This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to view and monitor the progress of assigned workflows. It also addresses common issues that may prevent a workflow from progressing and offers solutions to resolve them.
View Workflow Assignments
1. Navigate to Administration → Onboarding → Onboarding Workflows.
2. Search for the workflow you wish to edit.
3. Select Workflow Assignments from the dropdown next to Edit.
4. Search for the workflow assignee you wish to view the activity for.
5. Click View activity.
6. The Workflow Activity View contains the following features:
Workflow: Links to the workflow that has been assigned to the user.
Status: The current status of the workflow.
Assignee: Links to the the Workflow Assignees Profile.
Created: The date and time that the workflow was assigned to the user.
Last Modified: This date will record when workflow is completed.
Activity: Shows the list of Currently assigned and queued tasks. Tasks will show as active when they are available for a user to complete.
Execute Workflow: Can be used when a workflow has been modified and the new step(s) are not visible in the activity list or a step has not been assigned as expected.
⚠️
It is not recommended to modify workflows that users are currently in the progress of completing.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Steps / Tasks are Queued and Not Being Assigned
A common issue is seeing tasks in a workflow with a "Queued" status, which prevents the employee from moving forward. This occurs because workflows are designed to be sequential; activities will only become available once the preceding steps have been completed. If an employee reports that they cannot access a task, it is almost always because a prior step is waiting to be actioned.
To resolve this issue and identify the bottleneck:
Navigate to the employee's specific workflow assignment page to view their progress.
Look for any activities with an "Active" status. These are the tasks that are currently holding up the workflow.
Identify who the active task is assigned to (e.g., the employee, their manager, a specific department like IT or Payroll). The workflow will not proceed until this person or group completes the active task.
If necessary, follow up with the assignee to ensure they complete the active task. Once it is submitted and approved (if required) or completed, the next "Queued" items in the workflow will automatically become active and be assigned to the relevant user.
Notifications are Not Being Sent
If you or other users are not receiving email notifications from a workflow, there are a few things you can check:
Check the Notification History: Before any other troubleshooting, navigate to Administration → General → Notification History. This log will show you if the system attempted to send the email, who the recipient was, and the time it was sent. This is the first step to determine if the issue is with the email being sent or being received.
Recipient is Inactive: The system will not send notifications to users whose accounts are inactive. If an email is intended for a user (including those in a group), ensure their account is active. This is especially important for offboarding workflows where a user might be deactivated prematurely.
Group is Disabled: If a notification is configured to be sent to a group (e.g., "IT Department"), and that group has been disabled, the notification will fail. Ensure the recipient group is active.
Incorrect Date-Based Scheduling: If an email is scheduled based on a user's start or end date, the system queues this email at the moment the workflow is first assigned. If you later change the user's start or end date on their profile, the scheduled email will not automatically update. It will still be sent based on the original date. To fix this, you must delete the entire workflow assignment from the user and reassign it after the correct date has been entered in their profile.
Executing a Workflow
The Execute Workflow button acts as a manual refresh or synchronization tool for an individual's workflow assignment. While the system periodically updates active workflows in the background, this process is not always immediate. Executing the workflow forces the system to re-evaluate the user's current progress against the most recent version of the workflow template.
When to use Execute Workflow:
After Modifying a Workflow Template: If you have added, removed, or changed a step in a workflow that is already assigned to users, executing the workflow will push these changes to their active assignment. This will not affect any steps that have already been completed.
When a Workflow Appears Stuck: If a workflow is not progressing even after the preceding tasks have been completed, executing it can help trigger the next queued steps.
After Reactivating a User: If you have reactivated a user to manage their offboarding, executing the workflow can help re-initiate any tasks that were removed when their account became inactive.
Managing Inactive Users and Workflows
Properly managing workflows for employees who have left the company is crucial to prevent orphaned tasks and unwanted notifications.
Once a user's account is made inactive, their name will no longer appear in the Workflow Assignments list. This is intended to keep the list focused on current, active employees.
To view or manage an inactive user's workflow: You must first temporarily reactivate their user account. Once reactivated, their workflow assignments will become visible again, allowing you to take necessary actions like completing tasks or deleting the assignment.
Impact of User Deactivation on Active Workflows
Incomplete Tasks are Removed: When a user is deactivated, a process runs to remove any pending or queued workflow items that have not been completed. This prevents tasks from remaining assigned indefinitely to other stakeholders (e.g., managers, IT) after an employee has left.
Completed Items Remain: Any tasks, forms, or courses that were already completed as part of the workflow will be saved and will remain on the user's profile for record-keeping purposes.
Risk of Unexpected Triggers: If an active workflow is left on a deactivated user's profile and the workflow template is later updated (e.g., a new task is added), the system may sync these changes and assign new tasks, causing confusion.
Best Practices for Offboarding and Rehiring
Complete or Delete Workflows Before Deactivation: It is a critical best practice to fully complete or delete an employee's offboarding workflow before their account is deactivated. This ensures all necessary steps are taken and prevents orphaned tasks from appearing on other users' to-do lists.
Manually Completing a Workflow: It is not possible to manually mark an active workflow as "complete." It must run its full course, or the assignment must be deleted. If a workflow must be closed out, you can complete the final tasks on behalf of the assignee.
Managing Rehired Employees: If an employee is rehired, you can reactivate their existing account. If you need to assign them a new offboarding workflow upon their next departure, you should first delete the previous one from their profile to avoid duplicate tasks and confusion.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why are tasks in the workflow queued and not being assigned?+
Tasks are queued because a preceding activity in the workflow has not been completed. Workflows are sequential, and each step must be finished before the next one can begin.
Can I edit a workflow that has already been assigned to a user?+
No, it is not possible to edit a workflow for a specific user after it has been assigned. Any changes made to the workflow template will only apply to new assignments.
What happens if I delete a workflow assignment?+
When you delete a workflow assignment, any completed forms, courses, or tasks will remain on the user's profile. However, any incomplete activities will be removed.
Why are notifications from a workflow not being sent?+
Notifications may not be sending for several reasons. Check the Notification History to see if the email was sent, ensure the recipient is an active user, and verify that any groups the notification is being sent to are active.
How can I see the outstanding tasks for an inactive user's workflow?+
To see the outstanding tasks for an inactive user, you must first reactivate their account. Once reactivated, you can view their workflow assignment to see any remaining tasks.
Why did a scheduled email in a workflow send on the wrong date?+
When a workflow is assigned, all scheduled emails are queued based on the user's data at that time. If a user's start date is changed after the workflow has been assigned, the emails will still be sent according to the original date. To resolve this, you must delete the workflow assignment and reassign it after the user's start date has been updated.