Workflow Planning
Planning how people, goods and information move through the hospital.
Workflow planning defines how work and activity flow through a hospital's spaces: patients, visitors and staff; supplies, linen and waste; and the information that moves with them. It maps these flows across the building, sets the separations that keep public, clinical and service movement apart, and identifies the handover points where flows meet. The workflow picture then drives how space is zoned and arranged, so the building works steadily before a single room is laid out.
What this service covers
- Patient, visitor and public movement flows
- Staff and service movement flows
- Materials, linen, waste and supply routes
- Information flow and handover points
- Public, clinical and service circulation separation
- Clean and dirty workflow segregation
- Flow-driven zoning and space arrangement
- Vertical and horizontal flow connections
- Flows that stay flexible as services change
- Documented workflow plan
Our process
- Map the flows that move through the building
- Identify separations and conflict points
- Define zoning driven by flow
- Set handover and transfer points
- Apply flows to space arrangement
- Document the workflow plan
Frequently asked questions
What does workflow planning include?
The movement of people, goods, waste and information through the building, the separations between flows and how these shape zoning.
When is it needed?
During planning and design, before layouts are fixed, so the logic of how things move drives the arrangement.
What information is required?
The functional programme, staff and patient volumes, service routes and operational processes.
What are the deliverables?
A workflow plan with flow maps, separation rules and zoning guidance for the building.
How is it different from clinical workflow design?
Clinical workflow design addresses how clinical work is performed step by step; workflow planning addresses how everything and everyone moves through the building.