What does it mean that workflow inputs and outputs?

Define clearly what goes into each workflow and what comes out. Without precise input-output specification, you cannot chain workflows, automate steps, or diagnose failures.

Example: You have a writing workflow that begins with 'a topic.' But when you sit down to write, you stall — because 'a topic' is not a usable input. It is a gesture at an input. You redesign the entry specification: the input is now a specific question, three source references, a target word count, and a publication date. Suddenly the writing moves. The constraint was never creativity. The constraint was that you were trying to run a process on undefined input — like calling a function with no arguments and wondering why it returned nothing.

Try this: Choose one workflow you perform regularly. Write down, explicitly, the complete input specification: every piece of information, every material, every precondition that must be true before the first step can execute. Then write the complete output specification: the concrete deliverable, its format, and the criteria that determine whether the output is acceptable. Compare what you wrote to how you actually start and finish this workflow in practice. The gap between your specification and your practice is the ambiguity your workflow currently tolerates — and ambiguity is where errors, delays, and rework hide.