Automation
Triggers, conditions, and branches
How a workflow knows when to run and where to go: the events that trigger it, the AND/OR conditions that filter it, and the branches that route a run down the right path.
Updated July 2026
Every workflow is built from three kinds of logic. A trigger decides when it starts. Conditions decide whether it should keep going for a given record. And branches decide which actions run when one workflow needs to handle more than one case. Get these three right and the rest of the flow falls into place.
This guide explains each one as it actually works in KudosCRM — which events really fire a workflow, how AND/OR nested conditions and the operator set work, and how an N-way branch with an else path sends each run down the correct route.
Who this is for
People building or debugging workflows who want to understand exactly when a flow runs and how it decides where to go.
Before you start
- A workflow to work in (see "How to build your first workflow").
- A rough idea of the event you want to react to and the records you want to include or exclude.
- Familiarity with the fields you'll test in a condition (deal amount, lead country, stage, etc.).
Triggers that actually fire
Build on triggers that fire from real events: deals (created, updated, stage moved, won, lost), contacts and leads (created, updated, stage changed), forms (submitted), meetings (booked, completed, no-show, cancelled), quotes (sent, viewed, accepted, approved, expired), orders (placed), invoices (created), projects (created, status changed, milestone done, health degraded), campaigns (launched, clicked), and partners (lead registered, approved) — about 20+ in all. Scheduled (cron) and manual run-now triggers are on the roadmap, shown with a "Soon" pill.
How the three pieces work
Pick the trigger event
The trigger is the event that starts a run. Choose one that matches the moment you care about — "deal stage moved" fires on every stage change, "deal won" fires only at the terminal win. The trigger also decides what data is available downstream: a deal trigger gives you the deal and its company; a form trigger gives you the submission.
Filter with a condition
A condition is a test that must pass for the run to continue. For example: amount is greater than 10,000, or stage equals Proposal. If the condition fails, the run stops there — nothing after it executes for that record.
Combine tests with AND / OR
Conditions support nested AND/OR groups, so you can express real rules: (amount > 10,000 AND owner is empty) OR (source is "Referral"). Group tests the way you'd say them out loud, and the builder evaluates the whole expression for each run.
Pick the right operator
There are 13 operators to choose from — equals / not equals, greater than / less than, contains, is empty / is not empty, is in a list, and more. Match the operator to the field type: a numeric comparison for amount, "is in" for a set of countries, "is empty" to catch unassigned records.
Branch when one flow has many cases
When the same trigger needs different handling, add a branch node. A branch can split N ways, each path with its own test, plus an else path that catches everything no path matched. High-value deals can take one route, mid-market another, and everything else the else path.
Put actions on each path
Each branch holds its own actions, so the run only does what's right for the path it took. A deal on the "enterprise" path might post to Slack and assign a senior rep; the else path might just create a follow-up task.
Dry-run to confirm the route
Before going live, dry-run a sample record. The simulator shows which condition passed and which branch the run took, so you can confirm the logic does what you meant — without sending anything for real.
What you get
- Workflows that start on the exact event you care about, not a vague one.
- Precise control over which records a flow runs for, using AND/OR and 13 operators.
- One workflow that handles several cases cleanly via N-way branches and an else path.
- Confidence the routing is correct, proven with a dry run.
Related articles
Build your first workflow
The end-to-end path from a blank flow to a live workflow.
Read articleAdd an AI step to a workflow
Use a real Claude step to classify an input and branch on its output.
Read articleRead run history & retry
See exactly which condition passed and which branch a run took.
Read articleWorkflows (feature)
The visual flow builder, triggers, and conditions on the feature page.
Read articleAutomation is the layer that does the busywork across the whole KudosCRM journey — when something happens in one stage, a workflow can act in another. See the full picture on the Automation platform overview.
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