diff --git a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowInstances/Get.cs b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowInstances/Get.cs
index 7fee63a3c..9a3afdbe7 100644
--- a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowInstances/Get.cs
+++ b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowInstances/Get.cs
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
-using Elsa.Management.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Mediator.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Requests;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http;
 
 namespace Elsa.Api.Endpoints.WorkflowInstances;
diff --git a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowInstances/List.cs b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowInstances/List.cs
index 886a5cea8..c92698b5b 100644
--- a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowInstances/List.cs
+++ b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/WorkflowInstances/List.cs
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
-using Elsa.Management.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Mediator.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Entities;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Requests;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
 
diff --git a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/Get.cs b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/Get.cs
index d344654d5..a9ba6b8dc 100644
--- a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/Get.cs
+++ b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/Get.cs
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
-using Elsa.Management.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Mediator.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Models;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Requests;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
 
diff --git a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/GetMany.cs b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/GetMany.cs
index d08b898b6..f60c65704 100644
--- a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/GetMany.cs
+++ b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/GetMany.cs
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 using System;
 using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
-using Elsa.Management.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Mediator.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Models;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Requests;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
 
diff --git a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/List.cs b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/List.cs
index 8267b2d3a..e0d2a2bf8 100644
--- a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/List.cs
+++ b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/List.cs
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
-using Elsa.Management.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Mediator.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Models;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Requests;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
 
diff --git a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/Post.cs b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/Post.cs
index a9c735daa..68772b6e1 100644
--- a/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/Post.cs
+++ b/src/api/Elsa.Api/Endpoints/Workflows/Post.cs
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using Elsa.Activities;
 using Elsa.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Management.Contracts;
-using Elsa.Management.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Mappers;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http;
 
 namespace Elsa.Api.Endpoints.Workflows;
diff --git a/src/core/Elsa.Management/Contracts/ISerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Contracts/ISerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs
similarity index 77%
rename from src/core/Elsa.Management/Contracts/ISerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs
rename to src/core/Elsa.Core/Contracts/ISerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs
index e90e9d2b6..14ccde39d 100644
--- a/src/core/Elsa.Management/Contracts/ISerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs
+++ b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Contracts/ISerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 using System.Text.Json;
 
-namespace Elsa.Management.Contracts;
+namespace Elsa.Contracts;
 
 public interface ISerializationOptionsConfigurator
 {
diff --git a/src/core/Elsa.Core/Elsa.Core.csproj b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Elsa.Core.csproj
index d9bbeb2d2..46a3bda7a 100644
--- a/src/core/Elsa.Core/Elsa.Core.csproj
+++ b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Elsa.Core.csproj
@@ -9,10 +9,15 @@
     </PropertyGroup>
 
     <ItemGroup>
+        <PackageReference Include="Dahomey.Json" Version="1.12.2" />
         <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Abstractions" Version="6.0.1" />
         <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Options" Version="6.0.0" />
         <PackageReference Include="System.ComponentModel.Annotations" Version="6.0.0-preview.4.21253.7" />
         <PackageReference Include="System.Text.Json" Version="6.0.2" />
     </ItemGroup>
 
+    <ItemGroup>
+      <Folder Include="Serialization\Converters" />
+    </ItemGroup>
+
 </Project>
diff --git a/src/core/Elsa.Core/Extensions/PropertyAccessorExtensions.cs b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Extensions/PropertyAccessorExtensions.cs
index a468c5afc..295ba4545 100644
--- a/src/core/Elsa.Core/Extensions/PropertyAccessorExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Extensions/PropertyAccessorExtensions.cs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-using System;
 using System.Linq.Expressions;
 using System.Reflection;
 
diff --git a/src/core/Elsa.Core/Helpers/ObjectConverter.cs b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Helpers/ObjectConverter.cs
index 039cca57b..02a57522f 100644
--- a/src/core/Elsa.Core/Helpers/ObjectConverter.cs
+++ b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Helpers/ObjectConverter.cs
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 using System.ComponentModel;
+using System.Text.Json;
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
+using Dahomey.Json;
+using Dahomey.Json.Serialization.Conventions;
 using Elsa.Exceptions;
+using DahomeyJsonObject = System.Text.Json.JsonObject;
+using DahomeyJsonNode = System.Text.Json.JsonNode;
 
 namespace Elsa.Helpers;
 
