Flow Governance Checklist

Flow Governance Checklist

Overview

This checklist ensures that Salesforce Flows meet enterprise governance standards for security, performance, maintainability, and compliance. Use this before deploying flows to production.

Pre-Development Phase

📋 Requirements Review

• Business requirement documented with clear success criteria
• Stakeholders identified (business owner, technical owner, security reviewer)
• Scope defined (which objects, which scenarios, which users)
• Existing automation reviewed (no conflicts with other flows, process builders, workflows)
• Alternative solutions considered (Apex trigger vs Flow vs declarative field updates)

🏗️ Architecture Planning

• Orchestration pattern selected (Parent-Child, Sequential, Conditional, or standalone)
• Subflow reuse identified (can use existing subflows from library?)
• Data volume estimated (how many records will this process?)
• Governor limits reviewed (will this exceed SOQL/DML limits?)
• Integration points identified (external callouts, platform events, Apex actions)

Development Phase

💻 Technical Implementation

Naming & Organization

• Flow name follows convention: {Type}_{Object}_{Purpose} (e.g., RTF_Account_UpdateIndustry)
• Description is clear and complete (one-sentence summary of what flow does)
• Elements have meaningful names (no "Decision_0162847" default names)
• Variables use type prefixes (var for single, col for collection)
• API version is current (65.0 for Summer '26)

Performance & Bulkification

• No DML inside loops (CRITICAL - causes bulk failures)
• Bulkified operations (handles collections, not single records)
• Transform element used where applicable (faster than loops for field mapping)
  • Use Transform for: bulk field mapping, collection conversion, simple formulas
  • Use Loop for: per-record IF/ELSE, counters/flags, varying business rules
  • See references/transform-vs-loop-guide.md for decision criteria
  • ⚠️ Create Transform in Flow Builder UI, then deploy (complex XML)
• SOQL queries minimized (get all needed data in fewest queries)
• Record lookups have appropriate filters (don't query unnecessary records)

Error Handling

• All DML operations have fault paths connected
• Fault paths connect to error logging (Sub_LogError or custom)
• Error messages are descriptive (help with troubleshooting)
• Critical failures stop execution (fail-fast pattern)
• Non-critical failures logged but don't block (fire-and-forget for notifications)

Security & Permissions

• Running mode documented (System vs User mode - why?)
• Sensitive fields identified (SSN, credit card, passwords, etc.)
• Object access documented (which objects CREATE/READ/UPDATE/DELETE)
• Field-level security considered (will users have access to all fields?)
• No hardcoded credentials or sensitive data in flow

Reusability & Maintainability

• Complex logic extracted to subflows (>200 lines suggests need for subflow)
• Subflows are single-purpose (do one thing well)
• Input/output variables clearly defined (documented with descriptions)
• Magic numbers avoided (use named constants or custom metadata)
• Auto-layout enabled (locationX/Y = 0 for cleaner diffs)

Testing Phase

🧪 Unit Testing

• Flow tested independently with representative data
• All decision paths tested (every branch, every outcome)
• Error scenarios tested (what happens when DML fails?)
• Edge cases tested (null values, empty strings, zero quantities)
• Variable values verified at each step (using debug mode)

📊 Bulk Testing

• Tested with 200+ records (Data Loader or bulk API)
• No governor limit errors (SOQL, DML, CPU time all under limits)
• Performance acceptable (<5 seconds per batch)
• Debug logs reviewed for warnings or inefficiencies
• Simulation mode passed (if using flow_simulator.py)

🔒 Security Testing

• Tested with Standard User profile (most restrictive)
• Tested with custom profiles that have limited object access
• Tested with different permission sets assigned
• Verified FLS is respected (fields without access don't cause errors)
• Verified CRUD is respected (operations without access fail gracefully)

🔗 Integration Testing

• Tested with related flows (no conflicts or race conditions)
• Tested with existing automation (Process Builder, Workflow Rules, Apex triggers)
• Tested with Apex actions (if flow calls Apex)
• Tested with external integrations (platform events, HTTP callouts)
• End-to-end user acceptance testing completed

Pre-Production Phase

📝 Documentation

• Flow documentation generated (using documentation template)
• Dependencies documented (which subflows, objects, fields are required)
• Configuration notes provided (any required custom settings, metadata)
• Rollback plan documented (how to deactivate if issues arise)
• Support documentation created (for help desk/support team)

