Migration to Flow: Our Approach & Guidelines

Published On : 20th Feb 2025

Introduction

This document states the key takeaways, considerations, and challenges faced while migrating processes and workflows to Flow. It also outlines considerations and limitations while using the Flow Migration Tool.

Why Migration to Flow is Necessary?

• Salesforce Strategy: Salesforce is retiring Workflow Rules and Process Builders to consolidate automation under Flow, ensuring alignment with its roadmap.
• Enhanced Capabilities: Flows handle complex logic, advanced branching, looping, and error management that older tools cannot.
• Improved Performance: Flows are optimized for bulk data processing, reducing risks of hitting governor limits and improving system performance.
• Streamlined Automation: Managing automation in a single tool simplifies monitoring, debugging, and maintenance.
• Better User Experience: Flows offer an intuitive drag-and-drop interface and support reusable components like Subflows for scalability.
• Limitations of Older Tools: Workflow Rules and Process Builders lack dynamic features, scalability, and ongoing updates, making them less effective for modern automation needs.
• Fault Handling: Flows include fault paths to manage errors gracefully, improving reliability.
• Future-Proofing: Migrating to Flow ensures compatibility with new Salesforce features and updates, keeping your system future-ready.

Step 1: Analysis

This phase consists of assessing the current state of automations, migration risk analysis and identifying improvement opportunities. 

1. WFR & PB Analysis by Object

• What is it?

This involves enumerating all Automations including Workflow Rules and Process Builders related to objects in Salesforce (e.g., Account, Opportunity, Case, Custom Objects).

• Why is it important?

The level of understanding when it comes to the depth and the reliance of automations is an essential starting point when it comes to the order of execution and data update.

• How to perform it?

Export a list of Workflow Rules and Process Builders for each object using Salesforce tools like the Metadata API or reports.

Document details such as:

• Trigger criteria like: “When a record is created,” or “Field X changes”.
• Actions taken including: “Email alerts”, “Field update”, “Task creation”, “Record Creation”, “Integration Callout” etc.
• Users, associated types of records, or processes that were involved.

2. Business Impact Analysis

• What is it?

This step looks at how current automations help key business processes and the possible issues during the move.

• Why is it important?

Automations often affect other areas like data integrity, user/customer communication. Developing a thorough understanding helps take a holistic approach to the migration.

• How to perform it?

• • Talk to people from different teams (like Sales, Marketing, Customer Service) to learn how they use automation. 

• • Write down which processes are crucial for the business and why. 

• • Find the main measures (KPIs) linked to these automations (like meeting service agreements and how fast lead follow up are sent etc.).

 

3. Migration Risk Analysis

• What is it?

A review of possible problems that might happen while moving to a new implementation or after the switch.

• Why is it important?

Spotting risks helps to avoid downtime, data problems, or loss of features.

• How to perform it?

• Technical Risks: Look at potential issues like:

• • Compatibility of current automation with Salesforce Flows. 

• • Data inconsistencies due to migration errors. 

• • Gaps related to the “Migration to Flow” tool.

• Operational Risks: Think about:

• • Dependency on critical automations during peak business hours. 

• • UI/UX changes and change management, user training needs.

• Develop a mitigation plan:

• • Test automated processes in test environments (Sandbox). 

• • Ensure regression testing is done.

• • Implement change management strategies.

4. Complexity and Priority Analysis

• What is it?

This categorizes automations based on how complex they are and how much they matter to the business.

• Why is it important?

It makes the migration process easier by starting with automations that have a big impact but aren’t too hard to do.

• How to perform it?

• • Complexity Criteria:
    
    • • Simple: One action with clear rules (like updating one field). 
    • • Moderate: Multiple actions and conditions. 
    • • Complex: Involves logic across different objects or processes that depend on each other.

• • Priority Criteria:
    
    • • High Priority: Automations crucial for business that have a direct effect. 
    • • Medium Priority: Automations that are significant but not urgent. 

    • • Low Priority: Automations that are old or not used much.

5. Optimization Analysis

• What is it?

An opportunity to refine and improve automation processes while migrating to Flows.

• Why is it important?

Migration is not just a direct port—it’s a chance to enhance efficiency and scalability.

