When to Use Capture vs Workflows

Understanding the Difference

Capture and workflows serve different but complementary purposes in MinuteView. Understanding when to use each ensures efficient, auditable processes.

Decision Guide

Capture should be used whenever a process requires human validation, review, or decision-making before continuing.

Use Capture When:

Scenario	Why Capture?
Drawing review and approval	Requires visual inspection, markup, and expert judgment
Engineering sign-off	Needs documented accountability and approval authority
Document transmittal preparation	Requires human verification of completeness and accuracy
AI-assisted decision review	AI recommendations need human validation before execution
Quality control checkpoints	Manual inspection points in automated processes
Change request approvals	Requires documented review and authorization
Multi-stakeholder reviews	Multiple people need to review and approve

Use Workflows When:

Scenario	Why Workflow?
Deterministic system automation	Process has clear rules and no human judgment needed
Background data processing	Automated file conversions, indexing, etc.
System integrations	Moving data between systems automatically
Scheduled tasks	Regular maintenance or batch processing
Rule-based routing	Automated decisions based on metadata or conditions

Capture + Workflows Together

The most powerful implementations use Capture within workflows, creating a pause-and-confirm mechanism inside an automated process.

Example: Automated PDF Publishing with Review

Workflow Step 1: Generate PDF from CAD drawing
Workflow Step 2: Create Capture for quality review
[PAUSE - Human reviews PDF]
Capture Action: Approve or Reject
Workflow Step 3a (if approved): Publish to document control
Workflow Step 3b (if rejected): Return to engineering with feedback

This pattern ensures:

• Automation handles repetitive tasks
• Humans validate critical quality checkpoints
• Full audit trail of both automated and manual steps

Decision Tree

Use this decision tree to determine the right approach:

Does this process require human judgment or validation?
│
├─ YES → Does it need visual review or markup?
│   │
│   ├─ YES → Use Capture with Review Environment
│   │
│   └─ NO → Use Capture with simple Submit/Approve
│
└─ NO → Is the process rule-based and deterministic?
    │
    ├─ YES → Use Workflow only
    │
    └─ NO → Reconsider requirements or use Capture for oversight

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Pure Capture (User-Initiated)

Use Case: Manual document transmittal

Users create a capture, add documents, fill in metadata, and submit. No automation involved.

Best For:

• Ad-hoc processes
• Simple submission forms
• Manual approval workflows

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Pattern 2: Workflow-Triggered Capture

Use Case: Automated drawing review process

A workflow automatically creates a capture when a drawing reaches a specific lifecycle state, pauses for human review, then continues based on approval.

Best For:

• Automated processes with quality gates
• AI-assisted workflows requiring validation
• Scheduled reviews triggered by system events

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Pattern 3: Capture with Follow-Up Workflow

Use Case: Change request approval

User creates capture with proposed changes. Upon approval, a workflow executes the changes automatically.

Best For:

• Approval-gated automation
• Bulk operations requiring authorization
• Controlled system modifications

Real-World Scenarios

✅ Good: Use Capture

Scenario: Engineering drawing package needs review before client delivery

• Multiple drawings require visual inspection
• Reviewer needs to add markup and comments
• Approval must be documented for audit purposes
• Decision: Use Capture with Approve/Reject submission type

✅ Good: Use Workflow

Scenario: Every new CAD file needs automatic PDF generation and indexing

• Process is deterministic (same steps every time)
• No human judgment required
• Runs in background without user interaction
• Decision: Use pure Workflow automation

✅ Good: Use Both

Scenario: AI analyzes design for compliance, generates report requiring validation

• AI handles initial analysis (automated)
• Capture pauses for human review of findings
• Upon approval, workflow continues to publish report
• Decision: Workflow + Capture integration

Key Takeaways

• Capture is for humans - Use it when judgment, accountability, or visual review is required
• Workflows are for automation - Use them for deterministic, rule-based processes
• Together, they're powerful - Combine them for sophisticated automated processes with human oversight
• Think audit trail - Capture provides documented human decisions; workflows provide automated execution logs

Next Steps

Now that you understand when to use Capture, learn about its core building blocks:

• Core Concepts - Understand templates, captures, artifacts, and more
• Configuration Guide - Set up your first Capture Template
• Usage Guide - Learn how to use the Capture Inbox and Review Environment