How to Test a Workflow Before Using It With Members
Test every new workflow with a test contact and a real test event, confirm each run in Enrollment History, and only then let members through. This walkthrough covers publishing the workflow, running matching and non-matching test events, re-testing with Allow re-entry, verifying logs and the contact record, and enrolling a test contact manually.
Publish the workflow before live testing
A workflow only runs after it is Published. A Draft workflow never processes triggers and does not take real actions, so no test event will start it. Publish, then test live: live testing is the most accurate validation.
Open the workflow in Automation.
Click Publish.
Set up a test contact
Use yourself or a colleague with a real inbox you can check, rather than a member record. That way you can confirm emails actually arrive and no test activity touches real member data.
Add the test contact with a real email address you can open.
Keep the test contact separate from your member records.
Test both the matching and the non-matching event
A workflow should start for the right event and stay silent for everything else. Run both sides of that check before launch.
Form triggers
Submit the form the workflow is built around.
Confirm the workflow starts for your test contact.
Check that the expected tag was applied and the email was delivered.
Review the test contact's record to confirm the updates you expected.
Submit a different form that should not trigger the workflow.
Confirm the workflow did not run.
Payment triggers
An unfiltered Payment Received trigger runs for both successful and failed payment attempts, and it covers one-time purchases, subscription charges, and invoices. Filter Payment status to Success or Failed so the workflow targets only the outcome you want, and test that outcome specifically.
Order forms
For order forms, use the funnel's test mode with dummy card details before enabling Publish, then confirm the workflow runs as expected once it is live.
Run the workflow more than once
Re-testing the same workflow needs re-entry. With Allow re-entry off, a contact who has already completed the workflow cannot run through it again.
Open the workflow's Workflow Settings.
Turn Allow re-entry on.
Run your test again.
Turn Allow re-entry off again when testing is done.
Tip: using a fresh test contact for each run avoids re-entry entirely, so you never have to touch the setting.
Verify each run in Enrollment History
Enrollment History shows who went through the workflow, which path they took, and every step that ran. History is available for 30 days.
In the left navigation, click Automation.
Open the workflow.
Click the Enrollment History tab.
Search for your test contact.
Open the path icon to see the route your contact took highlighted in the workflow.
Open the history icon (clock) to see the Execution Logs list of steps, and click View Details for more about any step.
If the test contact does not appear, you will see No Enrollments Found. That means the contact has never been through this workflow, or it has been longer than 30 days.
Check the contact record and communications
The logs confirm the workflow ran; the contact record confirms it did what you designed. Before launch, confirm:
Emails arrived in your test inbox.
Tags were applied.
Contact fields were updated.
Internal tasks and notifications appeared for your team.
Enroll a test contact manually
Manual enrollment runs a specific contact through a workflow without waiting for the trigger event, which is useful for testing the steps themselves.
Open the contact record.
Go to Actions > Workflows.
Click Add (+).
Select the workflow and confirm.
Bulk enrollment from the contacts list only offers published workflows.
Turn on error notifications
Error notifications are off by default. Turn them on in Workflow Settings so you get an email when a covered action fails.