@@ -11,17 +17,34 @@ public static class ObjectConverter
     {
         if (value == null)
             return default!;
-            
+
         var sourceType = value.GetType();
 
         if (sourceType == targetType)
             return value;
 
+        var options = new JsonSerializerOptions();
+        options.SetupExtensions().SetReferenceHandling(ReferenceHandling.Preserve);
+        var registry = options.GetDiscriminatorConventionRegistry();
+        registry.ClearConventions();
+        registry.RegisterConvention(new DefaultDiscriminatorConvention<string>(options, "_type"));
+
+        options.PropertyNamingPolicy = JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase;
+        options.ReferenceHandler = ReferenceHandler.Preserve;
+        options.PropertyNameCaseInsensitive = true;
+        options.Converters.Add(new JsonStringEnumConverter());
+        
+        if (value is DahomeyJsonNode { ValueKind: JsonValueKind.Object } dahomyJsonObject)
+            return ToObject(dahomyJsonObject, targetType, options);
+        
+        if (value is JsonElement { ValueKind: JsonValueKind.Object } jsonObject)
+            return jsonObject.Deserialize(targetType, options);
+
         var underlyingTargetType = Nullable.GetUnderlyingType(targetType) ?? targetType;
-            
+
         if (targetType == typeof(object))
             return value;
-            
+
         if (underlyingTargetType.IsInstanceOfType(value))
             return value;
 
@@ -29,7 +52,7 @@ public static class ObjectConverter
 
         if (underlyingSourceType == underlyingTargetType)
             return value;
-            
+
         var targetTypeConverter = TypeDescriptor.GetConverter(underlyingTargetType);
 
         if (targetTypeConverter.CanConvertFrom(underlyingSourceType))
@@ -55,4 +78,10 @@ public static class ObjectConverter
             throw new TypeConversionException($"Failed to convert an object of type {sourceType} to {underlyingTargetType}", value, underlyingTargetType, e);
         }
     }
+
+    private static object? ToObject(this DahomeyJsonNode node, Type type, JsonSerializerOptions? options = null)
+    {
+        using var arrayBufferWriter = new Dahomey.Json.Util.ArrayBufferWriter<byte>();
+        return JsonSerializer.Deserialize(node.ToString(), type, options);
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/core/Elsa.Core/Models/Variable.cs b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Models/Variable.cs
index 42197f2e6..c7ec48501 100644
--- a/src/core/Elsa.Core/Models/Variable.cs
+++ b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Models/Variable.cs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ public class Variable : RegisterLocationReference
     }
 
     public string? Name { get; set; }
-    public object? DefaultValue { get; }
+    public object? DefaultValue { get; set; }
     public override RegisterLocation Declare() => new(DefaultValue);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/core/Elsa.Core/Serialization/CustomDiscriminatorConvention.cs b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Serialization/CustomDiscriminatorConvention.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..eb8ca0003
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Serialization/CustomDiscriminatorConvention.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+using System.Text;
+using System.Text.Json;
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
+using Dahomey.Json;
+using Dahomey.Json.Serialization.Conventions;
+
+namespace Elsa.Serialization;
+
+public class CustomDiscriminatorConvention : IDiscriminatorConvention
+{
+    private readonly JsonSerializerOptions _options;
+    private readonly JsonConverter<string> _jsonConverter;
+
+    public CustomDiscriminatorConvention(JsonSerializerOptions options)
+    {
+        _options = options;
+        _jsonConverter = options.GetConverter<string>();
+    }
+    
+    public ReadOnlySpan<byte> MemberName => Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("$type");
+    
+    public bool TryRegisterType(Type type) => true;
+
+    public Type ReadDiscriminator(ref Utf8JsonReader reader)
+    {
+        var discriminator = _jsonConverter.Read(ref reader, typeof(string), _options)!;
+        return Type.GetType(discriminator)!;
+    }
+
+    public void WriteDiscriminator(Utf8JsonWriter writer, Type actualType)
+    {
+        var discriminator = actualType.AssemblyQualifiedName!;
+        _jsonConverter.Write(writer, discriminator, _options);
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/core/Elsa.Management/Serialization/WorkflowSerializerOptionsProvider.cs b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Serialization/WorkflowSerializerOptionsProvider.cs
similarity index 54%
rename from src/core/Elsa.Management/Serialization/WorkflowSerializerOptionsProvider.cs
rename to src/core/Elsa.Core/Serialization/WorkflowSerializerOptionsProvider.cs
index 62397648f..81cb97838 100644
--- a/src/core/Elsa.Management/Serialization/WorkflowSerializerOptionsProvider.cs
+++ b/src/core/Elsa.Core/Serialization/WorkflowSerializerOptionsProvider.cs
@@ -1,39 +1,47 @@
 using System.Text.Json;
 using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
-using Elsa.Management.Contracts;
-using Elsa.Management.Serialization.Converters;
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata;
+using Dahomey.Json;
+using Dahomey.Json.Attributes;
+using Dahomey.Json.Serialization.Conventions;
+using Elsa.Contracts;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
 
