uipath-workflow-planning

name	uipath-workflow-planning
tags	["uipath-dev","planning","canvas","sdd"]
description	Plan UiPath workflow implementation from canvas/SDD — MANDATORY before any UiPath codegen. Workflow-type agnostic. Run first, then route to uipath-automation, uipath-longrunning-workflow, uipath-bpmn-maestro, coded-workflow-builder, or other target skill. Triggers on "uipath-workflow-planning", "generate XAML from canvas", "build UiPath from canvas", "workflow plan", "solution flow", or when canvas/SDD is present.

UiPath Workflow Planning (Canvas to Code Bridge)

MANDATORY STEP before generating any UiPath-related implementation (Studio XAML, coded automation, or Maestro-aligned specs). This skill extracts and validates requirements from canvas or SDD; it does not assume a specific project template — the downstream skill depends on the automation type.

When to Use

This skill is AUTOMATICALLY TRIGGERED before codegen skills such as:

• uipath-automation
• uipath-longrunning-workflow (Studio Long Running Automation / ProcessDiagram)
• coded-workflow-builder
• Any workflow where canvas/SDD defines arguments and flow (including inputs for uipath-bpmn-maestro when translating model to delivery)

NEVER generate UiPath implementation without first completing this planning step when a canvas or structured SDD exists (or obtain an equivalent written execution plan from the user).

Purpose

Prevents the common error of generating workflows with incorrect or missing arguments by:

1. Extracting ALL data fields from canvas nodes
2. Mapping data flow between workflows
3. Identifying visibility rules (LIMITED vs FULL VIEW)
4. Validating argument types and sources
5. Creating a workflow execution plan

Core Workflow

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│  1. LOCATE      │────>│  2. EXTRACT     │────>│  3. MAP DATA    │
│  Canvas File    │     │  Node Details   │     │  Flow           │
└─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘
                                                        │
                                                        ▼
┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│  6. GENERATE    │<────│  5. CREATE      │<────│  4. IDENTIFY    │
│  Code           │     │  Execution Plan │     │  Visibility     │
└─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘

Step 1: Locate Canvas File

ALWAYS search for canvas/flow documentation first:

project/
├── docs/
│   ├── solution-flow.json      # Primary canvas file
│   ├── business-flow.json      # Business process flow
│   └── technical-flow.json     # Technical implementation
├── canvas/
│   └── *.json                  # Alternative location
└── *.canvas.json               # Root level canvas

Search patterns:

# Find canvas files
**/solution-flow*.json
**/*canvas*.json
**/*flow*.json

Step 2: Extract Node Details

For each node in the canvas, extract:

Form/Approval Nodes (type: "form" or "human")

{
  "id": "n8",
  "label": "Sales Rep Form",
  "drillDown": {
    "type": "form",
    "title": "Sales Rep Approval Form (LIMITED VIEW)",
    "visibilityLevel": "LIMITED",
    "hiddenFields": ["profitabilityMargin", "managerChain"],
    "fields": [
      {"name": "accountName", "label": "Customer Account", "source": "SF Connector", "editable": false},
      {"name": "maxCapPercent", "label": "Maximum Cap %", "source": "Sales Rep Input", "editable": true}
    ],
    "inputArguments": [
      {"name": "in_ProcessId", "type": "String", "source": "Queue Item (QuoteId)"},
      {"name": "in_CustomerName", "type": "String", "source": "Queue Item"}
    ],
    "outputArguments": [
      {"name": "out_ApprovalId", "type": "String"},
      {"name": "out_MaxCapPercent", "type": "Decimal"}
    ]
  }
}

API/Service Nodes (type: "api")

{
  "id": "n5",
  "label": "Bob HR API",
  "drillDown": {
    "type": "api",
    "method": "POST",
    "endpoint": "https://api.hibob.com/v1/people/search",
    "outputFields": ["bobEmployeeId", "name", "email", "title", "isCRO"]
  }
}

DMN/Decision Nodes (type: "dmn")

{
  "id": "n7",
  "label": "Policy Check",
  "drillDown": {
    "type": "dmn",
    "inputs": [
      {"name": "quoteTerm", "type": "number"},
      {"name": "maxCapPercent", "type": "number"},
      {"name": "cpiInclusion", "type": "boolean"},
      {"name": "acv", "type": "number"}
    ],
    "outputs": [
      {"name": "withinPolicy", "type": "boolean"},
      {"name": "requiresFinance", "type": "boolean"}
    ]
  }
}

DMN Output Guidelines

Simplified outputs: Use boolean outputs for easier consumption:

• withinPolicy (boolean): true if request meets policy, false otherwise
• requiresFinance (boolean): true if Finance approval needed

DMN Boolean Guidelines

CRITICAL: Boolean values in DMN must use true/false, never "Yes"/"No":

Context	Correct	Incorrect
DMN XML <inputEntry>	<text>true</text>	<text>Yes</text>
DMN XML <outputEntry>	<text>false</text>	<text>No</text>
Canvas JSON rules	"withinPolicy": true	"withinPolicy": "true"
Form field defaults	"Default: true"	"Default: Yes"

Queue Nodes (type: "queue")

{
  "id": "n3",
  "label": "Queue: RenewalPriceCommitment",
  "drillDown": {
    "type": "queue",
    "dataUploaded": {
      "SpecificContent": {
        "quoteId": "{from SF}",
        "accountName": "{from SF}",
        "salesRepEmail": "{from SF}",
        "acv": "{from SF}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Map Data Flow

Create a data flow matrix showing how data moves between nodes:

