Available with any of the following subscriptions, except where noted:
🟢 Starter (up to the plan’s step limit) | 🔵 Builder | 🟣 Optimizer |
⚫ Enterprise
Complex processes can quickly become overwhelming if they are not clearly defined and organized. Puzzle's Steps provide the building blocks for breaking down these intricate processes into clear, manageable workflows.
Each step visually represents a specific action or task, helping your team easily understand, manage, and execute daily operations.
By using Steps, you can simplify the visualization of complex tasks and improve collaboration, communication, and overall productivity. This will ensure that everyone remains aligned on responsibilities and operational goals.
Benefits of Using Steps
✅ Clarity: Easily break down complex processes into manageable, clearly defined workflows.
⚡ Execution: Quickly locate and execute individual steps, improving operational efficiency.
🧠 Understanding: Visually represent your processes, making it easy for teams to understand workflows at a glance.
Video Guide: Using Step & Section Sidebars - Tips & Best Practices
Step-by-Step Guide
1️⃣ Adding a Step
1️⃣ Adding a Step
➕ Add Step: Click the Step button on the toolbar.
✏️ Provide Details: Name your step clearly by clicking the Step name field. Quickly associate relevant roles and tools by using the “@” function.
2️⃣ Connecting Steps
2️⃣ Connecting Steps
Connectors are the arrows that link steps together to show the flow of your process. There are two ways to connect steps:
The fastest way — using the + button (when mapping continuously):
👆 Click on any step to select it — four blue + buttons will appear on each edge (top, bottom, left, right).
🔵 Click any + button to instantly create a new step in that direction, already connected with an arrow.
💡 Keep clicking + on each new step to keep building your flow.
Connecting existing steps:
👆 Click on a step to select it — grey connection nodes will appear on each edge alongside the blue + buttons.
🖱️ Hover over a grey node, then click and drag it to a node on another step.
✅ Release to snap the connector in place.
Labeling and color-coding a connector:
🖱️ Click the connector line to select it — a sidebar will appear on the right.
🏷️ Type a name in the Name field to add a label to the connector (e.g. "Approved", "Rejected", "Escalate").
🎨 Click any color swatch to assign a color to the connector — choose from Default, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, or Pink.
💾 Click Save to apply.
💡 Tip: Color-coding connectors is especially useful in branching workflows — for example, green for approved paths and red for rejected ones — making your process flow instantly readable at a glance.
Rerouting an existing connector:
🔗 Click the connector line to select it.
🖱️ Drag either endpoint node to a different connection point on the same step or to a different step entirely — no need to delete and redraw.
Removing a connector:
🖱️ Click the connector line to select it.
⌫ Press Backspace or Delete, or click the 🗑️ icon in the connector sidebar
🚨 If your connectors aren't showing:
🔄 Try refreshing the page or clearing your browser cache — connectors sometimes don't render if the canvas hasn't fully loaded.
⏳ Give it a few minutes before adding new connectors. If you're experiencing the issue, new connectors may not save correctly until the canvas has fully loaded.
3️⃣ Enabling Additional Step Inputs
3️⃣ Enabling Additional Step Inputs
By default, new workspaces have a minimal sidebar with only Step Name, Tool, and Notes to ensure a simple, intuitive experience. However, teams that require more detailed tracking can enable additional inputs based on their workflow needs.
🛠 How to Enable Additional Inputs
Go to Workspace Settings in Puzzle.
Navigate to "Step Sidebar Configuration."
Toggle ON the inputs you want to use (Step Status, Step Type, Executor, Roles, Attributes, Tasks, Sync).
Click Save, and your Step Sidebar will update automatically.
💡 Now, when you open a step, the newly enabled inputs will be visible in the sidebar.
4️⃣ Configuring Additional Inputs
4️⃣ Configuring Additional Inputs
Once additional inputs are enabled, you can configure them for each step. Below is a breakdown of how to use each input based on its category.
📈 Process Tracking Inputs
📈 Process Tracking Inputs
Step Status – Set the progress of the step:
Live – Currently in use.
Archived – No longer active but kept for reference.
