> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.praison.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Workflows
> Understanding workflow patterns for multi-agent systems
# Workflows
Workflows define **how multiple agents work together** to complete a task. Just like a team of people in an office, agents can collaborate in different ways depending on the task.
## What is a Workflow?
Think of a workflow as a **recipe** that tells your agents:
* Who does what
* In what order
* How they share information
```mermaid theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
graph LR
subgraph "Workflow = Recipe for Agents"
A["📋 Task"] --> B["🤖 Agent 1"]
B --> C["🤖 Agent 2"]
C --> D["✅ Result"]
end
classDef task fill:#8B0000,stroke:#7C90A0,color:#fff
classDef agent fill:#189AB4,stroke:#7C90A0,color:#fff
classDef result fill:#10B981,stroke:#7C90A0,color:#fff
class A task
class B,C agent
class D result
```
## The Four Main Patterns
**"Send to the right expert"**
Like a receptionist directing calls to the right department.
**"Everyone works at once"**
Like a team researching different topics simultaneously.
**"One step at a time"**
Like passing a document from person to person for review.
**"Manager delegates work"**
Like a project manager assigning tasks to team members.
***
## Which Pattern Should I Use?
| I want to... | Use this pattern |
| --------------------------------------- | ---------------- |
| Send requests to different specialists | **Routing** |
| Do multiple independent things at once | **Parallel** |
| Process step-by-step (A → B → C) | **Sequential** |
| Let an AI decide how to break down work | **Orchestrator** |
***
## Real-World Examples
### Example 1: Customer Support Bot
A customer asks: *"Why is my order delayed?"*
| Pattern | How it works |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| **Routing** | Classify the question → Send to Shipping Agent |
| **Sequential** | Lookup Order → Check Status → Write Response |
### Example 2: Research Report
You ask: *"Create a report on AI trends"*
| Pattern | How it works |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Parallel** | Research AI + Research ML + Research NLP (all at once) |
| **Sequential** | Research → Analyze → Write → Edit (step by step) |
| **Orchestrator** | Manager assigns: "You research, you analyze, you write" |
***
## Two Ways to Build Workflows
PraisonAI offers two approaches:
| Approach | Class | Best for |
| --------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| **Deterministic Pipelines** | `AgentFlow` | You define exactly what happens |
| **Dynamic Delegation** | `AgentTeam` + `hierarchical` | AI manager decides |
**Start simple**: Use Sequential for your first workflow, then explore other patterns as needed.
***
## Next Steps
Start with the simplest pattern
Technical API documentation