-namespace Elsa.Management.Serialization;
+namespace Elsa.Serialization;
 
 public class WorkflowSerializerOptionsProvider
 {
     private readonly IEnumerable<ISerializationOptionsConfigurator> _configurators;
     private readonly IServiceProvider _serviceProvider;
-    
+
     public WorkflowSerializerOptionsProvider(IEnumerable<ISerializationOptionsConfigurator> configurators, IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
     {
         _configurators = configurators;
         _serviceProvider = serviceProvider;
     }
 
-    public JsonSerializerOptions CreateApiOptions() => CreateDefaultOptions();
-    public JsonSerializerOptions CreatePersistenceOptions() => CreateDefaultOptions(ReferenceHandler.Preserve);
-    
-    public JsonSerializerOptions CreateDefaultOptions(ReferenceHandler? referenceHandler = default)
+    public JsonSerializerOptions CreateApiOptions() => CreateDefaultOptions(ReferenceHandling.Ignore);
+    public JsonSerializerOptions CreatePersistenceOptions() => CreateDefaultOptions(ReferenceHandling.Preserve);
+
+    public JsonSerializerOptions CreateDefaultOptions(ReferenceHandling referenceHandling)
     {
-        var options = new JsonSerializerOptions()
+        var options = new JsonSerializerOptions
         {
             PropertyNamingPolicy = JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase,
-            ReferenceHandler = referenceHandler,
-            Converters =
-            {
-                Create<JsonStringEnumConverter>(),
-                Create<TypeJsonConverter>(),
-                Create<ActivityJsonConverterFactory>(),
-                Create<ExpressionJsonConverterFactory>()
-            }
+            PropertyNameCaseInsensitive = true
         };
+        
+        options.Converters.Add(Create<JsonStringEnumConverter>());
+        options.Converters.Add(JsonMetadataServices.TimeSpanConverter);
+        
+        // Dahomey.
+        options.SetupExtensions();
+        options.SetReferenceHandling(referenceHandling);
+        
+        // Setup polymorphic serialization.
+        var registry = options.GetDiscriminatorConventionRegistry();
+        registry.RegisterConvention(new DefaultDiscriminatorConvention<string>(options));
+        registry.DiscriminatorPolicy = DiscriminatorPolicy.Auto;
 
         // Give external packages a chance to further configure the serializer options. E.g. to add additional converters.
         foreach (var configurator in _configurators) configurator.Configure(options);
diff --git a/src/core/Elsa.Management/Elsa.Management.csproj b/src/core/Elsa.Management/Elsa.Management.csproj
index eb3c36847..29ac35e76 100644
--- a/src/core/Elsa.Management/Elsa.Management.csproj
+++ b/src/core/Elsa.Management/Elsa.Management.csproj
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
     </PropertyGroup>
 
