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Decision with waiting step

Decision with waiting step

This pattern requires three automations, not two. It handles “Is something ready?” - either proceed immediately or wait until it is.

The pattern

  • YES - skip waiting, go directly to the next step
  • NO - show a waiting step, then continue when it’s done

Most people create two automations (one for YES, one for NO) and stop there. That’s the mistake.

Example: payment confirmation

Say you have three steps:

  1. Decision step - “Has the customer paid?” (YES/NO field)
  2. Waiting step - “Hold until payment received” (hidden by default)
  3. Confirmation step - “Record payment evidence” (hidden by default)

All three automations

Automation 1 - YES path (customer already paid):

IF (Payment field) is "Yes"
THEN HIDE "Hold until payment received" step
THEN SHOW "Record payment evidence" step

Customer paid? Skip the wait, go straight to confirmation.

Automation 2 - NO path (customer hasn’t paid yet):

IF (Payment field) is "No"
THEN SHOW "Hold until payment received" step
THEN HIDE "Record payment evidence" step

Haven’t paid? Show the waiting step. Hide confirmation for now.

Automation 3 - Waiting complete (the one people forget):

IF "Hold until payment received" step is Completed
THEN SHOW "Record payment evidence" step

That’s the critical piece. When the waiting step finishes, it reveals the confirmation step.

Common mistake

Without automation 3, the confirmation step stays hidden forever after the waiting step completes. The NO path dead-ends.

Why you need all three

Here’s what happens with only two automations:

ScenarioWhat happens
YES selectedWorks fine - confirmation step appears
NO selectedWaiting step appears, confirmation hidden
Waiting step completedNothing! Confirmation stays hidden

Automation 3 closes the loop on the NO path.

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