A Business Process Flow (BPF) is the horizontal stage bar you see at the top of certain record forms (classically, the Opportunity sales stages: Qualify → Develop → Propose → Close). It guides users through a defined process step by step, without forcing them to figure out “what do I do next” on their own.

Stages and steps

A BPF is made of ordered stages (Qualify, Develop, Propose…), each containing steps — individual fields the user should fill in before moving to the next stage. Steps can be marked required, blocking progression until completed.

Branching

BPFs support conditional branching: based on a field value, the process can route down different sets of stages. For example, a “High Value” opportunity branch might include an extra “Executive Approval” stage that a low-value opportunity skips entirely.

Multi-entity BPFs

A single BPF can span multiple tables — starting on a Lead, continuing onto the Opportunity it converts to, and finishing on the Order. This is what makes BPFs genuinely powerful for guiding a full business process rather than just one record’s lifecycle.

Active Path vs. Enforce. By default, BPFs just suggest an order — users can jump stages or ignore steps unless you explicitly set steps as required. Don’t assume a BPF enforces process compliance unless you’ve deliberately configured required steps; a BPF with no required fields is purely a visual guide, not a control.

BPF vs. workflow vs. business rule

A BPF is about guiding a user visually through a multi-stage process. A workflow (next chapter) automates background actions without user interaction. A business rule handles simple field-level logic on a single form. They solve different problems and are often used together on the same table.