Data Field	Source Node	Target Nodes	Type	Notes
quoteId	n3 (Queue)	n8, n10, n13, n15, n17	String	Reference ID
accountName	n2 (SF)	All approval forms	String	Customer name
profitabilityMargin	n2 (SF)	n10, n13, n15, n17	Decimal	HIDDEN from n8
managerChainJSON	n5 (Bob API)	n10, n13, n15	String	JSON array
policyStatus	n7 (DMN)	n10, n13, n15, n17	String	"WithinPolicy" or "OutOfPolicy"
maxCapPercent	n8 (Sales Rep)	n7, n10, n13, n15, n17	Decimal	User input

Step 4: Identify Visibility Rules

Visibility Levels

Level	Description	Hidden Fields
LIMITED	Sales Rep view	profitabilityMargin, managerChain, priorApprovals
FULL	Manager/RevOps view	None - sees everything
FULL + CHAIN EDITOR	RevOps only	None + can edit managerChain
FULL + POLICY	Finance only	None + sees policyViolationReason

Per-Workflow Visibility Matrix

Workflow	Visibility	Sees Profitability	Sees Chain	Edits Chain	Sees Prior Approvals
ApprovalFlow_SalesRep	LIMITED	NO	NO	NO	NO
ApprovalFlow_RevOps	FULL + CHAIN EDITOR	YES	YES	YES	NO
ApprovalFlow_Manager	FULL	YES	YES	NO	YES
ApprovalFlow_CRO	FULL	YES	YES	NO	YES
ApprovalFlow_Finance	FULL + POLICY	YES	YES	NO	YES

Step 5: Create Execution Plan

Generate a structured execution plan. Name the main entry workflow and project type for the target automation (examples: Main.xaml for REFramework, Main-Queue.xaml for Long Running Automation, attended entry workflow, etc.).

## Workflow Execution Plan

### Example — Long Running Automation (Studio)

### Main entry: Main-Queue.xaml
Type: Long-Running ProcessDiagram (example)
Entry: Queue trigger (example)

### Execution Sequence:
1. InitAllSettingsJSON.xaml
   - Input: None
   - Output: Config (Dictionary)

2. getTransaction.xaml
   - Input: Config
   - Output: TransactionItem (QueueItem)

3. GetManagerHierarchy.xaml (Services/)
   - Input: in_SalesRepEmail (from Queue), in_BobAPIUrl, in_BobAPICredentials
   - Output: out_ManagerChainJSON, out_CROEmail, out_CROName, out_ManagerCount

4. ApprovalFlow_SalesRep.xaml (Workflows/)
   - Visibility: LIMITED
   - Input: in_ProcessId, in_Title, in_CustomerName, in_QuoteId, in_ACV, in_TCV, in_QuoteTerm, in_Config
   - Output: out_ApprovalId, out_ResponseToken, out_MaxCapPercent, out_CpiInclusion, out_BusinessJustification

5. PolicyCheck.xaml (Services/)
   - Input: in_QuoteTerm (Int32), in_MaxCapPercent (Decimal), in_CpiInclusion (Boolean), in_ACV (Decimal)
   - Output: out_PolicyStatus, out_RequiresFinance, out_PolicyViolationReason

6. ApprovalFlow_RevOps.xaml (Workflows/)
   - Visibility: FULL + CHAIN EDITOR
   - Input: All from SalesRep + in_ProfitabilityMargin, in_ManagerChainJSON, in_PolicyStatus
   - Output: out_ApprovalId, out_ResponseToken, out_ModifiedManagerChainJSON, out_RevOpsComments

... (continue for all workflows)

Step 6: Argument Specification

For each workflow, generate complete argument specifications:

### ApprovalFlow_SalesRep.xaml

#### Input Arguments
| Name | Type | Source | Required |
|------|------|--------|----------|
| in_ProcessId | String | TransactionItem.Reference | Yes |
| in_Title | String | "Sales Rep Approval - Renewal Price Commitment" | Yes |
| in_NotificationChannel | String | Config("NotificationChannel") | Yes |
| in_ApproverEmail | String | TransactionItem.SpecificContent("salesRepEmail") | Yes |
| in_CustomerName | String | TransactionItem.SpecificContent("accountName") | Yes |
| in_QuoteId | String | TransactionItem.SpecificContent("quoteId") | Yes |
| in_ACV | String | TransactionItem.SpecificContent("acv") | Yes |
| in_TCV | String | TransactionItem.SpecificContent("tcv") | Yes |
| in_QuoteTerm | Int32 | CInt(TransactionItem.SpecificContent("quoteTerm")) | Yes |
| in_CallBackURL | String | Config("CallbackWebhookURL") | Yes |
| in_Config | Dictionary(String, Object) | Config | Yes |

#### Output Arguments
| Name | Type | Description |
|------|------|-------------|
| out_ApprovalId | String | HITL Platform approval ID |
| out_ResponseToken | String | Token for webhook callback |
| out_MaxCapPercent | Decimal | User-entered max cap percentage |
| out_CpiInclusion | Boolean | User selection for CPI |
| out_BusinessJustification | String | User-entered justification |
| out_RenewalCommitmentTerm | Int32 | User-entered renewal term |

Output: Planning Document

Generate a workflow-plan.md file in the project docs folder:

# Workflow Implementation Plan

Generated: {timestamp}
Canvas Source: project/docs/solution-flow.json

## 1. Data Flow Summary
[Data flow matrix]

## 2. Visibility Rules
[Visibility matrix]

## 3. Workflow Specifications

### 3.1 ApprovalFlow_SalesRep
[Complete argument specification]

### 3.2 ApprovalFlow_RevOps
[Complete argument specification]

... (all workflows)

## 4. Execution Sequence
[Ordered list with dependencies]

## 5. Validation Checklist
- [ ] All canvas fields mapped to arguments
- [ ] Visibility rules applied correctly
- [ ] Data types match canvas specification
- [ ] Output arguments capture all user inputs
- [ ] Prior approvals chain maintained