Order of operation suddenly not working

Yes and as per this thread Tip: Order of Operation - #2 by aschofer, We should place backend workflows in a custom event wherein it’s the last step of operation.

We have also tried splitting the workflow in to 2 specific custom events

1st custom event:
steps 1 and 2 above

2nd custom event:
schedule backend workflow

yet it still produces the same result—the backend WF still triggers first