Hi Jim,
A Z-table should be your last option. Too customized, and usually ends up too specific to your WF, and maintenance quickly becomes tricky when there are 10 workflows with 10 Z tables. It's difficult to give you specifics without knowing more about your scenario, but the HM mini master (org structure) is almost always the first setup I try to use. Rules are also a great alternative to tables, or maybe something within your application/organization/structure.
Regards,
Mike