Workflows in Bubble don't always execute steps in strict sequence. Some actions run on the client (your user's browser), others on Bubble's server, and some on both. When a workflow mixes actions from these different contexts, the order in which steps actually fire can differ from how they're arranged in the editor.
What you might notice
A step later in a workflow seems to fire before an earlier step
A later step that relies on data from an earlier step doesn't receive it
Searches don't immediately reflect changes made earlier in the same workflow
The debugger shows steps running in order, but the behavior in your app doesn't match
Workaround
Move steps that depend on each other into a custom event — this ensures they complete before the workflow continues
Use "Result of step X" to pass data between steps rather than running a new search after a create or update action
If a backend workflow must run after certain frontend steps, place it inside a custom event positioned after those steps
Use "Add a pause before next action" when a brief delay between steps is enough to resolve the timing issue
You can read more about how workflows execute in the workflow documentation.