Empowering workflows with human interaction in HCL Universal Orchestrator

Modern automation platforms are increasingly focused on removing friction between systems and people. However, many real-world processes still require human decisions, approvals or data input.
With the introduction of Human Tasks in HCL Universal Orchestrator, workflows can now easily integrate human interaction directly into automated processes without relying on external tools or complex integrations.

What are Human Tasks?
A Human task is a built-in plugin designed to handle scenarios where user input or approval is required to continue a workflow. It pauses the execution and waits for a user to complete the designed form; once completed, the workflow resumes automatically using the provided input.
This enables a smooth collaboration between automation and human decision-making within a single orchestration environment.

Define a Human Task in a workflow
​Creating a Human Task in HCL Universal Orchestrator involves configuring a few key components that define how the task is presented, assigned and executed within a workflow.
At the core of every Human Task is the concept of a queue. Queues act as containers that organize tasks and make them easier to manage. A Human task queue is an object defined by a folder and a name and it can have optional email addresses to notify users of new tasks. When defining a human task, you must associate it with a specific queue. This allows teams to group tasks by process or responsibility, monitor workload distribution and control access through permissions and visibility settings.

Another fundamental aspect is task assignment and form design. A Human Task can optionally be assigned to a specific user or left unassigned and handled through the queue.
Using the Graphical Designer, you can build a fully customizable form that the user will interact with. This form can include text inputs, numeric fields, dropdown selections, markdown sections for contextual information, separators for layout and multiple completion buttons representing different outcomes (such as approve or reject).

How a Human task works
Once a workflow reaches a Human Task during execution, its behavior differs significantly from automated steps.
The workflow pauses and the task enters the EXEC state, waiting for user interaction. At this point, the human task becomes visible either to the assigned user or to all users monitoring the associated queue in the Human task dedicated page.
The user with the proper rights to work on it can then open the task and interact with the form defined. After reviewing the provided information and filling in the required fields, he marks the task as completed by selecting one of the available completion buttons.
This action triggers two important outcomes:

• The task transitions from EXEC to SUCC (Success) status
• The collected inputs and selected action are exposed as output properties

These outputs are immediately available to the rest of the workflow, enabling dynamic execution paths. For example, a workflow can branch based on an approval decision or adapt behavior depending on user-provided data.
This mechanism effectively turns human interaction into a native, data-driven step within the orchestration logic.

Manage Human Tasks
​All Human tasks can be monitored through the Human Tasks page in the HCL Universal Orchestrator UI. It can be accessed using the left side menu.

This centralized interface provides a clear overview of task status and ownership, allowing users to quickly filter tasks based on their state. Common filters include: all open tasks, tasks assigned to the current user, unassigned tasks, completed tasks.

By selecting a specific task, users can access detailed information, including the task form, creation date, priority, associated queue and current assignee.
From this interface, users can take action on tasks, complete them or simply monitor their progress. This centralized management experience ensures full visibility and control over all human-driven activities within workflows. 

Benefits of Human Tasks
Introducing Human Tasks significantly enhances the way workflows are designed and executed, bringing human interaction directly into the automation layer.
One of the key advantages is smooth collaboration between users and automated processes. Instead of relying on external tools, human decisions and data input become a native part of the workflow, simplifying architecture and reducing operational overhead.
Human Tasks also enable a higher level of procedural automation. Many real-world processes cannot be fully automated because they require approvals or manual input. By embedding these steps directly into workflows, it becomes possible to automate end-to-end scenarios that were previously fragmented or partially manual.
Another important benefit is flexible data collection. Designers can create tailored forms with precise input fields and multiple completion options, ensuring that workflows gather exactly the information needed at each step.
This naturally leads to dynamic workflow execution. Based on user input or selected actions, workflows can branch into different paths, making them more adaptive and responsive to real-world conditions. 
Finally, Human Tasks provide a centralized management experience. Through a dedicated interface, users can easily view, track, and manage tasks assigned to them or available in their queues, improving visibility and overall process control.

Conclusion
​Human Tasks bridge the gap between automation and human decision-making. By embedding user interaction directly into workflows, organizations can build more flexible, intelligent and end-to-end automated processes.
This capability significantly expands what orchestration can achieve, transforming workflows into truly adaptive systems that combine the best of automation and human expertise.

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Maria Elena Massino, Senior Software Engineer
Maria Elena Massino is a Senior Software Engineer in the Workload Automation development team located in HCL Rome Hub. She has worked on the Workload Automation development team since 2004 and has acquired significant experience on all the different components of the family. Currently she is working on the frontend part of the product and she is also responsible for the globalization process of the product.
She is the team leader for Corporate Social Responsibility activities for HCL Italy.

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Elvira Zanin, Software Engineer
Elvira Zanin is a Software Engineer at the HCL Software Rome Hub, where she works on the UnO UI. Since joining the team in 2017, she has contributed across multiple areas, including the Dynamic Workload Console as a tester, front-end developer, and support team member, gaining a well-rounded perspective on the product.
She holds a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering and is based in Rome, Italy. Outside of work, she enjoys going to the gym, photography, and traveling—often with her dog by her side.

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