Overview
Flow Orchestration (built in Flow Builder and often called Flow Orchestrator) combines existing flows into one coordinated process. An orchestration is made of stages that run in sequence, and each stage contains steps that can run in parallel. Background steps run autolaunched flows without user involvement. Interactive steps run screen flows and are assigned to a user, a public group or a queue; the assignee sees the work item on the record page through the Orchestration Work Guide component or in their list of work items.
By default, a stage completes when all its steps complete, and a step starts when its stage starts. You can customize these with evaluation flows: autolaunched flows that return a Boolean telling the orchestration whether a step may start or a stage may finish. Orchestrations can be record-triggered or autolaunched. Administrators monitor runs and work items, debug orchestrations, deploy them like other flow metadata, and can pause, resume or cancel runs. In hyperautomation, orchestrations often coordinate human approvals around automated steps that call Composer, APIs or RPA bots.
How it's tested
Questions describe a multi-step business process with several roles, parallel tasks and conditions for moving forward, then ask how to structure stages and steps, how to assign work, how to customize when something starts or ends, or how to troubleshoot a run. The best answer reuses existing flows as steps and uses evaluation flows for custom conditions.
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Structure the process
A process with sequential phases and parallel tasks must be modelled as stages and steps.
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Control the timing
A step should start only when a condition is true, or a stage should end early, and you configure an evaluation flow.
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Route the work
Human tasks must go to a team rather than a named person, and you assign interactive steps to a group or queue.
A new-hire onboarding process needs IT, facilities and payroll to complete tasks at the same time once an offer is accepted, then a manager review. The parallel tasks belong as three steps in one stage, and the review is a step in the next stage. Each team's task is an interactive step assigned to that team's queue so any member can pick it up, and the manager review starts when the first stage completes.
Objectives 4
Official objectives from the Salesforce outline, in outline order.
8.1 Combine multiple automated workflows into a coordinated process.Stages, steps and reuse of existing flows.
- What it means
- An orchestration sequences stages, and each stage holds one or more steps that run in parallel by default. Each step runs an existing flow: an autolaunched flow for a background step or a screen flow for an interactive step. Orchestrations can be record-triggered or autolaunched and pass data into steps through input variables.
- What to understand
- Put work that must finish before the next phase in separate stages; put work that can happen at the same time in the same stage. Reuse existing flows as steps rather than rebuilding logic. Background steps can call Composer flows, APIs or other automation, letting the orchestration coordinate people and systems in one process.
- How it shows up
- A process description lists sequential phases and parallel tasks, and you choose how to arrange stages and steps.
- Common confusion
- Steps in the same stage run in parallel by default; stages, not steps, provide the sequence.
8.2 Customize entry and exit conditions for evaluation flows.Using evaluation flows to control when steps start and stages finish.
- What it means
- By default a step starts when its stage starts, and a stage completes when all its steps complete. You can override this with an evaluation flow, an autolaunched flow of the evaluation type that returns a Boolean output telling the orchestration whether the condition is met. Step entry conditions can also depend on another step completing.
- What to understand
- Use step entry conditions to start a step only when a record meets criteria or another step has finished. Use stage exit conditions when a stage should finish before all steps complete, for example when one approval is enough. The orchestration re-evaluates the condition when related records change, so evaluation flows should be lightweight.
- How it shows up
- A step must wait for a field value or a stage should end after any one approval, and you configure an evaluation flow.
- Common confusion
- An evaluation flow decides whether a condition is met; it does not perform the step's work.
8.3 Assign interactive steps to groups or queues.Routing human work items to teams.
- What it means
- Each interactive step has an assignee: a specific user, a user stored in a resource or variable, a public group or a queue. Assigned users see work items in the Orchestration Work Guide on the related record page and can complete the screen flow there.
- What to understand
- Assigning to a group or queue lets any member pick up work, which avoids bottlenecks when people are absent. Dynamic assignment from a variable lets the orchestration route to, for example, the record owner's manager. Assignees need access to the record and the screen flow for the work item to be usable.
