Use conditions and branches

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Not every workflow should do the same thing every time

Many automations need to make decisions based on the input they receive. Examples:

• continue only if a record meets certain criteria
• route different requests to different destinations
• stop early when required data is missing
• wait before taking the next action

That is where conditions and control-flow steps become useful.

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Use branching when the workflow outcome depends on the input

Branching is a good fit when one workflow needs multiple possible paths. Use it when the workflow should ask:

• is this important enough to continue
• where should this be routed
• should it be handled one way or another

This is usually better than creating several almost-identical workflows that differ only by one rule.

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Keep condition logic easy to explain

A good branch should make sense in one sentence. For example:

• if the lead is high intent, notify sales
• if the message is low priority, store it without alerting anyone
• if required data is missing, stop the workflow

If the condition is hard to explain, it may be too complex for the current version of the workflow.

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Use wait steps intentionally

Wait steps are helpful when:

• a downstream system needs time before the next action
• the workflow should delay a follow-up
• the process should pause between stages

Use waits because the business process needs them, not because the workflow logic is unclear.

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End early when continuing would waste work

Sometimes the best result is to stop the workflow. That is useful when:

• the input is incomplete
• the record does not meet the workflow criteria
• the result would not be useful enough to keep processing

Ending early is often cleaner and cheaper than letting unnecessary steps run.

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Design for predictable outcomes

When adding conditions, optimize first for:

• readability
• predictable behavior
• easy testing

You can always make the logic more sophisticated later. Branches that are too clever too early are harder to maintain.

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Test each branch deliberately

Do not assume the branch logic is correct just because one path worked. Where possible, test:

• the true path
• the false path
• the early exit behavior
• any wait or delayed behavior that matters to the workflow

Branching is most trustworthy when each possible path has been checked intentionally.