     <ItemGroup>
+        <PackageReference Include="Dahomey.Json" Version="1.12.2" />
         <PackageReference Include="Humanizer.Core" Version="2.14.1" />
         <PackageReference Include="System.Linq.Async" Version="6.0.1" />
         <PackageReference Include="System.Text.Json" Version="6.0.2" />
diff --git a/src/core/Elsa.Management/Extensions/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs b/src/core/Elsa.Management/Extensions/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
index 3d86b2617..5e1e9ae4a 100644
--- a/src/core/Elsa.Management/Extensions/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/core/Elsa.Management/Extensions/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ using Elsa.Management.Options;
 using Elsa.Management.Providers;
 using Elsa.Management.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Management.Services;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
 
 namespace Elsa.Management.Extensions;
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@ public static class ServiceCollectionExtensions
             .AddSingleton<IExpressionSyntaxRegistry, ExpressionSyntaxRegistry>()
             .AddSingleton<IExpressionSyntaxProvider, DefaultExpressionSyntaxProvider>()
             .AddSingleton<IExpressionSyntaxRegistryPopulator, ExpressionSyntaxRegistryPopulator>()
+            .AddSingleton<ISerializationOptionsConfigurator, SerializationOptionsConfigurator>()
             .AddSingleton<WorkflowSerializerOptionsProvider>();
     }
     
diff --git a/src/core/Elsa.Management/Serialization/SerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs b/src/core/Elsa.Management/Serialization/SerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..719f61cdf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/Elsa.Management/Serialization/SerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+using System.Text.Json;
+using Elsa.Contracts;
+using Elsa.Management.Serialization.Converters;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
+
+namespace Elsa.Management.Serialization;
+
+public class SerializationOptionsConfigurator : ISerializationOptionsConfigurator
+{
+    private readonly IServiceProvider _serviceProvider;
+
+    public SerializationOptionsConfigurator(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
+    {
+        _serviceProvider = serviceProvider;
+    }
+
+    public void Configure(JsonSerializerOptions options)
+    {
+        options.Converters.Add(Create<TypeJsonConverter>());
+        options.Converters.Add(Create<ActivityJsonConverterFactory>());
+        options.Converters.Add(Create<ExpressionJsonConverterFactory>());
+    }
+    
+    private T Create<T>() => ActivatorUtilities.CreateInstance<T>(_serviceProvider);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Configurators/CustomSerializationOptionConfigurator.cs b/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Configurators/CustomSerializationOptionConfigurator.cs
index bb5921200..ea87fc7b8 100644
--- a/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Configurators/CustomSerializationOptionConfigurator.cs
+++ b/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Configurators/CustomSerializationOptionConfigurator.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 using System.Text.Json;
 using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
-using Elsa.Management.Contracts;
+using Elsa.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Modules.Activities.Converters;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
 
diff --git a/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Elsa.Modules.Activities.csproj b/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Elsa.Modules.Activities.csproj
index afddfe6dc..45d71909b 100644
--- a/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Elsa.Modules.Activities.csproj
+++ b/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Elsa.Modules.Activities.csproj
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
     </PropertyGroup>
 
     <ItemGroup>
+      <ProjectReference Include="..\..\core\Elsa.Jobs\Elsa.Jobs.csproj" />
       <ProjectReference Include="..\..\runtime\Elsa.Runtime\Elsa.Runtime.csproj" />
     </ItemGroup>
 
diff --git a/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Extensions/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs b/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Extensions/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
index c1161d8b6..0897f2e5b 100644
--- a/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Extensions/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Activities/Extensions/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 using Elsa.Contracts;
-using Elsa.Management.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Modules.Activities.Configurators;
 using Elsa.Modules.Activities.Resolvers;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
diff --git a/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Scheduling/Handlers/ScheduleWorkflows.cs b/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Scheduling/Handlers/ScheduleWorkflows.cs
index 3d067493c..a2e2b5740 100644
--- a/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Scheduling/Handlers/ScheduleWorkflows.cs
+++ b/src/modules/Elsa.Modules.Scheduling/Handlers/ScheduleWorkflows.cs
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using Elsa.Mediator.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Modules.Scheduling.Contracts;
-using Elsa.Runtime.Middleware;
 using Elsa.Runtime.Models;
 using Elsa.Runtime.Notifications;
 
