Quick start guide

Nintex Process Manager is a web-based application for documenting and managing your organization's business processes, risks, improvements, and training records. The platform combines visual process mapping with both AI-powered and manual process creation, enabling teams to capture and refine processes quickly while maintaining accuracy and consistency.

This guide walks you through how to log in, navigate the workspace, and create your first process.

On this page:

 

Before you start

Ensure you have the following prerequisites in place before beginning:

  • An active Process Manager account with creation permissions assigned by your organization.

  • Your organization's specific Process Manager URL.

Step 1: Log in

  1. Open your browser and navigate to your organization's Process Manager URL.

  2. Enter your credentials then click Login.

  3. You are directed to the Process Manager home page.

Step 2: Navigating the home page

The home page is your central hub for finding and managing processes. The following are options available to you on the home page.

Area Description
Top Navigation bar Access process groups, favorites, and settings.
Search bar Find processes, roles, or systems.
My Processes View processes you own or manage.

For a detailed overview of the home page, see Navigation.


Step 3: Create your first process

A process is a structured sequence of continuous activities or tasks that transform inputs into an achieved operational outcome.

3.1 Navigate and Initiate

You can create a process manually or use the AI to draft one for you.

  1. Select Processes > New Process > Create a process in the top navigation bar.

  2. Select a Group where your process belongs. For more information about groups, see Process groups.

3.2 Define the process details

The Create new process dialog appears. Populating these metadata fields is important because they create a historical record, make your process searchable, and feed the AI engine when generating drafts.
Complete the required fields:

Field Description
Title Use a clear, action-oriented name.
Owner The person ultimately accountable for the process and its accuracy.
Expert The subject matter expert who knows the daily steps and details.
Objective A concise summary of what the process is intended to achieve
Background Brief context on why the process is needed.

3.3 Choose your process creation method

Once the editor opens, choose how you want to build the process:

  • Start manually (Start writing): Choose this for full control to map out custom steps from scratch.

  • Start with AI (Generate draft): Choose this to save time. AI will use your title and objective to suggest a full starting point with activities and roles.

Step 4: Build your process

Depending on the method you chose in step 3, follow the corresponding path below to build out your process steps.

Manual creation

If you selected Start writing, you begin with a blank procedure.

  1. Click Add Activity to create your first step.

  2. Enter the activity name (e.g., Review Draft).

  3. Add Tasks (sub-steps), Notes, and assign Roles to define who is responsible.

AI-Assisted creation

If you selected Generate draft, the Generate draft side panel appears on the right.

  1. Review Integrated Details: The AI automatically pulls your Procedure name, Goal, and Background to inform the draft.

  2. Add Additional Instructions: In the text box, enter any specific requirements or unique constraints (up to 30,000 characters).

  3. Select Generate draft: The system drafts a full procedure including activities, tasks, and notes.

  4. Review the AI Draft:

    • If satisfied, select Continue to editor to make manual refinements.

    • If the draft needs changes, select Modify prompt to add more detail, or Regenerate draft for a new version.

Step 5: Save and submit for approval

Save your changes to ensure your work is captured. Submitted processes are reviewed by a designated approver in your organization.

  1. Save your work: Select Save regularly to avoid losing progress.

  2. Verify the Map: Toggle between the Procedure and Map tabs at the top of the editor to preview.

  3. Initiate Submission: When the process is complete, select Submit for Approval in the bottom-right corner.

  4. Add Submission Details: A dialog appears for you to enter a description. Use this field to provide a summary of the process or specific notes for the approver (e.g., 'First draft of the new onboarding procedure').

  5. Final Submit: Select Submit. The process status changes to 'In Progress' or 'Awaiting Approval,' and the approver is notified.

Considerations

  • AI Draft Review: Generative AI is experimental. A Subject Matter Expert (SME) must review all AI-generated content for accuracy and corporate compliance before formal submission.

  • Unassigned Roles: AI steps are often created as 'Unassigned.' Be sure to map existing organizational roles to these activities in the editor to populate your process maps correctly.

What's next?

Now that you have created your first process, explore these topics to learn what else is possible with Nintex Process Manager:

  • Setting up your profile: Learn how to update your avatar, timezone, language settings, and role assignments.

  • Process Models: Create or import a visual model of your process in Business Process Modeling and Notation (BPMN) format. .

  • Sharing Processes: Learn how to securely share, print, or link to processes across your internal company portals.

  • Using Dashboards: Use dashboards to track process health, review feedback logs, and monitor pending change requests.

  • Explore additional features: Learn about features like Process Capture to automatically record and document digital desktop tasks.

  • The Reporting API: Connect your process data to business intelligence tools like Power BI to track usage trends, ownership distribution, and process maturity metrics across the business.