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Escalations

Escalations ensure that stalled approvals and overdue actions do not block value delivery. You define timeout rules, notification paths, and override permissions for each workflow.

Who this is for

Admin Executive Analyst

Prerequisites

Escalation rules

An escalation rule links a trigger to a set of actions. Triggers are time-based or event-based.

Trigger Description
Approval timeout Stage has not been approved or rejected within the configured window
SLA breach Record has been in a status longer than the service-level agreement
Value at risk Forecasted value degradation exceeds a threshold
Manual escalation User clicks Escalate on a record

Timeout configuration

Each approval stage has its own timeout. When the timeout expires, the escalation rule fires.

Timeout tier Default Use case
Standard 72 hours Normal business approvals
Urgent 24 hours Time-sensitive initiatives
Critical 4 hours Executive or risk-related decisions

Step-by-step: set a stage timeout

  1. Open Admin > Configuration > Workflows.
  2. Select the workflow and click Approval.
  3. Click the stage name to edit.
  4. Enter Timeout (hours).
  5. Select Escalation Rule from the dropdown.
  6. Click Save and Publish.

Notification paths

Escalation notifications follow a configurable path.

Primary approver --> Secondary approver --> Group owner --> Tenant Admin

You can customize the path per workflow:

  1. Go to Configuration > Workflows > Escalations.
  2. Click Add Path.
  3. Define up to 5 levels.
  4. At each level, choose Notify and/or Reassign.
  5. Select notification channels: In-app, Email, Slack, or Microsoft Teams.

Channel fallback

If the primary channel fails after two retries, the system falls back to email.

Override permissions

Override permissions allow authorized users to bypass a stage or force a transition.

Override type Who can use it Audit impact
Force approve Tenant Admin, Super Admin Logged as override with reason required
Force reject Tenant Admin, Super Admin Logged as override with reason required
Skip stage Super Admin only Logged as skip with full trace
Extend timeout Tenant Admin, stage owner Logged as timeout extension

Override governance

Every override requires a reason. Reasons are included in the audit log and cannot be edited after submission.

Escalation metrics

Track escalation effectiveness from the Escalations dashboard:

Metric Meaning
Average resolution time Hours from trigger to closure
Escalation rate Percentage of records that escalate
Override frequency Number of force actions per week

Permissions required

Role Permission Scope
Super Admin Configure escalation rules and overrides Organization
Tenant Admin Configure escalation rules; use force approve/reject Organization
Content Admin Edit notification paths Organization
Analyst Extend timeout on own records Own records
Viewer View escalation status Assigned records

Limits and guardrails

Limit Maximum 20 escalation rules per workflow.

Limit Notification paths support up to 5 levels.

Limit Timeout extensions cannot exceed 720 hours per event.

Limit Escalation actions are rate-limited to 10 per minute per workflow.

Troubleshooting

Issue: escalation did not fire after timeout

Cause: The workflow was republished after the record entered the stage, or the escalation rule is disabled. Resolution: Check the workflow version applied to the record. Verify the escalation rule status in Configuration.

Issue: override button is disabled

Cause: The user lacks the required role, or the record is in a terminal status. Resolution: Confirm the user holds Tenant Admin or Super Admin role. Archived and completed records cannot be overridden.

Issue: escalation sent to a deactivated user

Cause: The notification path references a user who was deactivated after the path was created. Resolution: Update the escalation path to reference a role or group instead of a named user.

Escalation path

For escalation system failures (notifications not sending, rules not evaluating):

  1. Check the notification delivery log in Configuration > Notifications > Delivery Log.
  2. Verify the workflow version and rule enablement status.
  3. File a support ticket with severity High.
  4. Escalate to #valuepact-ops if multiple workflows are affected.