diff --git a/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowDefinitionSerializer.cs b/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowDefinitionSerializer.cs
index 83302e5a0..f1730a67b 100644
--- a/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowDefinitionSerializer.cs
+++ b/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowDefinitionSerializer.cs
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 using System.Text.Json;
 using Elsa.Contracts;
-using Elsa.Management.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Models;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Entities;
 using Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore.Contracts;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 
 namespace Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore.Handlers.Serialization;
 
diff --git a/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowExecutionLogRecordSerializer.cs b/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowExecutionLogRecordSerializer.cs
index 2f015438e..55ee5f7a7 100644
--- a/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowExecutionLogRecordSerializer.cs
+++ b/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowExecutionLogRecordSerializer.cs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 using System.Text.Json;
-using Elsa.Management.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Entities;
 using Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore.Contracts;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 
 namespace Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore.Handlers.Serialization;
 
diff --git a/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowInstanceSerializer.cs b/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowInstanceSerializer.cs
index f67346924..9e15c99f6 100644
--- a/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowInstanceSerializer.cs
+++ b/src/persistence/Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore/Handlers/Serialization/WorkflowInstanceSerializer.cs
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 using System.Text.Json;
-using Elsa.Management.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Entities;
 using Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Models;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 using Elsa.State;
 
 namespace Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore.Handlers.Serialization;
diff --git a/src/runtime/Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor/Actors/WorkflowInstanceActor.cs b/src/runtime/Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor/Actors/WorkflowInstanceActor.cs
index a4d496061..480d1815f 100644
--- a/src/runtime/Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor/Actors/WorkflowInstanceActor.cs
+++ b/src/runtime/Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor/Actors/WorkflowInstanceActor.cs
@@ -48,7 +48,10 @@ public class WorkflowInstanceActor : IActor
     private PID GetWorkflowOperatorPid(IContext context, string workflowInstanceId)
     {
         var actorName = $"workflow-operator:{workflowInstanceId}";
-        var pid = context.System.ProcessRegistry.SearchByName(actorName).FirstOrDefault();
+        var pid = context.System.ProcessRegistry.Find(x =>
+        {
+            return x == actorName;
+        }).FirstOrDefault();
             
