This read-only Gauge32 gives the numeric sequence position of this stage within its parent workflow, i.e. whether it's the first, third, or tenth step to execute. Admins use the order value together with the stage name and status to reconstruct exactly how far through a multi-step operation the IOM has progressed when reviewing a table of stage records. A stage with order value 2 that's still 'inProgress' while stages with order values 3 through 8 don't exist yet confirms the workflow has only just begun.