In Puzzle, navigating and utilizing the app’s interface efficiently is key to leveraging its full potential for managing complex workflows and team structure. Whether you're organizing a simple process or an entire organizational structure, Puzzle's interface is designed to visually connect your process, people, tools, data model, and tasks for streamlined operations.
This guide will walk you through the essentials of Puzzle’s layout, from the Workspace(s) Canvas, where you can access all of your Workspaces, to the Workflows, Teams, People, and Tools canvases. Each canvas provides unique tools and sidebars to help you build, manage, and visualize workflows, assign roles, and integrate third-party tools. By the end of this guide, you’ll have the knowledge to navigate Puzzle effectively and unlock greater efficiency across your projects and teams.
Overview of Puzzle's Canvases
Canvas | Primary Function |
Workspace(s) Canvas | Central hub where all workspaces are visible and accessible. |
Workflow Canvas | Visualizes and organizes each workspace’s processes for editing and management. |
Teams Canvas | Organizes and visualizes team roles and their connection to specific workflows. |
People Canvas | Manages individuals, their tasks, and role assignments within workflows. |
Tools Canvas | Manages tools, their associated data model, integrations, and costs, enabling seamless connectivity across workflows. |
Navigating the Main Canvas
The Workspace(s) Canvas is your starting point in Puzzle, providing an organized view of all your workspaces — each represents a single company's operations. This area consolidates your visual layouts, enabling an overview of all the company workspaces your user account is associated with.
Key interface features:
Bottom-Left Toolbar:
Zoom In/Out: Focus on details or zoom out to see the big picture.
Fit View: Resizes the canvas to fit within your screen for optimal viewing.
Toggle Interactivity: Adjust interactivity to suit either viewing or editing modes.
Bottom-Right In-App Guide: A built-in support guide offering step-by-step instructions, ideal for new users and those needing quick assistance.
Top Search Bar: Quickly locate workspaces or specific tools across the Puzzle platform.
Right Sidebar: Displays a list or summary of all owned and accessible workspaces. When clicking on a specific workspace, the right sidebar updates dynamically to show detailed workspace-specific information, including:
A button to enter the workspace and be routed to the Workflow Canvas.
A summary of total steps, sections, tools, teams, roles, and people in that workspace.
A list of people with access to the workspace, along with their assigned roles.
This additional update helps users quickly gauge the scope of each workspace, ensuring visibility into team access, resources, and workflow scale at a glance.
Navigating the Workflows Canvas
When you enter a specific workspace, you’ll enter the Workflows Canvas—the interactive area for building, organizing, and monitoring workflows specific to this workspace.
Key interface features:
Left Sidebar Menus:
Steps: Define tasks or actions within your process to enhance clarity.
Sections: Group-related steps for better organization within each workflow.
Templates: Access reusable workflows for consistency and efficiency.
Integrations Sidebar: Connect tools like Zapier, Make, and HubSpot directly into your processes.
List View Option: View tasks linearly for a simplified overview.
Create Views: Create shareable links that allow you to share specific workflows with anyone, providing controlled visibility outside your Puzzle environment.
Conditional Coloring: Add colors to workflow steps based on specific criteria, making it easier to pinpoint critical steps, understand tool usage, and highlight areas for improvement.
Hot Key Tool Tips: Quickly access keyboard shortcuts to improve navigation efficiency and streamline workflow management.
The right sidebar displays key details and editing options for each workflow component. You can view and modify attributes like assigned roles, tools, and associated notes, keeping team members informed.
Navigating the Teams Canvas
The Teams Canvas in Puzzle is a dedicated area for planning and organizing team roles across workflows. It allows you to see how each role contributes to project success.
Key interface features:
Left Sidebar Menus:
Add Teams: Quickly add new teams to organize roles within the canvas.
Add Roles: Create roles and assign them within teams to match project needs.
Right Sidebar: The content displayed here depends on whether you’re viewing a team or a role:
For a Team: Define responsibilities for each role within processes, list the people within the team, and display the tools being utilized.
For a Role: Shows the role’s definition, hourly rate, assigned team members, and associated workflows.
Navigating the People Canvas
In the People Canvas, you can focus on individual team members and the roles they hold within your company's operations. This area provides a view of personal roles and permissions within the Puzzle platform and a place to track which tools they have access to.
Key interface features:
Left Sidebar Menus:
Add People: Invite new team members by adding them to the platform and assigning relevant roles.
The right sidebar displays key profile information about each team member, including their roles, permissions, and access to tools.
Navigating the Tools Canvas
The Tools Canvas in Puzzle centralizes all the tools and integrations you’ve connected to your workflows, providing an easy-to-access area for managing and changing how you use your tools across your processes.
Key interface features:
Puzzle tools library: Click the 🔎 icon in the top left corner of the canvas to view the full list of Puzzle Tools.
Right Sidebar:
Displays a list of all active tools, including considering tools and canceled tools.
Shows a summary of total monthly and annual costs for active tools, along with the total number of active tools.
Selecting a specific tool updates the sidebar to show:
Status of the tool (Active, Considering, Cancelled)
Plan details (pricing, renewal date)
Notes section
List of workflow steps where the tool is used
Tips for Efficient Puzzle Navigation
🔎 Use Search Functions: Leverage the top search bar to locate workspaces or steps quickly.
⌨️ Familiarize with Shortcuts: Puzzle includes keyboard shortcuts for faster navigation and productivity.
📖 Refer to the In-App Guide: Use the guide for quick assistance or feature refreshers.
🔄 Regularly Review Processes: Keep your workflows updated as projects evolve.
Conclusion
Understanding the structure and functionality of each canvas and navigation tool in Puzzle will allow you to seamlessly manage workflows, roles, people, and tools. This will ensure efficient process management and enhanced team collaboration.
Take full advantage of Puzzle’s features to streamline operations, improve team alignment, and create a seamless workflow experience. As Puzzle continues to evolve, more enhancements will be introduced to make navigation even more intuitive. Stay engaged with updates and maximize your efficiency with Puzzle today!