         if (pid != null) 
             return pid;
diff --git a/src/runtime/Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor/Actors/WorkflowOperatorActor.cs b/src/runtime/Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor/Actors/WorkflowOperatorActor.cs
index 4ee575dab..95b204317 100644
--- a/src/runtime/Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor/Actors/WorkflowOperatorActor.cs
+++ b/src/runtime/Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor/Actors/WorkflowOperatorActor.cs
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ using System.Text.Json;
 using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using Elsa.Contracts;
-using Elsa.Management.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Mediator.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Models;
 using Elsa.Persistence.Models;
@@ -13,6 +12,7 @@ using Elsa.Persistence.Requests;
 using Elsa.Runtime.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor.Messages;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 using Elsa.State;
 using Proto;
 using Bookmark = Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor.Messages.Bookmark;
diff --git a/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Models/Order.cs b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Models/Order.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..738678f44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Models/Order.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+namespace Elsa.Samples.Web1.Models;
+
+public record Order(string Id, int Number, string CustomerId, OrderItem[] Items);
+public record OrderItem(string ProductId, int Quantity);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Program.cs b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Program.cs
index cb3b5b014..de8825039 100644
--- a/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Program.cs
+++ b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Program.cs
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
+using System;
+using System.Text.Json;
 using Elsa.Activities;
 using Elsa.Api.Extensions;
+using Elsa.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Jobs.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Management.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Management.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Modules.Activities.Activities.Console;
 using Elsa.Modules.Activities.Activities.Workflows;
+using Elsa.Modules.Activities.Configurators;
 using Elsa.Modules.AzureServiceBus.Activities;
 using Elsa.Modules.AzureServiceBus.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Modules.Hangfire.Services;
@@ -14,6 +18,7 @@ using Elsa.Modules.Http.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Modules.JavaScript.Activities;
 using Elsa.Modules.Quartz.Services;
 using Elsa.Modules.Scheduling.Activities;
+using Elsa.Modules.Scheduling.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Modules.WorkflowContexts.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Persistence.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite;
@@ -21,9 +26,12 @@ using Elsa.Pipelines.WorkflowExecution.Components;
 using Elsa.Runtime.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Runtime.ProtoActor.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Samples.Web1.Activities;
+using Elsa.Samples.Web1.Models;
+using Elsa.Samples.Web1.Serialization;
 using Elsa.Samples.Web1.Workflows;
 using Elsa.Scripting.JavaScript.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Scripting.Liquid.Extensions;
+using Elsa.Serialization;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Builder;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
@@ -45,13 +53,14 @@ services
     .IndexWorkflowTriggers()
     .AddElsaManagement()
     .AddJobServices(new QuartzJobSchedulerProvider(), new HangfireJobQueueProvider(sqlServerConnectionString))
+    .AddSchedulingServices()
     .AddHttpActivityServices()
     .AddAzureServiceBusServices(options => configuration.GetSection("AzureServiceBus").Bind(options))
     .ConfigureWorkflowRuntime(options =>
     {
         // Register workflows.
         options.Workflows.Add<HelloWorldWorkflow>();
-        options.Workflows.Add<HeartbeatWorkflow>();
+        //options.Workflows.Add<HeartbeatWorkflow>();
         options.Workflows.Add<HttpWorkflow>();
         options.Workflows.Add<ForkedHttpWorkflow>();
         options.Workflows.Add<CompositeActivitiesWorkflow>();
@@ -60,6 +69,8 @@ services
         options.Workflows.Add<RunJavaScriptWorkflow>();
         options.Workflows.Add<WorkflowContextsWorkflow>();
         options.Workflows.Add<SubmitJobWorkflow>();
+        options.Workflows.Add<DelayWorkflow>();
+        options.Workflows.Add<OrderProcessingWorkflow>();
     });
 
 // Testing only: allow client app to connect from anywhere.
@@ -86,6 +97,10 @@ services
     .AddJavaScriptExpressions()
     .AddLiquidExpressions();
 
+// Register serialization configurator for configuring what types to allow to be serialized.
+services.AddSingleton<ISerializationOptionsConfigurator, CustomSerializationOptionConfigurator>();
+services.AddSingleton<ISerializationOptionsConfigurator, SerializationOptionsConfigurator>();
+
 // Configure middleware pipeline.
 var app = builder.Build();
 var serviceProvider = app.Services;
@@ -97,6 +112,11 @@ wellKnownTypeRegistry.RegisterType<float>("float");
 wellKnownTypeRegistry.RegisterType<bool>("boolean");
 wellKnownTypeRegistry.RegisterType<string>("string");
 
