SAP Knowledge Base Article - Public

2308694 - Automatic Escalation of Workflows - Employee Central

Symptom

  • How to define an escalation path for a Workflow?
  • When the workflow is stalled for the specified number of days, the Workflow is automatically escalated to the specified user.

Image/data in this KBA is from SAP internal systems, sample data, or demo systems. Any resemblance to real data is purely coincidental.

Environment

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central

Resolution

Product Support can assist with enabling the "Escalation" field in the Workflow Object (by updating the Corporate Data Model configuration) and can show you how to create the Escalation types via Manage Data, but ultimately, the process of implementing the Escalation Types and updating the desired Workflows is a customer action.

Please also note that this configuration change must be made in a TEST instance first before considering a Production roll-out. Be sure to test all Escalation types thoroughly.

Configuration:

  1. Add the "Escalation" field to the wfConfig Foundation Object via the Corporate Data Model (XML). Refer to the Data Object Tables handbook for the field ID, and Implementing and Managing Workflows - Automatic Workflow Escalation.
  2. Confirm the field is visible in the Workflow Configuration UI (Admin Center > Manage Organization, Pay and Job Structures)

    workflow UI fixed.png

  3. Navigate to Admin Center > Manage Data and use "Create New" to create a new "Escalation" data object, where the following can be configured:

    • Escalation Name and Code;
    • Escalation Route From (Current/Original Approver);
    • Target Value (The role that will be handling the Escalation step);
    • Escalation After Days (X days of no movement);
    • Step Number (Defined by system - steps of the escalation flow);

    ManageData.png



  4. Navigate to Admin Center > E-mail Notification Template Settings > 3 new E-mail notification templates will be available for the Workflow Escalation process:

    • Workflow Action Escalate Notification - sent whenever a progressive action is performed to the Escalation flow;
    • Workflow Action Escalate Revoke Notification - Sent when revoking a step;
    • Workflow Action Escalate Decline Notification - Sent when declining a step.

    EmailNotificationTemplates.png

     

    IMPORTANT NOTE: You must go to Admin Center > E-mail Notification Template Settings, open each of the new templates individually, and click "Save Changes". As the templates were automatically deployed, they need to be "Saved" for the first time to create the Default Template. If this action is not performed notifications will not be sent to users by the system. Make sure this is done for all 3 templates:

    • Workflow Action Escalate Notification;
    • Workflow Action Escalate Revoke Notification;
    • Workflow Action Escalate Decline Notification.
      • NOTE:
        For the above templates, if different locales are active in the system, a template for that locale should be saved so the recipient receive it in their native language.

    EscalateWorkflow_Template_SaveChanges.jpg

  5. Configure the Scheduled Job - see the following page in the handbook for the correct details - Creating a Recurring Job for Workflow Escalation

 

Expected Behaviors:

  • The new approver of the escalation can decline the escalation so it goes back to the previous escalation approver.
  • The last previous approver can also revoke the escalation.
  • After decline or revoke, the escalation would continue with the next escalation step after the defined number of days.

 

Current Limitations:

  • We don't support Dynamic Group, Dynamic Role, Position and Position Relationship in the escalation targetValue field. If there is an escalation from A to B, then user B cannot be multi-user (B can only be one of the following single-user types: Manager, Manager Manager, and HR manager) but A can be multi-user (such as Dynamic Group, Dynamic Role, Position and Position Relationship).
  • The “Escalator” will not have a To-Do item. Example - If Escalation = A > B, A will not have a To-Do. If Escalation = A > B > C, A and B have no To-Do. A and B can access the Workflow from the Pending Request page.
  • In an Escalate scenario with more than 2 levels of escalation: If Escalation = A > B > C > D, only the original approver(A), last escalator(C), and escalatee(D) can see the request from the Pending Request page. The middle user(B) cannot see the pending request. 

Job Failure due to Execution Limit: 

If the job fails due to execution limitations it will detail the following error in the Job Details:

  • job failed because it exceeded the daily scheduling threshold for execution

If a job fails due to this job execution guardrails, it is recommended to review the configuration of the job and adjust the recurrence to ensure it complies with the job execution guardrails detail in the WNV: ECT-207756: More Employee Central Jobs on Job Scheduler in Scheduled Job Manager

To do this please ensure you have the required permission to access Scheduled Job Manager from the Admin Center.

This requires you have the permission:

  • Administrator > Admin Center Permissions >  Monitor Scheduled Jobs
  • Administrator > Admin Center Permissions > Manage Scheduled Jobs

Different job types might have additional module-specific permission controls. Check module guides to know all the details, please review the links with the "Related Information" of the WNV page for links to each of these relevant jobs: ECT-207756: More Employee Central Jobs on Job Scheduler in Scheduled Job Manager

Steps to change the recurrence of a job:

  1. Ensure you have the required permission detailed above 
  2. Navigate to Scheduled Job Manager
  3. Select "Job Scheduler" Tab 
  4. Filter for the desired Job Type
  5. For the desired job select Actions> Cancel 
  6. Once the job is canceled select Actions> Edit 
  7. Adjust the recurrence to comply with the job execution guardrails
  8. Ensure all required fields are filled out 
  9. Submit

 

See Also

Keywords

ECT-19016, Workflow Escalation, Automatic Escalation, Workflows, success factors, SF, EC, Manage Organization, Pay and Job Structures, Workflow Object, Escalation, Foundation Object , KBA , LOD-SF-EC-WFL , Workflows - Configuration, Tools, Objects & Rules , How To

Product

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central all versions ; SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite all versions