A Deep Dive into When to Use Laserfiche Forms vs. Workflow for Municipal Process Automation

Municipal governments face unique challenges when automating business processes, balancing compliance, transparency, and service delivery with limited resources. Laserfiche Forms and Workflow are robust tools that, when used strategically, can transform high-touch, paper-driven municipal processes into streamlined, scalable solutions. A few weeks ago, we conducted a webinar (about LF Forms) with the web designer from the City of Santa Clarita. It was during the Q&A that I realized our clients might appreciate more guidance on when to use Forms and Workflow. This is the blog post that covers the generalities.

In this part, we’ll delve into the technical decision points that can empower IT and records professionals in local government to determine where and how to deploy Laserfiche Forms and Workflow for maximum efficiency and sustainability.

Forms First: Structuring Human Interaction and Process Initiation

From a technical architecture perspective, Laserfiche Forms is the process orchestration layer for human-initiated workflows. It provides a low-code interface to design BPMN-style process models with embedded forms, conditional routing, timers, and notifications.

Here are the key indicators you should start with Forms:

• Human input is required to start or continue the process. For example, public records request portals, internal service requests, and planning permit submissions begin with user interaction.

• Role-based task assignment and escalation logic are needed. Forms allow you to dynamically assign tasks based on user roles (e.g., department heads, records clerks), use timers for SLA tracking, and escalate overdue tasks.

• You require a mobile-responsive interface for internal and public users, without exposing the Laserfiche repository directly.

• Audit trails and submission histories are essential for compliance with laws like the California Public Records Act (CPRA) or internal policies.

Forms also integrates directly with Laserfiche repositories via Workflow and Web Services, so it’s often the launchpad for downstream automation.

Workflow: Automating Repository and Integration Tasks

Laserfiche Workflow excels in orchestrating system-to-system and system-to-repository interactions. While Forms handles front-end interaction, Workflow carries out background logic that needs to run without manual oversight.

Use Workflow when:

• You must perform conditional logic based on document metadata or template fields (e.g., routing based on document type or department field).

• Document creation, naming, filing, and retention policies must be applied consistently, especially when working with state retention schedules or local records ordinances.

• You are integrating Laserfiche with external municipal systems, such as permitting (e.g., Accela), ERP (e.g., Tyler Munis), or GIS platforms. To facilitate this, workflow supports REST/SOAP APIs, databases, and third-party connectors.

• The process includes scheduled events or triggers based on document status, such as triggering notifications 30 days before a contract expires or automatically deleting a document after its retention period ends.

For example, after a building permit application is submitted via Forms, Workflow might create a structured folder hierarchy, apply metadata from the submission, notify the plan checker, and schedule a follow-up task—none of which requires human interaction.

Forms + Workflow = Complete Process Automation

In most enterprise-level municipal processes, the best technical architecture uses Forms for task routing and human interaction, and Workflow for document-centric processing and system integration. This combination allows for complete process automation, where Forms handle the initial user interaction and task routing, and Workflow takes over for document creation, filing, and system integration.

Consider this typical pattern:

1. User submits a request via Forms (e.g., request for council agenda item).

2. Form routes tasks to appropriate reviewers and approvers with conditional logic.

3. Workflow creates the document package upon final approval, files it in the correct agenda repository structure, assigns a record series, and updates a tracking system or calendar.

This separation of concerns ensures that you have complete control over scalability and maintainability: Form processes are versioned and visual, and workflow definitions are modular and reusable across processes.

Some Best Practices for Municipal Teams

• Use Forms as the interface and workflow as the engine. Avoid embedding complex logic in Forms that could be handled more elegantly by Workflow.

• Use Laserfiche Forms, Process Variables, and Workflow Token Passing to create seamless data flows.

• Modularize Workflow activities using conditionals and invoke business rules via external data sources where possible.

• Document everything, especially approval paths and data mappings, to ensure transparency and facilitate training and audits.

• Build template processes for departments that can be cloned and adapted to support growing interdepartmental needs.

With an experienced municipal IT team, the successful implementation of Laserfiche Forms and Workflow is quite an accomplishment, as it can be combined into a platform for enterprise-wide automation capable of handling everything from agenda management to public-facing service delivery.