Jared, I understand keeping track of the data dependencies will be a challenge which is why I'm actually creating that 'mapping' outside of Laserfiche Forms.

I'm asking if a single branch is selected, and the variable is populated via that branch, any future reference to that variable (in a form further down the business process) should contain the value that it was populated with at the start of that branch.  Regardless of whether that form is the origin of that variable. Is that correct?

It makes sense in a simple case where you have a single branch or you only place variables such that they follow a simple path. The feature would quickly get complicated if you have variables being filled on multiple branches, conditional branches, loops... We'd have to do some investigation on how to handle those cases so this feature would remain useful. 

Jared, I'm finding the following happening (using scenario from above):

       Using your starting form and approval form scenario, I have a starting form and depending upon the business unit, I pass a different approval form to Dept A, Dept B, and Dept C user tasks.  I may create the field in Dept C's form but then added it to Dept A and B's forms.

Where these fields are single line or number I can pass content through the business process regardless of where the field originated.  BUT I can't seem to pass an extra large 10 line multi-line field. (I've made sure that the receiving field is the same type and size.)

Thoughts on the multi-line field?  We need the description to pass through the process and this is the multi-line field.

Nothing about that shouldn't work. If you have a multi-line field on your starting form and use the same variable on a secondary form, the data from the first form should pass seamlessly to the next. I just tested it and it worked for me. 

Some things to check

1. Submit the starting form with a value in the multi-line field. Check the Monitor page for that instance, is there a value in there? 
2. Open up the next user task, is there a value in there? 
3. Did any other form get submitted between the starting form and the approval form that could have overwritten the value? 

Jared, I triaged using a similar methodology to yours.

1. started with a NEWly created multi-line field (NC_Description_NEW) that starts in the Nonconformance Report form (no default value)
2. applied that field to the Environmental and Management forms used in the next tasks based on the selection of nonconformance type.
   1. In Environmental form I set the default value to the Spill Description
   2. In Management form I set the default value to the Mgmt Description
3. I submitted a new nonconformance starting form (nothing shows in NC_Description_NEW since it's not been filled yet.)
4. That initiates the next task of the Management nonconformance form where I filled the Description of Nonconformance (which, based on it being the default value for NC_Description_NEW, should show up in that field but doesn't)