Testing – Being tested before deployment.
In Progress – Under development.
Draft – Not yet finalized.
💡 Archived steps remain visible for reference but are visually muted across sidebars to help you stay focused on active processes.
Step Type – Categorize the kind of work in this step:
🧰 Standard Types: These represent typical workflow actions and data-handling steps:
Audio – Plays or triggers an audio-based action.
Chat – Represents conversations or chatbot interactions.
Database – Connects to, retrieves, or modifies structured data.
Delay – Adds a pause before the next step.
Delegate – Assigns responsibilities to a person or team.
Document – Links to or generates files or reports.
Email – Automates or tracks emails.
Form – Captures user input via structured fields.
Link – Embeds an external URL.
Meeting – Logs or schedules meetings or calls.
Notification – Sends updates or alerts.
Payment – Tracks or initiates payments or invoices.
Phone – Logs or initiates phone calls.
Research – Represents research or investigation.
Sequence – Runs a timed series of actions (e.g., drip emails).
Signal – Flags a trigger or intent event (e.g., a new hire).
SMS – Sends text messages.
Tag – Categorizes steps for organization.
Task – Represents an action item to complete.
Video – Displays or links to video content.
Webpage – Opens an internal or external page.
Workflow – Connects to another Puzzle workflow.
🧩 Special Types: These involve advanced logic, automation, or data syncing:
🔁 Use Alias Steps for Shared Actions: If a step is repeated in multiple parts of your process, use an Alias to avoid duplicating effort. This keeps updates in sync and improves maintainability.
🔀 Use Conditional Steps for Logic-Based Branching: Add Conditional steps to introduce if-then logic into your workflow. These help you split processes based on specific outcomes—perfect for approvals, alternate paths, or decision-based actions.
➡️ Use Go To Steps for Smart Navigation: Add a Go To step when you want to jump directly to another step, section, or workflow. This is useful for linking paths together, looping actions, or simplifying navigation across complex workflows.
💡 Puzzle automatically updates a few of the underlying step's values when it's type is Alias or Go To steps:
When you assign a step's step type as Alias, Puzzle will automatically set the underlying step's Step Status and Executor to match the source step’s values.
Alias steps inherit these values and are recognized accordingly across your workflow views, ensuring accurate visibility and reporting.
When you assign a Go To Step, Puzzle will name the step Go to [Step Name] based on the destination step.
This ensures better visibility and saves you time from manual updates when reusing or linking steps in your workflows.
🙋 Execution Inputs
🙋 Execution Inputs
Executor/Step Method – Defines who performs the step:
Person – A team member executes the step.
System – A tool or software executes the step automatically.
AI Agent – Artificial intelligence handles execution.
🧑🤝🧑 Roles Input
🧑🤝🧑 Roles Input
Puzzle Steps make it easier to assign and visualize team responsibilities using RACI-based role pills.
Assign Roles – Add team members to a step and define their responsibilities using the RACI framework:
R – Responsible
A – Accountable
C – Consulted
I – Informed
Clickable RACI Tags – Roles display as pill-shaped labels with a visible RACI tag. Click the tag to cycle through R, A, C, or I—no dropdowns needed.
Sorted by Type – Puzzle automatically organizes roles by RACI category so you can quickly scan who’s doing what.
💡 This input ensures every step has clearly defined ownership and helps teams stay aligned with less effort.
🔗 Attributes Inputs
🔗 Attributes Inputs
Connect your workflow visually to structured data by linking steps with specific Attributes from your Entities & Attributes library.
In the Attributes section of the step sidebar, choose an Entity to filter available fields. You can then:
Select specific attributes relevant to the step using the filtered dropdown.
💡 The dropdown dynamically filters by the selected Entity, so you only see attributes associated with it—making it faster to find what you need without scanning through unrelated options.
Use “Add All” to assign every attribute from the chosen Entity in one click—ideal when working with full records like invoices, user profiles, or product entries.
After assigning attributes, you can click on any of them to view their details in the step’s bottom-right panel—making it easier to understand context and data relationships at a glance.
Learn more in the Entities & Attributes here!