• How to perform it:

• • Identify redundancies (e.g., multiple automations achieving the same outcome). 

• • Consolidate processes:
    
    • • Replace multiple Workflow Rules with a single, optimized Flow.

• • Leverage advanced Flow features:
    
    • • Screen Flows for guided user inputs. 
    • • Loop elements for batch processing. 
    • • Decision nodes for complex criteria.

• • Implement error-handling logic to ensure smoother operations.

 

Step 2: Decision Making

Effective decision-making ensures alignment between technical migration plans and business objectives. This phase focuses on engaging stakeholders, defining timelines, and securing approvals to move forward with confidence.

Key Steps in the Decision-Making Phase

• Business Discussion

• • Objective: Align the migration plan with the organization’s business goals and operational requirements.

• • Activities:
    
    • • Conduct detailed discussions with key business stakeholders to understand their expectations and concerns. 
    • • Present findings from the Analysis phase, including the impact of the migration on current operations and potential benefits. 
    • • Address questions related to automation changes, potential downtime, and resource requirements.

• • Outcome: Consensus on business priorities and objectives for the migration process.

• Timeline Discussion

• • Objective: Establish a realistic and achievable timeline for the migration project.

• • Activities:
    
    • • Break down the migration project into phases based on the complexity and priority of automations. 
    • • Discuss critical dates, such as system freeze periods or business deadlines. 
    • • Include buffer time for testing, stakeholder reviews, and training sessions.

• • Outcome: A clear and mutually agreed-upon timeline for executing the migration.

• Business Sign-Off

• • Objective: Obtain formal approval from business stakeholders to proceed with the migration plan.

• • Activities:
    
    • • Share a comprehensive migration plan, including objectives, risks, mitigations, and timelines. 
    • • Conduct a review session with stakeholders to address any last-minute concerns. 
    • • Secure sign-off from all relevant business units, ensuring buy-in and accountability.

• • Outcome: Written confirmation from stakeholders to proceed with the migration.

• Migration Plan Approval

• • Objective: Achieve formal approval of the migration plan from both technical and executive teams.

• • Activities:
    
    • • Present the final migration plan to technical leadership and executives for endorsement. 
    • • Highlight risk mitigation strategies and the value of migration in enhancing automation processes. 
    • • Finalize resource allocation, ensuring team readiness to execute the migration.

• • Outcome: Approved migration plan with documented endorsements from all key stakeholders.

 

Step 3: Execution and Testing

This phase focuses on implementing the migration plan, conducting rigorous testing, and ensuring a smooth transition to Salesforce Flows. It emphasizes minimizing disruptions, verifying functionality, and validating outcomes.

Key Steps in the Execution and Testing Phase

• Migration by Development Team

• • Objective: Execute the migration plan by developing and configuring Flows.

• • Activities:
    
    • • Develop Flows based on mapped Workflow Rules and Process Builders.
    • • Configure and implement optimized Flows in Salesforce Sandbox environments first.
    • • Migrate critical automations in a phased approach to reduce risks.
    • • Perform code reviews and peer validations to ensure adherence to best practices.

• • Outcome: Flows implemented in Sandbox, ready for testing.

• Build Promotion and QA Validation

• • Objective: Validate the integrity and functionality of the newly developed Flows.

• • Activities:
    
    • • Promote tested builds from Sandbox to QA environments.
    • • Conduct quality assurance testing to identify and resolve potential issues.
    • • Validate compliance with business rules and technical requirements.

• • Outcome: Approved builds for further testing and validation.

• Regression Testing and UAT

• • Objective: Ensure Flows work seamlessly without affecting existing processes and meet business needs.

• • Activities:
    
    • • Perform regression testing to validate that new Flows do not disrupt existing functionality.
    • • Conduct User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with key stakeholders and end-users.
    • • Incorporate feedback to refine and improve the Flows.
    • • Document test cases, scenarios, and results for traceability.

• • Outcome: Validated and user-approved Flows ready for deployment.

 

Step 4: Deployment and Support

This phase focuses on deploying the newly developed Flows to the production environment and ensuring continuous support for smooth operations.

Key Steps in Deployment and Support Phase

• Deployment Checklist

• • Objective: Prepare for a seamless deployment.

