I use workflow pretty extensively because I used it before the profile manager existed, so I am used to it. I tried using console at first, that ends up being a massive waste of time. You need to have a pretty decent familiarity with how the game names items and classifies them to even START using the console. It is much easier to just use the workflow gui (default alt+w)
for most jobs the workflow gui is pretty intuitive. (A)dd a new limit to a job, workflow will try to keep that number of items on hand in your fortress (not necessarily in a stockpile, just free, empty and available for use).
so if I go to my craftsdwarf shop, add a job to make large rock pots, make it repeat, then add a workflow limit of 5-10 rock pots (basically just using the default limit it adds when you press shift+a on the workflow gui screen) it will enable that repeating job and any other repeating job that produces rock pots anywhere in my fortress whenever the stock of empty pots drops below 5 and disable that job when the stock goes above 10.
you chain these workflow limits together to create "assembly lines," so this small number of open pots is constantly available for other industries that use them, which you then add limits to those outputs and so on.
things get pretty hairy with respect to the clothing industry, the farmer's workshop, glazing, and a few other odd jobs here and there, because workflow can't guess what the output of the job is supposed to be, so it requires some workarounds like using the ingame labor manager in conjunction with workflow, or manually setting the input of the job via. the job command in dfhack. But for the majority of jobs, particularly of the "inorganic" type, it is very simple and straight forward.