries failed nodes with exponential backoff:

Setting	Default	Description
Max retries	3	Attempts before marking as failed
Initial delay	1 second	Wait before the first retry
Max delay	60 seconds	Maximum wait between retries
Backoff	Exponential	Each retry waits twice as long (2x)

Circuit Breaker

If a particular service keeps failing, Praxi's circuit breaker automatically stops sending requests to it temporarily. After 30 seconds, the system tests whether the service has recovered before resuming normal operation.

Error Notifications

Get alerted on failures:

1. Go to Workflow Settings
2. Enable Error notifications
3. Set recipients
4. Choose notification channel

Error Recovery

When workflows fail:

1. Check execution history
2. Identify failed node
3. Review error message
4. Fix the issue
5. Retry or skip the failed execution

Best Practices

Design Principles

1. Keep it simple - Start with 5-7 nodes
2. Single purpose - One workflow per goal
3. Clear naming - Descriptive node names
4. Document logic - Add notes for complex parts
5. Handle errors - Plan for failures

Performance Tips

1. Minimise delays - Only when necessary
2. Batch where possible - Group similar actions
3. Avoid deep nesting - Keep conditions flat
4. Use templates - Reuse proven patterns

Maintenance

Task	Frequency
Review active workflows	Monthly
Check execution logs	Weekly
Test critical workflows	After updates
Archive unused workflows	Quarterly
Update templates	As needed

Permissions

Action	Who Can Do This
View workflows	Practice owner, practice manager
Create workflows	Practice owner
Edit workflows	Practice owner
Delete workflows	Practice owner
Activate/deactivate	Practice owner
View history	Practice owner, practice manager

Troubleshooting

Workflow Not Running

1. Verify workflow is active (not paused)
2. Check trigger configuration
3. Verify trigger event occurred
4. Review permission settings
5. Check execution limits

Actions Not Working

1. Check action configuration
2. Verify required fields filled
3. Check variable syntax
4. Review error logs
5. Test with sample data

Performance Issues

1. Simplify complex workflows
2. Reduce unnecessary delays
3. Split large workflows
4. Check for infinite loops
5. Review execution metrics

Related

• Workflows Overview
• Workflow Triggers
• Workflow Conditions
• Notification Settings

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