• • Activities:
    
    • • Verify all configurations and dependencies are in place.
    • • Ensure the production environment is ready for deployment.
    • • Perform a final sanity check in a pre-production environment.

• • Outcome: Comprehensive checklist to ensure a smooth deployment process.

• Production Deployment

• • Objective: Transition Flows into the live environment with minimal disruption.

• • Activities:
    
    • • Schedule deployment during low-impact business hours.
    • • Execute the deployment plan and validate successful migration.
    • • Ensure rollback plans are documented and ready if required.

• • Outcome: Fully operational Flows in the production environment.

• Post-Deployment Support

• • Objective: Address any immediate issues and provide ongoing support.

• • Activities:
    
    • • Monitor the performance of Flows in production.
    • • Resolve any post-deployment issues promptly.
    • • Gather initial feedback from users and implement necessary adjustments.

• • Outcome: Stable and optimized automation processes.

• Handover to In-House Team

• • Objective: Transfer ownership and ensure self-sufficiency for ongoing management.

• • Activities:
    
    • • Provide detailed documentation of the implemented Flows.
    • • Conduct training sessions for the in-house team.
    • • Establish a support framework for future enhancements.
    • • Share best practices and recommendations for Flow management.

• • Outcome: Empowered in-house team with full knowledge of the new automation processes.

Best Practices to Follow 

Coding Standards

• Flow Design and Structure

• • Clear Naming Conventions: Use clear, descriptive names for Flows, variables, and resources (e.g., Account_Approval_Flow instead of Flow1).

• • Subflow Usage: Where applicable, break complex logic into subflows to improve modularity and reusability.

• • Avoid Unnecessary Loops: Minimize the use of loops in flows unless necessary, as they can cause performance issues.

• • Flow Element Consistency: Ensure consistent use of flow elements (e.g., decision elements) and avoid complex logic in a single flow element.

• Simplify Flow Logic

• • Use Collections Efficiently: For operations involving multiple records, use collections (e.g., record collections, collection filters) to handle bulk operations rather than handling each record individually.

• • Avoid Hardcoding Values: Use dynamic references such as custom settings or custom metadata types, instead of hardcoding values. This ensures flexibility and easier maintenance.

• • Document Logic: Add descriptive comments within the flow to explain key steps, especially for complex logic, so other developers can easily understand and extend it if necessary.

• • Keep Flows Modular: Break complex Flows into smaller, more manageable parts. This makes debugging and testing easier and improves maintainability.

• Error Handling and Debugging

• • Handle Errors Gracefully: Ensure that your Flows have error handling mechanisms in place. Use Fault Paths to catch errors and notify the user when a Flow fails.

• • Use Debug Logs: For debugging, enable debug logs to track the flow execution, identify errors, and monitor the performance.

• • Test Fault Paths: Ensure that the fault paths are tested thoroughly and that the system provides appropriate error messages in case of failures.

• Performance Optimization

• • Limit Query and Update Operations: Be mindful of the governor limits in Salesforce. Avoid performing excessive DML operations or SOQL queries inside loops. Consider bulkifying the flow logic when dealing with multiple records.

• • Reduce Flow Elements: Keep the number of elements in a flow to a minimum to reduce complexity and improve performance.

• • Use Efficient Decisions: If a flow has multiple decision nodes, ensure that they are well-organized and optimized for performance. Redundant or unnecessary decisions should be avoided.

Code Review Checklist for Flows

When reviewing a flow, ensure the following items are checked:

• Flow Logic

• • Is the flow logic simple, clear, and understandable?

• • Are there any unnecessary decision branches or complex logic?

• • Is the flow using subflows for reusable logic and simplification?

• • Are collection variables used efficiently?

• Error Handling

• • Does the flow contain fault paths for handling errors gracefully?

• • Are error messages and notifications clear for users?

• • Have any limits (e.g., SOQL, DML) been properly managed to avoid hitting governor limits?

• Naming Conventions

• • Are all flow names, variable names, and resource names descriptive and follow the team’s naming conventions?

• Testing and Debugging

• • Has the flow been tested in all scenarios, including edge cases?

• • Are there debug logs available for tracking flow execution?

• Performance Considerations

• • Are there any performance optimizations like limiting the number of records processed, reducing loops, or minimizing complex operations inside the flow?