WorkCharts & Workflow Builder Spec
How do we let business users visually orchestrate AI agents and human workers without writing code?
Build Contract
| # | Feature | Function | Outcome | Job | State |
|---|
| 1 | Drag-and-drop canvas | Visual workflow composition from skills | Business users build workflows seamlessly | Build automation without engineers | Build |
| 2 | Skill/Stage Library | Browse capabilities, drag to canvas | Exposes Workflow Engine abilities | Understand automation capabilities | Build |
| 3 | WorkChart Triggers | Schedule (cron), event, or manual trigger | Automates when the workflow starts | Let the process run itself | Build |
| 4 | Confidence Thresholds | Slider controls for confidence gates | Users adjust risk tolerance | Trust automation | Build |
| 5 | Escalation Editor | Escalate low-confidence outputs to human | Clear paths for AI-to-Human handoffs | Keep human in the loop | Build |
| 6 | Execution Monitor | Real-time dashboard of running workflows | Live confidence scores & stage progress | Monitor automation | Build |
| 7 | Task Receipts | Structured job_outcomes (cost/quality) | Proves what the engine executed | Validate ROI and Agent efficiency | Built |
Principles
Problem Statement (SIO)
When operating a business factory (Situation), Ops Managers (who) struggle to execute scalable business processes autonomously (Intention) because SOPs are just text in Notion, and the workflow engine requires writing code (Obstacle).
This creates a hardest thing: bridging the gap between the process an Ops Manager understands and the code the machine executes without requiring an engineer.
This costs weeks of engineering delay for every new automated workflow.
Currently they manually ping the team on Slack or file Jira tickets to request automations.
The Job
| Element | Detail |
|---|
| Situation | When an Ops Manager wants to automate a standard operating procedure (SOP) |
| Intention | They need it to be executed by AI where possible and Humans where necessary |
| Obstacle | The engine is inaccessible because it requires coding, and Notion SOPs aren't executable |
Why Now
All ventures (Stackmates, Dreamineering, etc.) are generating SOPS and deploying features, but the execution bridge between the Workflow Engine and the Ops Manager is completely missing. Ops Managers are blind and blocked by engineering.
Design Constraints
| Constraint | Rationale |
|---|
| Compose, don't generate | The Builder must NOT generate new capabilities. It only composes registered skills from the engine. |
Refusal Spec
| Category | Action | Response |
|---|
| Code Editing | User tries to edit capability source code in builder | Refuse: "The Builder composes capabilities. Code edits belong in the Skill Registry." |
Priority Score
PRIORITY = Pain x Demand x Edge x Trend x Conversion
| Dimension | Score (1-5) | Evidence |
|---|
| Pain | 4 | Ops Managers are fully blocked, waiting weeks for developers. |
| Demand | 4 | Stackmates, Prettymint, etc., directly need this builder. |
| Edge | 4 | We integrate autonomous AI assessment (Confidence) natively into process orchestration. |
| Trend | 5 | AI agent orchestration is moving from CLI to visual, no-code compositions. |
| Conversion | 3 | Path to revenue is through platform usage efficiency. |
| Composite | 960 | Build Now |
Quality Targets
80% of workflows created successfully without a single line of custom code written by the Ops Manager.
Failure Budget
| Failure Type | Budget | Response |
|---|
| Workflow Stalls | 5% | Escalate to Human-in-the-loop |
Eval Strategy
| What | How | When |
|---|
| Creation Time | Start-to-Deploy | Every run |
Kill signal: If average workflow creation takes more than 30 minutes after onboarding, the builder is too complex.
Current State
| Component | Built | Wired | Working | Notes |
|---|
| Workflow Engine Core | Yes | Yes | Yes | API only |
| job_outcomes table | Yes | Yes | Yes | Receipts exist |
| workchart_triggers | No | No | No | Needed for scheduling |
| Builder Canvas | No | No | No | Frontend React Component needed |
| Execution Monitor | No | No | No | Frontend React Component needed |
Human Fallback
| Trigger | Escalation Path | SLA |
|---|
| Confidence dropping below threshold | Escalate to Human form (Awaiting Approval) | 4 Hours |
Build Ratio
~40% composition (Workflow Engine), ~60% new code (React UI & Trigger logic)
Protocols
Build Order
| Sprint | Features | What | Effort | Acceptance |
|---|
| 0 | 3, 7 | WorkChart Schema & Triggers | High | Crons fire WorkCharts successfully |
| 1 | 1, 2 | Visual Builder Canvas | High | Can drag and drop 2 nodes and save |
| 2 | 4, 5 | Confidence & Escalation | Med | Logic paths work based on Engine Output |
| 3 | 6 | Execution Monitor & Receipts | Med | Live view of progress is rendering |
Commissioning
| # | Feature | Install | Test | Operational | Optimize |
|---|
| 1 | Drag-and-drop canvas | — | — | — | — |
Players
Demand-Side Jobs
Job 1: Ops Manager
Situation: When defining a standard procedure for a venture.
| Element | Detail |
|---|
| Struggling moment | Writing SOPs in Notion that no one strictly follows |
| Current workaround | Pinging team on Slack / Jira tickets |
| What progress looks like | A self-executing graph of tasks that routes effectively |
| Hidden objection | "I don't trust the AI to do this right, I need to see its confidence." |
| Switch trigger | When processes break because a step was skipped |
Role Definitions
| Role | Access | Permissions |
|---|
| Ops Manager | Builder & Monitor | Read/Write workflows, Escalate |
| Developer | Skill Registry | Read/Write Engine Capabilities |
Relationship to Other PRDs
| PRD | Relationship | Data Flow |
|---|
| Workflow Engine | Parent | Builder reads skills, Engine executes |
Context