Workflow Best Practices in DoubleO

Workflows in DoubleO allow you to automate complex processes by connecting specialized “agents” and “actions” into a single pipeline. This article introduces strategies for optimizing your workflows, leveraging DoubleO’s context features, creating workflows-of-workflows, writing effective step-by-step instructions, using templates, harnessing the power of the For-Each node, working with specialized action nodes, and integrating APIs.

1. Optimizing Workflows

When creating or refining a workflow in DoubleO, the following tips will help you strike the ideal balance between cost-effectiveness and quality outputs:

• Combine research and output into a single node wherever possible.
• Avoid adding too many sub-steps within a single agent’s instructions—1-2 steps is often enough.
• Use a single node to gather multiple pieces of information if all are needed as inputs for the same result.
• Where feasible, execute large-volume tasks (e.g., bulk emailing a full lead list) outside DoubleO, then trigger them via an API call to keep your workflow lean.

Step-by-Step Example: Combining Research and Writing

1. Create a node (an agent) that both:
   • Searches for relevant data (e.g., prospect news).
   • Drafts the final document or message.
2. In the agent’s Step-by-Step SOP, specify:
   • “Research source A for item details.”
   • “Include the findings, then convert them into message form.”

By combining tasks, you reduce extra nodes and keep costs lower.

2. Using Context

Context is how your agents know about your brand, processes, and guidelines. DoubleO has two main types: Workspace Context and Workflow Context.

• Workspace Context: These are global documents, files, or text that can be useful across all workflows. For instance, brand guidelines or product descriptions.
• Workflow Context: These are detailed, workflow-specific documents, templates, or references you provide for a single workflow only.

Step-by-Step Example: Setting Up Context

1. In DoubleO, go to “Settings” → “Context.”
2. Create a new context entry. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “Sales Follow-Up Templates”) and a brief purpose (e.g., “Used only for post-call follow-up emails”).
3. Upload files, paste text, or provide links that contain your relevant guidelines, instructions, or templates.
4. Toggle on or off which context entries each workflow can use.
5. (Optional) Summarize large files before uploading—short, focused descriptions can dramatically improve an agent’s accuracy.

3. Modularizing and Building Workflows-of-Workflows

Creating smaller, specialized workflows and then linking them together can increase scalability and simplify maintenance. A “parent” workflow can call a “child” workflow for a specific subtask.

Step-by-Step Example: Creating a “Child” Workflow

1. From the main DoubleO dashboard, create a new workflow called “CRM Updater.”
2. Give it a single agent or node with instructions like:
   • “Receive the name, email, and deal stage.”
   • “Update the CRM record with these details.”
3. Finish configuration and publish the “CRM Updater” workflow.

Step-by-Step Example: Calling the “Child” Workflow

1. In your main workflow (the “parent”), select “Add Action” → “Workflow Action.”
2. Choose the “CRM Updater” workflow from the drop-down list.
3. Map the data outputs from the parent workflow’s earlier steps (e.g., name, email) to the corresponding inputs in “CRM Updater.”
4. Publish.

Now you can reuse “CRM Updater” from multiple workflows without having to rebuild that logic every time.

4. How to Write Good Instructions

Agents in DoubleO follow your instructions step by step, which means clarity is crucial. Here are some best practices:

• Be specific about the sources to consult (e.g., “Look at LinkedIn profile of [Prospect Name]”).
• Provide direct, process-oriented instructions (e.g., “Collect data on latest press from TechCrunch, then summarize it in bullet points”).
• Indicate the final outcome precisely (e.g., “Write the summary in plain English, 150 words maximum”).
• If an output follows a special structure (e.g., a template), include that structure in your Additional Instructions.

5. How to Use Templates

Templates make it easy to ensure that outputs follow a consistent format every time. You can keep them in your Workflow Context or Workspace Context, often as a Google Doc or an uploaded file.

Step-by-Step Example: Applying a Template

1. Navigate to “Settings” → “Context” in DoubleO.
2. Create or link to a Google Doc containing your preferred template.
3. In your workflow agent’s “Additional Instructions,” reference how to apply the template, for example:
   • “Use the uploaded ‘Follow-Up Email Template’ to format your email.”

The agent will inject relevant variables—like the lead’s name, product details, or a personalized greeting—right into your template.

6. Using the For-Each Node

“For-Each” lets you run the same steps against every item in a list, rather than manually creating multiple runs. This is ideal for scenarios such as processing multiple leads or analyzing multiple documents.

Step-by-Step Example: Processing Multiple Leads

1. Include a step in your workflow to retrieve or compile a list of lead objects.
2. After that step, select “Add Node” → “Trigger” → “For Each.”
3. In the “List Source” section, pick the output from your previous step (e.g., “Leads from Step 2”).
4. Add nodes under the For-Each node to process or transform each item (e.g., send them an email, update your CRM, etc.).
5. Publish and run your workflow. DoubleO will loop over each lead in that list, carrying out all actions inside the For-Each block.

7. Using Specialized Action Nodes

In addition to agents (which can do many creative tasks), DoubleO offers specialized action nodes for clarity and control:

• Create Node: Creates a document (DOCX, PDF), spreadsheet, or an object in an external platform.
• Update Node: Updates an existing document, spreadsheet, or database record.
• Send Notification: Sends an email or Slack message, and can optionally wait for a reply before proceeding.
• Workflow: Calls another workflow to reuse existing logic.
• API Endpoint: Calls any external API not officially integrated with DoubleO.

These nodes let you specify exact templates or data sources to maintain consistent formatting, ensuring you get precisely the output you want.

8. Using APIs

If you have a custom application or an external service not covered by DoubleO’s existing integrations, the API Endpoint node bridges the gap.

Step-by-Step Example: Making a POST API Call

1. In your workflow, click “Add Action” → “API Endpoint.”
2. Enter the target API endpoint URL (e.g., https://mycustomservice.com/v1/update).
3. Select “POST” as the method.
4. In the Data Source or Body section, specify which workflow step’s output should be passed to the API. For example, “Take the summary from Step 2.2 and send it in a JSON body field called ‘summary’.”
5. Publish your workflow.

DoubleO will automatically connect, authenticate (if credentials are provided), and deliver the data to your custom service.

Final Tips

• Always test after publishing to ensure every node is performing as expected and your instructions are clear.
• Keep contexts concise for best performance. Summaries are your friend.
• Modularize frequently used tasks so you can reuse them in multiple workflows without duplicating efforts.

With these best practices, you’ll create workflows that are cost-effective, easy to maintain, and predictable in their outputs. For further assistance, reach out to support@00.ai.

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