Configuring escalation and reminders

You can specify several types of escalation rules and reminders for tasks and alerts. You can also specify that an alert, task or task chain can be canceled if they are not completed on time.

Escalation rules can be specified when a task or alert is not assigned or not finished in time after creation date. In this case the managers of the users in the current distribution list are informed. If the task or alert is not assigned at the time of escalation, the managers can assign it to themselves. Alternatively they can assign it to another user from the distribution list.

You can define several escalation levels. If no action is taken in the time interval specified in the escalation rule, the task or alert is escalated to the next management level.

Escalation and reminders can be specified when a task or alert is not finished before, after or at the time of its due date. For these types of events you must define an alternative distribution to users, groups, contacts, contact groups or emails. The manager hierarchy is not used in this case. When the escalation event takes place, the configured users are added to the distribution list. Then the users can take actions on this alert or task and receive future escalations. An escalation email is sent to these users:

  • Users from the distribution list who have the Send E-mail flag turned on.
  • Users that are configured as the distribution of the escalation rule.

A reminder email is sent only to the users, groups, or contacts that are configured for the reminder distribution. These users are not added to the distribution list.

  1. Click the Escalation and Reminders tab, to add a row for each escalation or reminder to define.
  2. On each row, you can edit the columns:
    • Event
    • Action
    • Distribution
  3. Select one of these event types:
    • Not assigned in time after creation date

      Specify a time interval. The task or alert is escalated if it is not assigned within the specified interval of time since its creation time.

    • Not finished in time after creation date

      Specify a time interval. The task or alert is escalated if it is not marked as Done within the specified interval of time since its creation time.

    • Not finished in time before due date

      Specify a time interval. The event that is specified in the Action column takes place if the task or alert is not marked as Done at the specified time before its due date.

    • Not finished on due date

      The event that is specified in the Action column takes place if the task or alert is not marked as Done at the time of its due date.

    • Not finished in time after due date

      Specify a time interval. The event that is specified in the Action column takes place if the task or alert is not marked as Done at the specified time before its due date.

  4. Specify settings for events not assigned in time after creation date and not finished in time after creation date.

    The events Not assigned in time after creation date and Not finished in time after creation date preserve their functionality from previous releases:

    • You can use each one of these events only once.
    • The event action is Escalation and email. Emails are not sent if the Send E-mail flag is turned off.
    • You cannot specify an alternative distribution for these events. In the Distribution column, specify up to ten management levels to which the task or alert must be escalated. The escalation rule is applied for each management level if a user for that management level exists in Infor Federation Services (IFS).
  5. Specify settings for events not finished in time before/on/after due date.
    For the events Not finished in time before/on/after due date, you can specify the Action and Distribution as described later.

    In the Action column, you can select one of these options:

    • Only email reminder

      At the time when the specified event happens, an email reminder is sent to the users that are specified in the Distribution column. Emails are not sent if the Send E-mail flag is turned off.

    • Escalation and email

      At the time when the specified event happens, the task or alert is escalated. The users that are specified in the Distribution column are added to the distribution list. If the Send E-mail flag is turned on in the Activities engine configuration settings and in the task or alert distribution list, the users from the whole distribution list receive an escalation email.

    • Re-assign and email

      At the time the specified event happens, the task or alert is assigned to the user that is specified in the Distribution column. If the Send E-mail flag is turned on in the Activities engine configuration settings, this user also receives an email. This email informs the user about the alert or task being assigned.

      The user that is specified in the Distribution column might not be part of the current distribution list of the task or alert. If so, the user is automatically added before the assignment.

      If the alert or task was already assigned to another user, it is unassigned from this user and then assigned to the specified user. The user from whom the alert or task is unassigned receives an email; this email is only sent if the option to send email was enabled in the distribution configuration for this user.

    • Cancel alert, Cancel task or Cancel task chain

      At the time when the specified event happens, the alert or task is canceled. In case of a workflow task or task chain, the workflow step is considered completed, and the workflow continues to the next step. You can use the task completion property Status to determine if the workflow step was completed by a user or by a cancellation event.

    In the Distribution column, you can specify one of these distributions:

    • Current Distribution

      This is the distribution list if the task or alert at the time of the event. A reminder sent to “current distribution list” for a task or alert that is assigned is sent only to the assignee.

    • User

      Select a user from IFS.

    • Group

      Select a group from IFS

    • Contact

      Select a contact from IFS.

    • Contact Group

      Select a contact group from IFS.

    • E-mail

      Specify an email address.

    Additional notes for events not finished in time before/on/after due date:
    • To use these events, you must specify a due date. For the time offset, you can specify a monitor attribute or workflow parameter.

      If the values of the monitor attribute or workflow parameter are not valid, this row is ignored; the evaluation continues for the next time interval.

      An error alert is created if Error Reporting to Business Process Administrator is enabled in the ION Service Configuration.

    • If a distribution element is not valid, the reminder or escalation email is sent to the rest of the distribution list. An error alert is created about the invalid distribution element if To combine different distribution types, you can use several events of the same type with the same time offset and different distribution. Error Reporting to Business Process Administrator is enabled in the ION Service Configuration.