+var order = new Order("order-1", 1, "customer-1", new[] { new OrderItem("product-i1", 2) });
+var serializationOptions = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<WorkflowSerializerOptionsProvider>().CreatePersistenceOptions();
+var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(order, serializationOptions);
+Console.WriteLine(json);
+
 // Configure workflow engine execution pipeline.
 serviceProvider.ConfigureDefaultWorkflowExecutionPipeline(pipeline =>
     pipeline
diff --git a/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Serialization/SerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Serialization/SerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..77380978b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Serialization/SerializationOptionsConfigurator.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+using System.Text.Json;
+using Dahomey.Json;
+using Dahomey.Json.Attributes;
+using Elsa.Contracts;
+using Elsa.Samples.Web1.Models;
+
+namespace Elsa.Samples.Web1.Serialization;
+
+public class SerializationOptionsConfigurator : ISerializationOptionsConfigurator
+{
+    public void Configure(JsonSerializerOptions options)
+    {
+        options.GetObjectMappingRegistry().Register<Order>(objectMapping => objectMapping
+             .AutoMap()
+             .SetDiscriminator("Order")
+             .SetDiscriminatorPolicy(DiscriminatorPolicy.Always)
+             .AddDiscriminatorMapping());
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Workflows/DelayWorkflow.cs b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Workflows/DelayWorkflow.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4f8108bd1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Workflows/DelayWorkflow.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+using Elsa.Activities;
+using Elsa.Contracts;
+using Elsa.Modules.Activities.Activities.Console;
+using Elsa.Modules.Scheduling.Activities;
+using Elsa.Runtime.Contracts;
+
+namespace Elsa.Samples.Web1.Workflows;
+
+public class DelayWorkflow : IWorkflow
+{
+    public void Build(IWorkflowDefinitionBuilder workflow)
+    {
+        workflow.WithRoot(new Sequence
+        {
+            Activities =
+            {
+                new WriteLine("Sleeping for 5 seconds..."),
+                Delay.FromSeconds(5),
+                new WriteLine(context => $"Continuing at {context.GetRequiredService<ISystemClock>().UtcNow}")
+            }
+        });
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Workflows/OrderProcessingWorkflow.cs b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Workflows/OrderProcessingWorkflow.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5f4ea90cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Workflows/OrderProcessingWorkflow.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+using Elsa.Activities;
+using Elsa.Contracts;
+using Elsa.Models;
+using Elsa.Modules.Activities.Activities.Console;
+using Elsa.Modules.Scheduling.Activities;
+using Elsa.Runtime.Contracts;
+using Elsa.Samples.Web1.Models;
+
+namespace Elsa.Samples.Web1.Workflows;
+
+public class OrderProcessingWorkflow : IWorkflow
+{
+    public void Build(IWorkflowDefinitionBuilder workflow)
+    {
+        var orderVariable = new Variable<Order>();
+
+        workflow.WithRoot(new Sequence
+        {
+            Variables = { orderVariable },
+            Activities =
+            {
+                new WriteLine("Creating order..."),
+                new SetVariable<Order>(orderVariable, new Order("order-1", 1, "customer-1", new[] { new OrderItem("product-1", 3) })),
+                Delay.FromSeconds(5),
+                new WriteLine(context => $"Shipping order {orderVariable.Get(context)!.Id}."),
+            }
+        });
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Workflows/SubmitJobWorkflow.cs b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Workflows/SubmitJobWorkflow.cs
index 848e0fcec..42e350aae 100644
--- a/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Workflows/SubmitJobWorkflow.cs
+++ b/src/samples/aspnet/Elsa.Samples.Web1/Workflows/SubmitJobWorkflow.cs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ using Elsa.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Jobs.Abstractions;
 using Elsa.Jobs.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Jobs.Models;
+using Elsa.Modules.Activities.Activities.Console;
 using Elsa.Runtime.Contracts;
 
 namespace Elsa.Samples.Web1.Workflows;
@@ -14,12 +15,20 @@ public class SubmitJobWorkflow : IWorkflow
 {
     public void Build(IWorkflowDefinitionBuilder workflow)
     {
-        workflow.WithRoot(new Inline(async context =>
+        workflow.WithRoot(new Sequence
         {
-            var jobQueue = context.GetRequiredService<IJobQueue>();
-            var job = new ReadTheInternetJob();
-            await jobQueue.SubmitJobAsync(job, cancellationToken: context.CancellationToken);
-        }));
+            Activities =
+            {
+                new WriteLine("Downloading..."),
+                new Inline(async context =>
+                {
+                    var jobQueue = context.GetRequiredService<IJobQueue>();
+                    var job = new ReadTheInternetJob();
+                    await jobQueue.SubmitJobAsync(job, cancellationToken: context.CancellationToken);
+                })
+                // TODO: Implement a "job" activity that blocks the workflow until the job completes.
+            }
+        });
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/samples/console/Elsa.Samples.Console1/Program.cs b/src/samples/console/Elsa.Samples.Console1/Program.cs
index 1de0055ba..e52e7027e 100644
--- a/src/samples/console/Elsa.Samples.Console1/Program.cs
+++ b/src/samples/console/Elsa.Samples.Console1/Program.cs
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ using System.Linq;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using Elsa.Contracts;
 using Elsa.Extensions;
-using Elsa.Mediator.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Models;
 using Elsa.Persistence.InMemory.Extensions;
 using Elsa.Pipelines.ActivityExecution.Components;