- How it shows up
- Work should go to whichever support specialist is available, and you assign the interactive step to a queue.
- Common confusion
- Assigning to a named user creates a single point of failure; groups and queues share the work.
8.4 Debug, deploy, and manage Flow Orchestration.Testing runs, deploying metadata and handling in-flight orchestrations.
- What it means
- Orchestrations can be debugged from Flow Builder, and their runs and work items can be reviewed to see which stage and step a process is in and where it stopped. Orchestrations are flow metadata, so they deploy with change sets, the Metadata API or DevOps Center, and administrators can pause, resume or cancel runs.
- What to understand
- When a run stalls, check whether an interactive step is waiting on an assignee, whether an entry or exit condition is never satisfied, or whether a background flow failed. Deploy referenced flows and evaluation flows together with the orchestration. New orchestration versions apply to new runs; in-flight runs continue on the version they started with.
- How it shows up
- A run has been stuck for days, and you choose where to look and what to check first.
- Common confusion
- Activating a new version does not move in-flight runs onto it.
High-yield concepts
The terms, rules and formulas this domain turns into questions most often.
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Orchestration
A Flow Builder process that coordinates flows across stages, steps and people.
- Remember
- Built for multi-user, multi-step, long-running work.
- Tested as
- Tool-selection and structure questions.
- Trap
- Using one long screen flow instead.
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Stage
A sequential phase containing one or more steps.
- Remember
- Stages run one after another.
- Tested as
- Sequencing questions.
- Trap
- Putting parallel work in separate stages.
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Step
A unit of work inside a stage that runs a flow.
- Remember
- Steps in a stage run in parallel by default.
- Tested as
- Parallelism questions.
- Trap
- Assuming steps run in order.
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Background step
Runs an autolaunched flow without a person.
- Remember
- Use it for automation and integration calls.
- Tested as
- Mixing systems and people.
- Trap
- Using a screen flow for unattended work.
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Interactive step
Runs a screen flow assigned to a user, group or queue.
- Remember
- Work appears in the Orchestration Work Guide.
- Tested as
- Human task questions.
- Trap
- Forgetting record access for assignees.
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Evaluation flow
Autolaunched flow that returns whether an entry or exit condition is met.
- Remember
- Controls timing; keeps logic separate from the work.
- Tested as
- Custom condition questions.
- Trap
- Putting business actions inside it.
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Stage exit condition
Rule for when a stage completes, by default when all steps finish.
- Remember
- Customize to finish early, such as after one approval.
- Tested as
- Early completion scenarios.
- Trap
- Waiting for every step when one suffices.
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Step entry condition
Rule for when a step starts, by default when its stage starts.
- Remember
- Can depend on another step or a record condition.
- Tested as
- Dependency scenarios.
- Trap
- Creating a new stage just to delay one step.
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Orchestration Work Guide
Lightning component that shows assigned work items on a record page.
- Remember
- Add it to the record page so assignees can act.
- Tested as
- Usability and troubleshooting.
- Trap
- Assigning work with no place to see it.
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Run management
Reviewing, pausing, resuming and cancelling orchestration runs.
- Remember
- In-flight runs stay on their starting version.
- Tested as
- Manage and debug objective.
- Trap
- Expecting a new version to fix running instances.
Side by side
Concepts candidates mix up, compared on the point that decides the answer.
Stage vs. step
| Concept | Meaning | Key difference | Common trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage | Sequential phase | Next stage waits for the exit condition | Using stages for parallel work |
| Step | Unit of work within a stage | Parallel with sibling steps by default | Expecting steps to run in order |
Background vs. interactive step
| Concept | Meaning | Key difference | Common trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background step | Autolaunched flow, no user | Automation and integrations | Assigning it to a person |
| Interactive step | Screen flow for an assignee | Human work via work items | Assigning to one named user only |
Flow Orchestration vs. single flow
| Concept | Meaning | Key difference | Common trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flow Orchestration | Coordinates many flows and people over time | Stages, parallel steps, work items | Skipping it for multi-team processes |
| Single flow | One automation path | Best for one user or one transaction | Stretching it across teams with pauses |
Exam traps
Each trap is an answer that looks right. Learn the clue that should change your mind.
