Hybrid recipient workflows help senders build agreements where some recipients act in sequence, and others act during the same routing step. Use this workflow when one recipient must complete their action before a group can act, or when several recipients need to act before the agreement moves to the next step.

Adobe Acrobat Sign supports hybrid workflows by combining sequential routing with recipient groups. A recipient group represents one recipient step in the routing order and contains multiple recipients who receive access to the agreement at the same time. The agreement moves forward after the recipient group completes the required action.

Before you begin

Hybrid recipient routing must be enabled by an administrator.
Start the agreement as a sequential signing flow before adding the parallel recipient group step.
Confirm the recipient order before sending the agreement.
For best performance and manageability, keep hybrid workflows below 50 total participants.
Electronic seals are not supported in hybrid signature workflows.

How hybrid recipient workflows work

A hybrid workflow starts with a sequential routing structure. One or more steps in that sequence can include a recipient group, allowing multiple recipients to act during the same step.

For example, a hybrid workflow might route like this:

Recipients 1-3 are a parallel signature group with three members.
- The three members of the group are notified at the same time and can complete their actions in any order within the group.
- All members must complete their actions before the signature flow moves to the next recipient
Recipient 4 is an individual recipient.
Recipient 5 is a recipient group with three members.
- All three members of the group are notified at the same time.
- Only the first member to complete the group's action is needed to move the signature flow to the next recipient.
Recipient 6 is an individual recipient.

(See pattern 3 below)

Diagram showing hybrid workflow patterns with a parallel recipient group, individual recipients, and recipient groups in different routing positions. — A hybrid workflow can place parallel recipient groups and recipient groups at different points in the sequence. The key difference is that a parallel recipient group requires all listed recipients to complete, while a recipient group completes according to its group rule.

Create a hybrid workflow

A hybrid workflow starts from a sequential signing order. After the signing order is enabled, each routing step can contain an individual recipient, a parallel recipient group, or a recipient group.
Use a group step wherever multiple people need to act before the agreement moves forward.

Start a new agreement.
Set the recipient routing to sequential signing order.
Add the first routing step:
- Add an Individual recipient if one person should act at this step.
- Add a Group if multiple people should be included at this step.
  
  Enter a group name.
  
  Enable All members must complete to define a parallel group, or leave disabled for a recipient group.
  
  Select Add members and then add all of the members to the group. Define each member's:
  
  Email
  
  Name (if required)
  
  Role
  
  Delivery method (If required)
  
  Private message (if needed)
  
  Authentication method
  
  Select Done.
Continue adding individual recipients or groups in the order they should act.
Review the full recipient order and Send the agreement when ready.

A recipient group appears as one recipient step in the routing order, even though several people may be available to act for that step.

Review participant count before sending

For optimal performance, hybrid workflows should include fewer than 50 participants in total. Count each individual recipient and each member of a recipient group toward the total.

For example:

5 individual recipients = 5 participants.
1 recipient group with 10 members = 10 participants.
1 parallel group with 3 members = 3 participants.
5 individual recipients plus one 10-member recipient group plus one 3-member parallel group = 18 total participants.

Larger hybrid workflows can be harder to review, modify, and troubleshoot. They may also take longer to process, especially if the agreement is modified after it's sent.

If the workflow requires 50 or more participants, consider splitting the process into separate agreements or simplifying the routing structure before sending.

Best practices

Use hybrid workflows when the signing order matters, but multiple recipients need to act during the same stage.
Use a parallel recipient group when every recipient in the step must complete their action.
Use a recipient group when any allowed group member can act for one recipient step.
Use clear group names so senders and admins can understand the routing sequence later.
Keep the participant count below 50 whenever possible.
Review the recipient order before sending.
Use Custom Send Workflows for repeatable, business-critical routing patterns that should not be rebuilt manually each time.
Avoid adding large groups unless the members truly need to participate in the same agreement step.

Things to know before sending

A hybrid workflow must start as a sequential signing flow.
A parallel recipient group contains multiple individual recipients in the same routing step. All recipients in the parallel recipient group must complete before the agreement moves forward.
Members of a parallel recipient group can complete their actions in any order.
A recipient group is one recipient step with multiple group members.
Recipient group completion depends on the group configuration. If only one member is required, the agreement moves forward after one member completes the group action.
A hybrid workflow can include one or more parallel recipient groups or recipient groups, depending on the agreement routing needs.
Count each individual recipient and each recipient group member when reviewing total participant count.
The fewer-than-50 participant guidance is a best-practice recommendation for performance and manageability, not a hard system limit.
Larger hybrid workflows may be harder to review, modify, and troubleshoot, especially after sending.
Electronic seals are not supported in hybrid signature workflows.

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Compose a hybrid recipient workflow

Combine ordered routing with parallel participation so complex agreements move through the right people at the right time.