🔁 Sync Inputs: Automate with External Tools
🔁 Sync Inputs: Automate with External Tools
Enable automation by connecting your steps to external systems like HubSpot, Make, Zapier, and n8n.
🎯 Select a step in your workflow that corresponds to an automation in Zapier, Make, HubSpot, or n8n.
🔄 Click the purple sync icon on the sidebar, then click the blue 🔄 icon to fetch available live automations.
➕ Choose the matching automation by clicking the blue plus icon to sync it to the step.
🌐 A Visit Workflow link will appear in the step, allowing quick access to the external automation in a new tab.
Once connected, this step will serve as a live trigger or reference point for actions managed outside of Puzzle—making your processes more integrated and automated.
Want more details? Check out the Integrations Guide to learn how to use Sync with Zapier, Make, HubSpot, and n8n.
📊 Cost & Performance Tracking Inputs
📊 Cost & Performance Tracking Inputs
Step Cost Calculator – Track time and cost estimates for each step using the dedicated Step Cost tab in the sidebar.
Tasks – List action items related to this step.
5️⃣ Step Management
5️⃣ Step Management
To keep workflows clear and efficient, consider these best practices:
➕ Use Notes for Additional Context: Add supporting details, reference links, or instructions directly into the Notes area. You can also upload visual references by dragging and dropping PNG images or PDFs, or embedding media for richer documentation. Loom videos will display automatically when linked, and iframe embed codes will render videos inline.
🤖 Automated Notes with AI: Utilize Puzzle’s AI-powered note automation to capture important details in each step effortlessly. Learn more about Automated AI Notes →
🎨 Color Steps for Visual Organization: Assign custom colors to steps without setting up conditional rules. This helps you quickly scan your canvas, group related actions, or visually highlight specific steps.
To color a step, click the color circle next to the step name field in the sidebar and choose from the palette.
To color multiple steps at once, select multiple steps on the canvas, click the paint icon in the bulk-edit pill bar, and choose a color. All selected steps will update immediately.
➕ Duplicate Steps for Efficiency: Quickly copy steps and their details using keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V on Windows, ⌘+C/⌘+V on Mac) or directly from the Quick Action Menu when selecting a step.
💬 Add Comments for Collaboration – Keep discussions relevant by adding comments directly to steps. Use @"mentions" to notify teammates. Learn more about Comments →
❌ Remove Unnecessary Steps: Click the 🗑️ icon, use the Backspace key, or quickly remove a step directly from the Quick Action Menu upon selection.
💡 Best Practices and Tips
🥇 Naming Steps:
✂️ Keep it Brief: Use concise titles of 2-3 words beginning with actionable verbs for clarity (e.g., “Review Proposal,” “Send Invoice”).
🚫 Avoid Redundancy: Exclude information already shown in step details, such as the associated roles or tools, to maintain simplicity.
🥇 Arranging Steps:
➡️ Left to Right: Organize steps horizontally from left to right to clearly show sequential dependencies. For instance, if step 1 must precede step 2, place them accordingly along the X-axis.
⬇️ Top-Down: Arrange steps vertically if they can occur simultaneously, visually differentiating parallel processes from sequential ones.
⏹️ Clearly Break Down Processes: Define each step explicitly and distinctly for easier execution, management, and clarity.
🔄 Regularly Review and Update: Continuously review your steps to ensure they accurately reflect current processes, responsibilities, and requirements—keeping workflows relevant and precise.
➡️ Keep Your Step Sidebar Focused and Relevant: To maintain a clean and efficient workspace, enable only the inputs your team actively needs and regularly review your sidebar settings to ensure they align with evolving workflows and team priorities.
Conclusion
Puzzle’s Steps transform complex processes into clear, actionable workflows that empower your team to execute tasks efficiently and accurately. By adopting clear naming conventions and logical arrangements and leveraging additional features like the Step Sidebar Configuration and Conditional Step Coloring, you'll improve collaboration, reduce confusion, and maintain operational clarity.
Start refining your workflows today using these best practices and tips—ensuring your team stays aligned, productive, and confident in managing processes.