Rundeck GenAI Job Creator [generative AI][automation][product design]

Rundeck's core workflow involves building automated jobs, but job creation is a technical task limited to expert users. The genAI job creator empowers new users to type a prompt and generate a ready-to-go workflow automatically, providing non-experts the means to create their own automated jobs without the need of expert support.

Impact:First GenAI project shipped in Rundeck · Lowered job creation barrier for non-expert users

Role:Product Design, Design Exploration

Collaborators:Jake Cohen (Product Manager), Greg Schueler (Lead Engineer), Will Su (Product Designer), Jenny Williams (Director of Product Design)

Rundeck GenAI Job Creator
Rundeck GenAI Job Creator

Why

Building automated jobs in Rundeck required deep platform knowledge so general users rarely created jobs due to the complexity and prerequisite knowledge required.

How

A GenAI-powered job creator that lets users type a prompt and generate a ready-to-go, editable workflow automatically.

Impact

First GenAI project shipped in Rundeck · Lowered job creation barrier for non-expert users

The full user flow denotes the journey from signup through GenAI parameter selection based on user actions and required UI.

User flow mapping the GenAI job creation path
User flow mapping the GenAI job creation path

Continuation of the flow covering all post-generation outcomes
Continuation of the flow covering all post-generation outcomes

An early split-panel exploration separated input from output. This pattern did not provide the user with agency over the job creation process, as the experience ended after a single prompt.

Split-panel exploration with input on left and output on right
Split-panel exploration with input on left and output on right

I explored a chat-like interface anchored inside the existing job creation tabs, requiring input from the user during the generative process to allow for full agency over the build.

Wireframe of the GenAI tab embedded in Rundeck's job creation flow
Wireframe of the GenAI tab embedded in Rundeck's job creation flow

Onboarding disguised as navigation, category chips and example prompts are designed to help the user understand feasbility, while the job build preview breaks the output into numbered, scannable steps.

Prompt entry view and job preview
Prompt entry view and job preview

The interface is embedded directly into Rundeck’s existing UI. Categories and example prompts guide the user toward job generation.

GenAI Job Creator prompt screen
GenAI Job Creator prompt screen

After submitting a prompt, a progress bar and status text give users real-time feedback while the job is being generated.

Generation loading state
Generation loading state

The generated job surfaces as a named preview with discrete, expandable steps, rendered in Rundeck’s native UI so the output feels familiar, not foreign.

Generated job preview
Generated job preview

This feature shipped as the first completed GenAI project for Rundeck, and one of the first for PagerDuty as a whole. It aims to lower the job creation barrier for a piece of software that requires expert platform knowledge.