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One giant screen flow
- What candidates pick
- Build one screen flow that pauses and waits for each team.
- Why it looks right
- It keeps everything in one place.
- Why it's wrong
- Screen flows serve one user at a time; multi-user, parallel, long-running work is what orchestration is designed for.
Clue to watch for Several teams act on the same record over days.
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A stage per task
- What candidates pick
- Create a stage for each department's task.
- Why it looks right
- It looks organized.
- Why it's wrong
- Stages run sequentially, so independent tasks would wait on each other instead of running in parallel.
Clue to watch for The tasks can happen at the same time.
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Named user assignment
- What candidates pick
- Assign the interactive step to the team lead.
- Why it looks right
- Someone is clearly responsible.
- Why it's wrong
- Work stalls when that person is unavailable; a group or queue lets any member complete it.
Clue to watch for Any member of the team can do the work.
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Wait for every approver
- What candidates pick
- Keep the default stage exit condition when one approval is enough.
- Why it looks right
- Defaults need no extra work.
- Why it's wrong
- The default waits for all steps; an evaluation flow for the stage exit condition lets it finish after the first approval.
Clue to watch for The scenario says any one approver can approve.
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Fix in-flight runs by reactivating
- What candidates pick
- Activate a corrected version to unblock stuck runs.
- Why it looks right
- New versions usually fix bugs.
- Why it's wrong
- Running instances stay on the version they started with; they must be handled through run management.
Clue to watch for Runs that started before the fix are still stuck.
Answer framework
Draw the process as phases and parallel tasks before choosing orchestration settings.
- Confirm the process needs orchestration: several people or teams, parallel tasks, or work that spans days.
- Group work that must finish before the next phase into stages and work that can happen together into steps in one stage.
- Make unattended work background steps with autolaunched flows and human work interactive steps with screen flows.
- Assign interactive steps to groups or queues where any member can act, and add the Orchestration Work Guide to the record page.
- Add evaluation flows only where default start and finish rules do not fit, then debug runs in Flow Builder and deploy the orchestration together with every flow it references.
Practice question
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Study strategy
Build one orchestration in a Developer Edition org; the hands-on version sticks far better than reading. Create a record-triggered orchestration on a custom object with two stages: the first with two interactive steps assigned to different queues and one background step, the second with a single review step. Add the Orchestration Work Guide to the record page and complete the work as different users.
High-priority topics are stage versus step behaviour, interactive step assignment and evaluation flows. Underestimated areas are run management and versioning, because questions about stuck runs often hinge on whether the work item has an assignee who can see it or whether an evaluation flow ever returns true.
Next, add an evaluation flow so that one step starts only when a field is set, and another that ends a stage after the first of two approvals. Break something deliberately, such as removing record access for an assignee, and see how the run behaves. In practice questions, sketch the stages and steps on paper before looking at the options.
FAQ
How much of the Mule-Dev-202 exam is Use Salesforce Flow Orchestrator to build parallel, multi-user, multi-step workstreams?
The Flow Orchestration section is 8% of the exam, about five of 60 questions as an editorial estimate.
What is the difference between a stage and a step?
Stages run in sequence and represent phases of the process. Steps sit inside a stage and run in parallel by default, each running a flow.
What is an evaluation flow?
An autolaunched flow that returns whether a condition is met, used to customize when a step starts or when a stage completes.
Can interactive steps be assigned to a team?
Yes. An interactive step can be assigned to a user, a public group, a queue, or a user identified by a variable at run time.
How does orchestration fit into hyperautomation?
It coordinates human and automated work in one process, with background steps that can call Composer flows, APIs or other automation and interactive steps for people.
How long should I study this section?
Plan about 5 to 7 hours as an editorial estimate, including building at least one orchestration end to end.
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Test your Domain 8 knowledge
You have covered stages and steps, evaluation flows, interactive step assignment and orchestration run management. Check whether you can structure a multi-team process quickly.
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