Design the failure path before you celebrate the happy path.

A workflow is not complete until someone knows what happens when it cannot complete.

Name the likely failures

Missing data, duplicate records, disconnected systems and changed permissions are ordinary operating conditions. For each step, ask what could stop it and what evidence a person would need to understand the problem.

Make retrying safe

Repeating a step can accidentally create two orders or send two messages. Agree how the workflow recognises work already completed and which actions can safely be attempted again. Test this with realistic examples.

Give an alert somewhere to go

An alert without an owner is another inbox problem. Identify the person or queue responsible for review, what information the alert includes and how resolution is recorded.

Rehearse recovery

Test a missing field, an unavailable connection and a partial completion before launch. Confirm that the process pauses or recovers as expected and that the team can follow the guidance. A recovery plan earns its value when someone other than its author can use it.