Flows - Parent Types Explained

Understanding Parent Types in Flows

When creating a Flow in Membrain, one of the key configuration steps is selecting a Parent Type. This setting determines what kind of entity the Flow is tied to - and helps ensure the workflow is properly connected within your CRM environment.

There are four Parent Types to choose from:

1. Company - Perfect for processes at an account level like project and delivery planning
   
   
2. Contact - Useful for individual-focused processes, like recruitment, training deliveries and other external contact workflows
   
   
3. User - Great for internal organization, including staff onboardings, personal routines, and other user specific workflows
   
   
4. None - Best for team-wide initiatives that don’t belong to a specific entity, such as marketing coordination, event planning, or shared templates

Company Parent Type

Choose this when your Flow is related to an organization rather than a specific person.

This is ideal for:

• Strategic account or delivery planning
• Implementation and onboarding workflows at the company level
• Key account celebrations

Why use it:

It ensures everyone interacting with a company has visibility into shared processes and responsibilities, reducing handover issues and missed steps.

Contact Parent Type

This is the right option when the process focuses on an individual person - typically a prospect, buyer, or stakeholder.

Example uses:

• Outreach cadences
• Personnel recruitment processes
• Personalized nurture sequences

Why use it:

It keeps workflows personal and targeted, ensuring your actions stay aligned with an individual's role.

User Parent Type

Use this type when the Flow is tied to an internal team member - typically to support individual routines or responsibilities.

Common examples:

• Daily checklists
• Recurring internal tasks and workflows
• Personal on-boarding or productivity Flows

Why use it:

It helps team members stay organized and consistent in their day-to-day work, even outside of sales opportunities.

Automatic Access for Parent Users

For Flow Processes with the User Parent Type, a setting in the Process Settings allows you to automatically grant view access to the assigned Parent User.

When the Grant Access to Parent User toggle is enabled, the Parent User is automatically able to view the Flow Project they are responsible for. This toggle is available for all Flows with a Parent Type of User, and it is enabled by default for newly created Flow Processes of this kind. With this setting active, the Parent User does not need to be manually added to the project to gain access. This feature simplifies access management and ensures that responsible team members always have visibility into their assigned Flows.

No Parent Type

If your workflow doesn’t need to be tied to a specific entity, select “None.” This is useful for general-purpose Flows or templates.

Best for:

• Marketing campaigns and Event planning
• Multi-team collaboration efforts like product launches
• Shared process templates
• Recurring meetings or internal routines

Why use it:

It gives you flexibility to create repeatable structures that are reused across different contexts or teams.

Choosing the Right Parent Type

Selecting the right Parent Type ensures your Flow connects seamlessly to your CRM data. It impacts where the Flow appears, how it's triggered, and who can see or interact with it.

A good rule of thumb:

• Who does this process belong to?
• Who needs visibility and accountability?

Answering those questions helps determine the most effective setup.

For additional support feel free to reach out to your Membrain contact or contact support@membrain.com