Business Request Escalations

The Business Request Escalations feature allows for the configuration of time-based policies to automate actions in the lifecycle of an open business request. This facilitates actions such as sending notifications, changing approvers, or automatically approving or rejecting requests if no action has been taken within a specified time frame.

Key Components

Approval Flow Model Escalation Policy

This component encapsulates the definition of an escalation policy and its linkage to the active published version. It groups actions to be executed sequentially during the approval process. Once published, it becomes an "Approval Flow Escalation Policy."

Approval Flow Model Escalation Policy Action

This component models the specific actions an escalation policy triggers for a given request. It includes settings such as the escalation delay (in days), necessary supporting data, and an Action Order ID to determine the sequence of actions if multiple are defined.

Approval Flow Escalation Action Type ID

Defines the type of action to execute when an escalation is triggered. Actions include:

1. Notify: Sends a notification using the system's built-in engine.

2. AddAssignee: Adds a new potential approver for the step.

3. ReplaceAssignees: Not currently implemented.

4. AutoCloseStep: Automatically closes the current step with a predefined approval decision.

5. AutoCloseItem: Closes the entire request and sets the remaining open steps to "Skipped."”

6. RunWorkflow: Not currently implemented.

Action Order ID

Determines the sequence of escalation actions. Actions are executed in ascending order of their ActionOrderID.

Escalate After X Days

Specifies the duration in days before an escalation is triggered, counting from the start time of the current step or from the execution time of the previous escalation.

Implementation

Assignment of Escalation Policies

Escalation policies are assigned at either the specific step level (ApprovalFlowPolicyStep) or, if not defined, at the general step level (ApprovalFlowStep). At the ApprovalFlowStep level, a default escalation policy is mandatory. 

Processing of Escalation Policies

The Business Request Status, Approvers and Escalation Refresher job is responsible for managing escalations. It identifies escalations due, processes them into the BusinessRequestEscalationInbox, and determines subsequent actions based on the ActionOrderID.

Notes

• The ReplaceAssignees and RunWorkflow actions are not implemented and should not be configured.

• Certain combinations of actions may be illogical (e.g., scheduling actions after an AutoCloseItem action), as they will not be executed after the request or step is closed.

• Escalation policies ensure timely processing and decision-making within the business request lifecycle by automating responses to inactivity.