A graphical workflow definition and management tool enables administrators and other authorized users to implement a workflow process that can be used to evaluate project submissions or other applications that require step-by-step process completion. The steps required to navigate through the workflow are first defined. Inputs, outputs, and actions, including conditional criteria, can be specified for the steps. The flow of control between the individual steps in the workflow is mapped out; changes to the status of a project submission can cause a submission to migrate to a succeeding step in the workflow. A “sandbox” testing environment allows changes to any aspect of the workflow to be safely evaluated without affecting live data. Conflicts between production and test workflows are identified and intelligently resolved.