---
title: Processes
description: Define multi-step work once - onboarding, offboarding, a manager change, an annual training - with triggers, assignee roles and step dependencies
order: 1
---

A **process** is multi-step work SquadBear runs *for one person* - a joiner's first week, an
annual training. Each firing creates a **run**, with one **action** per unit
of work.

**Processes** is its own sidebar entry; the catalog is admin-only. Everyone else works their
steps in **Inbox**, where each row names the process and subject.

## Triggers

`event` fires on a hire, an offboard, a manager change or an approved leave request. `date`
counts days from the person's start date, `recurring` repeats on its anniversary, `manual`
waits for **Start**.

Rules narrow `employee.updated` and `request.approved` - "leave longer than 10 days".
Durations are minutes at **480** a working day, so 10 days is `4800`. A rule on a hire or an
offboard is rejected at validation; both run for everybody.

## Actions

- **Task**: a step someone ticks off.
- **Upload**: completed by a document. *Requires verification* holds it for an admin or the
  subject's manager, who never reviews a run about themselves.
- **Decision**: two to six outcomes. An **Only run if…** condition on a later step names
  one; losing branches are **skipped**, and everything behind them.
- **Message**: an in-app notification to the subject, their manager, an admin or a team,
  sent verbatim - no field substitution.
- **Policy acknowledgment**: the subject signs a [policy](/docs/documents/policies/);
  everything downstream waits.

A **Waits for** list holds an action closed until every step on it is done. **Stages** group
steps and compile into those dependencies.

## Assignees

An action names a role: **subject**, **manager** (theirs when the run starts), **admin**
(the first active admin other than the subject) or **person** (a pinned employee). An
unresolved role falls back to that admin, then the subject if active; the run records which. With neither, the start is refused with a 409.

## Runs

The **Runs** tab lists every run with person, process, version, progress and state. A run
finishes when every action reaches a terminal state, and **fails** only when a required
automatic step could not be done, freezing the work behind it. An admin or the
subject's manager can cancel a run; finished work stays. One active run per process per
person. Saving publishes a new **version**; runs in flight keep theirs.

## Activating

**New joiner onboarding** and **Employee offboarding** ship active in new workspaces.
**New process** on **Processes** lists all seven templates.

Activating counts against the plan's allowance; drafts do not. Free includes three and the
two seeded processes hold two, so the third returns 402 `upgrade_required`. Every
plan stops at 100 active.

Activation arms date and recurring occurrences one per person in UTC days, future ones only.
**Also catch people up** adds one dated today for everyone past. Arming is one pass over the
roster, so a dated or recurring process above **2,000 active people** is refused with a 409.

**Start** runs one now for a person or a team: one queued run per active member; anyone
already running is *skipped*.

## Worked example

Aleksandra joins Northlake on 1 March. Her record starts the seeded *New joiner onboarding*
run: "Prepare laptop and accounts" for her manager due 1 March; "Complete the HR paperwork"
and "Upload the signed contract" for her due 3 March. The "Welcome to the team" message
waits on all three, because *Day one* waits for *Prepare*.

## For agents

`get_process_schema` returns the document format and trigger catalog. `upsert_process`,
`set_process_active`, `start_process`, `list_process_runs`, `reject_process_upload` and
`reopen_process_action` do the rest.

> [!AGENT]
> Show me the onboarding run for Aleksandra and tell me what's still outstanding.

## Related

- [Policies & acknowledgments](/docs/documents/policies/)
- [Turn modules on or off](/docs/admin/modules/)
- [Invite your team](/docs/getting-started/invite-your-team/)