Title: How workflows work | OneForm > What a workflow is, the Default workflow every form has, and when to add workflows of your own. Source: https://oneform.si/help/workflows/workflows-explained/ --- 1. [Help Center](https://oneform.si/help/) 2. [Workflows](https://oneform.si/help/workflows/) 3. How workflows work [View as Markdown](https://oneform.si/help/workflows/workflows-explained.md) # How workflows work What a workflow is, the Default workflow every form has, and when to add workflows of your own. Updated October 22, 2026 · 3 min read [Open Workflows ↗](https://app.oneform.si/workflows?help=workflows-explained) A workflow decides what happens after something happens on a form. Someone submits it, a report is approved, a client pays or books a call, and OneForm runs a list of actions for you: draft the report, email someone, post in Slack, add a row to a sheet, and more. ![The Workflows page, with Create with AI at the top and each form's standard steps below](https://app.oneform.si/media/945da0ad-b1d9-556d-9884-f5cbe21d2d15) ## The parts of a workflow Every workflow belongs to one form and has three parts: - **A trigger.** What starts it, shown as **Starts when** at the top of the editor. For example, **Form is submitted**or **Report is approved**. See [Workflow triggers](https://oneform.si/help/workflows/workflow-triggers/). - **Actions.** What OneForm does, in order, from top to bottom. See [Workflow actions](https://oneform.si/help/workflows/workflow-steps/). - **Conditions (optional).** An **If / Else** splits the workflow into two paths, so different people get different follow-ups. See [Conditions and branches](https://oneform.si/help/workflows/conditions-and-branches/). Each workflow is **On**, **Paused** or a **Draft**. Only workflows that are on do anything. ## Every form has a Default workflow When you create a form, OneForm gives it a **Default** workflow with the standard steps: 1. **Draft the report**: OneFormAI writes the report and puts it in **Review**. 2. **Confirmation email**: the client hears that you've received their answers. 3. **Alert reviewers**: your review team gets an email that a report is ready. You'll find them under **Standard steps for each form** on the Workflows page. Open one to see it, or to change it. You can also click **Workflow** at the top of the form builder. Once you change a Default workflow, it moves up to the list of that form's workflows, marked **Default**. ![A form's Default workflow in the editor](https://app.oneform.si/media/c883b91f-3295-559d-8639-5f06399a565e) The Default workflow always starts when the form is submitted. You can change its actions, pause it, or go back to the standard steps with **Go back to the standard steps**. You can't delete it. If you pause a form's Default workflow, new submissions to that form don't get a report or emails until you turn it back on. ## Add your own workflows Your own workflows run next to the Default one, so you keep the standard steps and add more on top. For example: - Post every submission in a Slack channel. - Save approved report PDFs to Google Drive. - Email a client a week after their report goes out. - Remind people who stopped halfway through a form. [Create a workflow](https://oneform.si/help/workflows/create-a-workflow/) shows how to build one with AI, from a recipe or step by step. ## Good to know - **Your own workflows start on a paid plan.** Every plan has the Default workflows. How many workflows of your own can be on at once depends on your plan. Default workflows don't count. See [pricing](https://oneform.si/pricing/). - **Only owners and admins can change workflows.** Everyone else on the team can open them and see their activity. - **Workflows are in beta.** They show a **Beta** tag while they're still being improved. ## Why didn't my form send a report? - **The Default workflow is paused or changed.** Click **Workflow** in the form builder to open it, and check that it's on and still starts with **Draft the report**. - **The form has no report set up.** **Draft the report** skips forms whose report is off, unless you turn on **Draft even if the form's report is off** in that action. - **The report is waiting for you.** The standard steps don't send the report. It waits in **Review** until someone approves and sends it, or until you set up [automatic sending](https://oneform.si/help/reports/send-reports-automatically/). Was this article helpful? [Next →Create a workflow](https://oneform.si/help/workflows/create-a-workflow/) ## Related articles [Create a workflowBuild a workflow with AI, from a recipe or step by step, test it on a real response, and turn it on.](https://oneform.si/help/workflows/create-a-workflow/)[Workflow triggersEvery event that can start a workflow, from a submitted form to a paid report, a booked call or a Hot lead.](https://oneform.si/help/workflows/workflow-triggers/)[Workflow actionsEvery action a workflow can take, from drafting and sending reports to emails, waits, Slack, sheets, CRMs and files.](https://oneform.si/help/workflows/workflow-steps/)[Conditions and branches (If / Else)Send a workflow down different paths depending on answers, scores, how the form was filled in, or the report.](https://oneform.si/help/workflows/conditions-and-branches/) Still stuck? A person on the OneForm team reads every request. Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm ET. First reply within 1 business day. 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