Editing a Flow Mid Flow

[Nate_Oosterhous]

Questions:

If I were to remove lets say a create a task flow step in the middle of a flow what does that affect?

If I were to swap out emails in send email flow steps in the middle of a flow what does that affect?

Example Flow:

Step 1 - Wait 5 days

Step 2 - Send Email

Step 3 - Wait 10 days

Step 4 - Send Email

Step 5 - Wait 5 days

Step 6 - Create Task

Step 7 - Send Email

Step 8 - Wait 10 days

Step 9 - Send Email

[Nate_Oosterhous]

I found this Delete a Flow Step - Marketo Docs - Product Docs but it does not answer my question about deleting a flow step other than a wait step (for example a create a task flow step).  It gives a good example of what happens when you delete a wait step though. 

Am I fine in my original question above to delete the create a task flow step and switch out emails?

[Dan_Stevens_]

For those leads that have yet to hit those flow steps, they will receive the updated email that you replace.  So if someone is in Step 3 (wait 10 days), they will remain in there for 10 days - at which time, they will proceed to Step 4.  If you replaced the email any time prior to a lead hitting that 10th day, they'll get the updated email.  In otherwords, Marketo doesn't process/cache all flow steps ahead of time.  It's done sequentially, in real-time.

[Nate_Oosterhous]

Hi Dan,

That answers my question about switching out emails in the send email flow steps.  Do you know what it affects when you remove a non-wait step flow step such as create a task?

[Dan_Stevens_]

My example applies for anything.  If the lead hasn't reached that step in the flow, you can change it however you'd like.  For those flow steps that are wait steps - that's a different story.  Once a lead is in a wait step, you cannot change it.  The lead will stay in that wait step for as long as they were initially configured to do so.

[Nate_Oosterhous]

Dan-

So nothing gets messed up in the order of the flow steps as long as you are not removing or changing a wait step?  My concern is that by removing the create a task step in the above example, those in for example the last wait step will not receive the last email because when they entered that wait step marketo was saying look for step 9 when they get out of the wait step and there will not be a step 9 with the removal of a step.

Thoughts?

[Dan_Stevens_]

The insight I provided assumes no lead has reached any of the changed flow steps; and none of the changed flow steps have a dependency on any later flow steps/choices.  What you now just mentioned may be an issue since a later flow step is referring to something that has changed previously (and those leads have received something different; or were never part of your revised flow step).

[Balkar_Singh]

Hi Nate,

Since there are long wait steps in the flow, you could clone this campaign, and change the flow in new smart campaign, and add a filter to exclude members of original campaign.

Edit - this is based on assumption that the swap was for the flow step (not the email update within the flow step)

Thanks,

Balkar

[Nate_Oosterhous]

Thanks Balkar,

I am just looking for an answer on what it affects when you remove a non-wait step flow step such as create a task?  How does that affect people entering the campaign, people in the flow but before that flow step, and people in the flow but after that wait step.

[Anonymous]

Hi Nate,

I agree with Dan when it comes to changing a step that if that record has not reached that step yet. The lead will just follow the new path of the steps/New Emails.

I would way say make it an engagement program for changing/removing/editing assets or content. This way you can change streams and add streams and steps if you want to and not worry about it.
Understanding Engagement Programs - Marketo Docs - Product Docs

Andy