🔍 Code Review

• Peer review completed (another developer reviewed)
• Security review completed (if accessing sensitive data)
• Architecture review completed (if complex orchestration)
• Best practices validated (all items in this checklist)
• Auto-fix recommendations applied (from enhanced_validator.py)

🚦 Deployment Preparation

• Deployment plan documented (sandbox → UAT → production)
• Change set or package created (includes all dependencies)
• Validation deployment successful (--dry-run passed)
• Activation strategy defined (deploy as Draft, activate after monitoring)
• Monitoring plan in place (how to track errors post-deployment)

Production Deployment

🚀 Deployment Day

• Backup current automation (export existing flows as reference)
• Deploy during low-traffic window (minimize user impact)
• Deploy as Draft initially (not activated until verified)
• Verify deployment successful (flow appears in Setup → Flows)
• Test basic functionality in production (with test records)

🔦 Monitoring

• Activate flow after initial verification
• Monitor error logs (Flow_Error_Log__c or debug logs)
• Monitor performance (Setup → Apex Jobs, flow interview records)
• Monitor user feedback (support tickets, user questions)
• Review after 24 hours (any unexpected behavior?)

🛠️ Post-Deployment

• Document any issues encountered during deployment
• Update documentation with production-specific notes
• Communicate to users (release notes, training, announcements)
• Schedule follow-up review (1 week, 1 month)
• Archive old automation (deactivate replaced Process Builders/Workflows)

Ongoing Maintenance

📅 Regular Reviews

• Monthly error log review (any recurring failures?)
• Quarterly performance review (execution time trends)
• Bi-annual security review (still appropriate permissions?)
• Annual architecture review (still meets business needs?)
• Update for new API versions (leverage latest features)

🔄 Change Management

• Change requests tracked (JIRA, Salesforce cases, etc.)
• Impact analysis documented (what will change affect?)
• Testing repeated for changes (full checklist for major changes)
• Version history maintained (change log in flow description)
• Deprecation plan for old flows (when will they be deactivated?)

Governance Scoring

Calculate Your Governance Score

Assign points for completed items:

• Pre-Development: 10 items × 2 points = 20 points
• Development: 25 items × 2 points = 50 points
• Testing: 15 items × 3 points = 45 points
• Pre-Production: 15 items × 3 points = 45 points
• Deployment: 10 items × 2 points = 20 points
• Ongoing: 10 items × 2 points = 20 points

Total Possible: 200 points

Governance Rating

Minimum for Production: 140+ (Good rating)

Exception Process

When to Request Exception

Sometimes strict governance isn't feasible. Request exception for:

• Proof-of-concept flows (not production-critical)
• Emergency hotfixes (security issues, critical bugs)
• Temporary workarounds (permanent solution in progress)

Exception Request Template

Flow Name: [Name]
Exception Requested For: [Which checklist items?]
Reason: [Why can't you comply?]
Risk Assessment: [What's the risk of proceeding?]
Mitigation Plan: [How will you reduce risk?]
Timeline: [When will full compliance be achieved?]
Approver: [Who approved this exception?]

Quick Reference Guide

Priority Checks (Must-Do)

✅ Top 5 Critical Items:

1. No DML inside loops
2. All DML operations have fault paths
3. Tested with 200+ records (bulk testing)
4. Security testing with Standard User profile
5. Deployment plan and rollback documented

Common Pitfalls

❌ Top 5 Common Mistakes:

1. Deploying directly to production (skip sandbox testing)
2. Activating immediately after deployment (skip verification)
3. No error logging (can't debug production issues)
4. Not testing bulk scenarios (fails with >200 records)
5. Ignoring security implications (system mode without review)

Resources

Tools

• enhanced_validator.py: Comprehensive 6-category validation (includes naming, security, performance, architecture)
• flow_simulator.py: Bulk testing simulation

Documentation

• Subflow Library: Reusable components
• Orchestration Guide: Architecture patterns
• Flow Best Practices: Security guidelines
• Architecture Review Template: Formal review process

Salesforce Resources

• Flow Best Practices
• Flow Limits
• Security Guide

Version History

Support

Questions about this checklist?

1. Review related documentation above
2. Consult with Salesforce architect or admin
3. Request architecture review for complex flows

Remember: Governance isn't gatekeeping—it's protecting your org from technical debt, security issues, and poor user experiences. Take the time to do it right! 🛡️