Skip to content
IT Canvass
Workflows · Lesson

Workflows

Quick answer

A workflow is IdentityIQ's process engine. It strings together steps, approvals, forms, provisioning, notifications and rules, into a defined flow. Lifecycle Manager requests, certifications and identity refresh all run through workflows, and you can customise or build your own.

Key takeaways

  • Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes
  • Steps include approvals, forms, provisioning and scripts
  • LCM, certifications and refresh are workflow-driven
  • Variables and arguments pass data between steps
  • Customise standard workflows before building new ones

Workflows are how IdentityIQ automates multi-step business processes, access-request approval, lifecycle handling, custom automation, as configurable sequences of steps, approvals and provisioning. They are the orchestration layer that turns decisions into coordinated action.

What a workflow does

A workflow launches on an event (a request, a lifecycle change), moves through ordered steps, pauses at approvals until a human responds, branches on conditions, and drives provisioning, recording everything for audit. IdentityIQ ships standard workflows you customise rather than building from scratch.

Anatomy

  • Steps, units of work that can call rules or provisioning.
  • Approvals, generate work items and wait for decisions.
  • Transitions, conditional paths between steps.
  • Variables, data carried through the process.

Designing maintainable workflows

Favour clarity over cleverness. Start from the standard LCM workflows, keep branching shallow, put custom logic in well-named rules, add escalation to approval steps, and always test in a lower environment, a stuck or looping workflow holds up real access.

Common pitfalls

  • Over-complex workflows no one can safely change.
  • No escalation on approvals, so processes stall.
  • Untested changes deployed to production.

Want to learn this properly?

Our live, instructor-led SailPoint Training covers this hands-on, with real projects and a certification path.

Check your understanding

  1. A workflow is IdentityIQ's?

    • A. Process engine. Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes.
    • B. A standard workflow. Copy and adjust standard workflows like LCM Provisioning.
    • C. Approval step. Approval steps route to approvers and wait for a decision.
    Show answer

    A. Process engine. Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes.

    Process engine. Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes.

  2. A step that routes to approvers and waits is an?

    • A. Approval step. Approval steps route to approvers and wait for a decision.
    • B. A standard workflow. Copy and adjust standard workflows like LCM Provisioning.
    • C. Process engine. Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes.
    Show answer

    A. Approval step. Approval steps route to approvers and wait for a decision.

    Approval step. Approval steps route to approvers and wait for a decision.

  3. The best starting point for a new process is?

    • A. Process engine. Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes.
    • B. Approval step. Approval steps route to approvers and wait for a decision.
    • C. A standard workflow. Copy and adjust standard workflows like LCM Provisioning.
    Show answer

    C. A standard workflow. Copy and adjust standard workflows like LCM Provisioning.

    A standard workflow. Copy and adjust standard workflows like LCM Provisioning.

Frequently asked questions

What does the term workflows refer to in SailPoint?

Workflows are how IdentityIQ automates multi-step business processes, access-request approval, lifecycle handling, custom automation, as configurable sequences of steps, approvals and provisioning. They are the orchestration layer that turns decisions into coordinated action.

What is another point to note about workflows?

A workflow launches on an event (a request, a lifecycle change), moves through ordered steps, pauses at approvals until a human responds, branches on conditions, and drives provisioning, recording everything for audit.

What else is worth knowing about workflows?

IdentityIQ ships standard workflows you customise rather than building from scratch.

What tends to go wrong with workflows?

Over-complex workflows no one can safely change. No escalation on approvals, so processes stall. Untested changes deployed to production.
CallWhatsAppEnquire