Apps are the containers that hold your business logic and configuration. Think of them as digital workspaces where you organize everything needed to run a specific business process—from data structures to automations to user permissions.

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Apps and Flow: The Foundation of Processes

Elementum processes are built on two core concepts that work together:

Apps

The Container: Apps organize your data, configuration, automations, and user permissions into unified spaces tailored to specific business processes.

Flow

The Process: A visual process builder that lets you design your workflow with stages, decision points, automations, and user inputs.
Think of Apps as the workspace and Flow as the roadmap. Apps provide the structure and resources, while Flow defines how work moves through your process.

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Why Apps Matter

Apps replace the chaos of scattered spreadsheets, emails, trackers, and manual tasks with organized, automated workflows:

Unified Workspace

Everything related to your process lives in one place—data, forms, automations, permissions, and collaboration tools.

Consistent Process

Every instance of your workflow follows the same steps, ensuring quality and predictability.

Real-Time Collaboration

Human and AI teams work together with forms, comments, approvals, and configurable views that update instantly.

Scalable Operations

Handle growing volume without proportional increases in manual effort through automation.

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Real-World Examples

See how different teams use Apps to streamline their workflows:

Sales Pipeline

Track deals from initial contact through closing, with automated lead scoring, approval workflows, and CRM flows.

Support Tickets

Manage customer issues with intelligent routing, SLA tracking, and automated escalation based on priority and response time.

Vendor Management

Handle supplier onboarding, contract management, and performance tracking with automated compliance checks.

Expense Approval

Streamline expense processing with automated policy checks, multi-level approvals, and accounting system integration.

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What Makes Up an App

Every App is composed of several key components that work together:

Data Structure

CloudLinks connect to existing data sources, Elements define your business entities, and relationships link everything together.

Process Design

Flow maps your workflow stages, approval processes handle reviews, and assignment rules route work automatically.

User Experience

Layouts control how users interact with data, forms capture input, and views display information clearly.

Automation Engine

Event-driven rules trigger actions, agents handle complex decisions, and integrations connect external systems.

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How Workflows Start

Apps provide multiple ways to initiate workflows, depending on your needs:

User-Initiated

Service portals, manual creation, and forms let people start workflows when needed.

System-Triggered

API endpoints, scheduled processes, and data mining automatically start workflows based on conditions.

Smart Automation

AI agents and email ingestion intelligently create and route workflows based on content and context.

API Documentation

Learn how to authenticate and make API calls to trigger workflows in your Apps.

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Design Principles for Effective Apps

Start with your business process, then build the App around it—not the other way around.
When designing Apps, keep these principles in mind:
  • Process-First: Map your business workflow before configuring the App
  • User-Centered: Design for the people who will use it daily
  • Data-Driven: Connect to authoritative data sources rather than creating duplicates
  • Iterative: Start simple and add complexity as users adopt the workflow
  • Integrated: Plan how the App will connect to your existing systems

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Next Steps

Build Your First App

Follow our Quick Start Guide to create your first App and see these concepts in action.

Understand Elements

Learn how to structure your data with Elements—the foundation of every App.

Design Your Flow

Use the visual Flow builder to map out your business process stages and decision points.

Explore Features

Discover advanced capabilities like Agents, CloudLinks, and automation systems.