WorkDesk Overview
WorkDesk is the employee-facing workspace in BizFirstGO — the place where human work happens inside automated workflows. It surfaces HIL tasks, workflow history, notifications, and a personal dashboard in one unified interface.
What Is WorkDesk?
WorkDesk is a React single-page application that acts as the human-in-the-loop interface for the BizFirstGO platform. When an automated workflow running in Flow Studio reaches a point requiring human input — an approval, a form submission, or a manual review — that task lands in the employee's WorkDesk inbox.
WorkDesk bridges the gap between automated process execution and the people who must participate in those processes. It is entirely separate from the designer tools (Flow Studio) and the AI agent platform (Octopus), and is designed for everyday employees who may have no knowledge of how workflows are built.
Any employee assigned as an actor in a BizFirstGO workflow — approvers, reviewers, form fillers, department heads. It requires no technical knowledge of workflow design.
Four Main Sections
HIL Task Inbox
Pending tasks from automated workflows — approvals, form submissions, and reviews waiting for your action.
Workflow History
All workflow executions you triggered or participated in — with status, timing, and output previews.
Notifications
Real-time alerts pushed via EdgeStream — new tasks assigned, workflows completed, task overdue warnings.
Personal Dashboard
Configurable widget grid — pending task count, recent activity, KPI tiles, and quick-launch shortcuts.
Architecture at a Glance
WorkDesk is a thin React frontend that communicates with the BizFirstGO backend via REST API and EdgeStream for real-time updates. It does not run any workflow logic itself — it only displays information and submits human responses.
| Layer | Technology | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend | React + TypeScript | WorkDesk SPA — inbox, history, notifications, dashboard |
| State Management | Zustand | Local UI state — filter selections, widget layout |
| REST API | ASP.NET Core | Task CRUD, history queries, notification reads |
| Real-time | EdgeStream | Push notifications and task count badges — no polling |
| Auth | Passport SSO | Tenant-scoped identity — employees see only their data |
| Forms | Atlas Forms (FormRenderer) | Render HIL form tasks inline in task cards |
How WorkDesk Fits in BizFirstGO
BizFirstGO consists of several distinct applications for different personas. WorkDesk occupies the end-user / employee position:
| Application | Persona | Primary Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Flow Studio | Workflow Designer | Build and configure automated workflows with nodes |
| Octopus | AI Engineer | Configure AI agents, memory, and agentic pipelines |
| Atlas Forms | Form Designer | Build forms rendered in apps and HIL tasks |
| App Studio | App Builder | Create UI apps hosted in WorkDesk and elsewhere |
| WorkDesk | Employee / Actor | Act on HIL tasks, track workflow history, receive notifications |
| AdminPanel | IT Administrator | Manage tenants, users, roles, policies |
Key Concepts
HIL (Human-in-the-Loop)
HIL is the mechanism by which automated Flow Studio workflows pause and wait for human input. When a workflow reaches a HIL node, it suspends execution and creates a task record in WorkDesk. The assigned actor sees the task in their inbox, takes action (approve, fill form, acknowledge), and the workflow resumes automatically.
Actor-Scoped Data
WorkDesk enforces strict data isolation. Every API query is scoped to the authenticated user's actorId and tenantId. Employees cannot see tasks assigned to colleagues or workflow executions from other tenants.
Real-Time Push
WorkDesk does not poll for new tasks. It subscribes to EdgeStream topics (notifications.{userId} and tasks.{userId}) and receives push updates instantly when new tasks arrive or workflow states change.
Notification badges, inbox counts, and workflow status indicators all update in real time via EdgeStream — no refresh required, no unnecessary server load.
Getting Started
Log in via Passport SSO
Navigate to your organization's WorkDesk URL. Log in with your corporate credentials via Passport SSO. Your identity determines which tasks and workflows you see.
Check the HIL Inbox
The inbox shows pending tasks assigned to you or your role. Badge counts update in real time. Start here each day to see what needs your attention.
Configure Your Dashboard
Go to Personal Dashboard and add widgets relevant to your role — pending task count, recent workflow list, quick-launch shortcuts to common processes.
Set Notification Preferences
In Notification Preferences, choose which alert types appear in the bell, which go to email, and configure do-not-disturb hours.