In Splunk SOAR, playbooks can execute actions either synchronously (waiting for one action to

complete before starting the next) or asynchronously (allowing actions to run concurrently). If a

playbook starts executing before the previous one has completed, it indicates that synchronous

execution has not been properly configured between these playbooks. This is crucial when the

output of one playbook is a dependency for the subsequent playbook. Options B, C, and D do not

directly address the observed behavior of concurrent playbook execution, making option A the most

accurate explanation for why the second playbook starts before the completion of the first.

synchronous execution is a feature of the SOAR automation engine that allows you to control the

order of execution of playbook blocks. Synchronous execution ensures that a playbook block waits for

the completion of the previous block before starting its execution. Synchronous execution can be

enabled or disabled for each playbook block in the playbook editor, by toggling the Synchronous

Execution switch in the block settings. Therefore, option A is the correct answer, as it states the cause

of the behavior where the second playbook starts executing before the first one completes. Option B

is incorrect, because the first playbook performing poorly is not the cause of the behavior, but rather

a possible consequence of the behavior. Option C is incorrect, because the sleep option for the

second playbook is not the cause of the behavior, but rather a workaround that can be used to delay

the execution of the second playbook. Option D is incorrect, because the join configuration on the

second playbook is not the cause of the behavior, but rather a way of merging multiple paths of

execution into one.