Configuring Bitrix24 Flows
Tasks in a company are distributed chaotically: the manager manually assigns the executor, one person is overloaded, another is idle. Employees don't know which task to work on next. The manager spends time on manual routing instead of controlling results. Flows in Bitrix24 solve this problem: tasks enter a queue and are automatically distributed to executors according to set rules.
What are Flows
Flows—a Bitrix24 module for automatic task distribution within a team. Instead of assigning a task to a specific person, the task creator sends it to a flow. The flow itself determines the executor based on rules: queue, workload, competencies.
Key elements:
- Flow—a channel where tasks of a specific type enter (e.g., "Support" or "Design").
- Flow participants—employees who can receive tasks from this flow.
- Distribution rule—algorithm for selecting the executor: round-robin, by workload, manual assignment by flow manager.
- Flow manager—employee who manages settings and can redistribute tasks.
Creating and Configuring a Flow
A flow is created in Tasks → Flows:
- Flow name—reflects the task type: "Incoming Requests", "Code Review", "Document Preparation".
- Participants—add employees or entire departments.
- Distribution method—selected at creation, can be changed later.
- Task template—if tasks in the flow are uniform, a template with pre-filled fields is set.
The task creator selects the flow instead of a specific executor. The task enters the flow queue and is distributed automatically.
Distribution Methods
Round-robin: tasks are assigned to participants in sequence. First task—employee A, second—employee B, third—employee A again. Simple method, suitable for uniform tasks with approximately equal complexity.
By workload: the flow accounts for the number of active tasks each participant has. A new task is assigned to whoever has fewer open tasks. Suitable for tasks of varying duration.
Manual assignment: the task enters the queue, the flow manager manually assigns the executor. Suitable for tasks requiring expertise assessment.
Efficiency Metrics
Flows collect statistics:
- Average response time—from when the task enters the flow to when an executor is assigned.
- Average execution time—from assignment to closure.
- Tasks in queue—current backlog.
- Participant workload—how many tasks each employee has.
This data helps identify overloaded employees, assess team throughput, and justify headcount expansion.
When Flows Are Useful
- Support: requests distributed to available operators.
- Design department: requests for mockups go to the flow instead of personal messages to the designer.
- Accounting: document preparation requests distributed among accountants.
- Development: bug reports enter the flow and are assigned to developers by workload.
What We Configure
- Creating flows for company business processes
- Selecting and configuring distribution method for each flow
- Adding participants and assigning flow managers
- Task templates for typical requests
- Training task creators: how to send a task to a flow
- Training flow managers: monitoring queue and metrics