Create an escalation for your human task

IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Developing business processes > Building human tasks
Create an escalation for your human task

An escalation is a notification that is sent out when an expected result from a task has not been achieved within a set period of time.
For example, an escalation could be used to alert a manager when a staff member is unable to complete a task by the deadline.

The duration value for a human task is separate from the escalation function. Although the duration value will indicate when a task is due, it will NOT trigger an escalation. When you create an escalation for your human task, you will need to know the following ahead of time:

The state that the task is in when the escalation period begins (this is also known as the activation state).
The state that you want the task to be in when the escalation period ends (it is when the task is NOT in this expected state at the end of the period that the actual escalation is thrown).
The escalation period, or how long you want the system to wait for the expected state to be reached before notification occurs.
The manner in which the notification takes place.

If you are creating more than one escalation for an activation state, you have two options:

Chained escalation

In a chained escalation, the escalations are executed sequentially, or one after the other. In such a case, the first escalation must fully complete before the next one is initiated.

Parallel escalation

With a parallel escalation, the escalations are in two separate paths, and are executed at the same time (or in accordance with the escalate after setting as described below).

To add an escalation to your human task, proceed as follows:

Procedure

Launch your human task in the editor.
Under Escalation settings, choose the activation state from the following three options:

Option Description

Ready When a task is in the ready state, it is waiting to be claimed. Configure the escalation settings to notify an authorized staff member should nobody claim it within the specified period of time.
Claimed When a task is in the claimed state, a staff member has accepted the work and should currently be working on it. Configure the escalation settings to notify an authorized employee should the staff member fail to complete the work within the specified period of time.
Subtask A task is in the subtask state when the owner of the parent task must delegate part of the task to other staff members. Configure an escalation for a subtask to make sure that it can be completed in time enough for the parent task to be finished as well. If the subtask cannot be completed within the required amount of time, the parent task is escalated and indicates that it is still waiting on the subtask.

Click the Escalation icon to create a new escalation for the chosen activation state. A new escalation appears below the selected activation state.
To add additional escalations to this activation state, proceed in one of the following two ways:

To create a chained escalation, select an existing escalation and click the Escalation icon. A new escalation appears below the existing escalation.
To create a parallel escalation, select an the activation state, and click the Escalation icon. A new escalation appears beside the existing escalation.

In the Details page of the properties area, configure the implementation as follows:

Option Description

Expected task state
Use this field to specify the state in which the task should be when the escalation times out. If the task is not in the state specified, then an escalation is thrown.

You will have the three following options:

Ended
Choose this as the expected end state when you want an escalation initiated if the task is not complete by the end of the escalation period.

Claimed
Choose this when you want an escalation initiated if, at the end of the escalation period, the task has not yet been claimed by a user.

All subtasks ended
Choose this as the expected end state when you want an escalation initiated if the subtasks associated with this task have not been completed by the end of the escalation period.

Escalate after
Use these fields to specify the period of time that will elapse before this task is escalated.

You can enter the values using the spin boxes provided, or click the secondary radio button and enter a value that makes sense to the type of calendar (simple, WebSphere CRON, user-defined) that is specified in the task's Duration properties page.
Notification type
Use this list to tell the system how to deal with this escalation.

You will have three options:

Work item
Choose Work item to have the task delivered directly to a designated staff member's "to do" list. Since a work item is always created in an escalation, this setting creates a work item, and nothing else.

E-mail
Choose E-mail to have an email message that announces the escalation delivered to a staff member. Once you select this option, a separate field will appear from which you can choose an appropriate email message.

Event
Choose Event if you want to trigger an event handler in the runtime environment. If you select this option, you then have to specify the event handler in the Event handler name field in the task's Details properties page.

E-mail message
Use this field to select the email message that will be delivered to the designated staff member in the event of the escalation. You can create a new message, or select an appropriate message from the list and click Edit to make any necessary changes to it.
Repeat notification every
Use these fields to specify the period of time that will elapse before the notification associated with this escalation is repeated.

You can enter the values using the spin boxes provided, or click the secondary radio button and enter a value that makes sense to the type of calendar (simple, WebSphere CRON, user-defined) that is specified in the task's Duration properties page.
Increase task priority
Use this list to determine if and how this escalation's priority will change with each iteration of it.

You will have three options:

No
Choose No to leave the priority unchanged.

Increase this time only
Choose this if you only want it to boost the priority with one iteration.

Increase per repetition
Select this if you want the priority augmented each time this escalation is repeated.

In the Assign People page of the properties area, you can define the staff group (criteria) and in so doing, specify the group of people that are notified should this escalation be executed.

Escalations
An escalation is a course of action that is implemented when an expected result from a task has not been achieved within a set period of time.
Assigning people to escalations
Use the Assign People tab of the properties area to specify the group of people that is notified should this escalation be executed.
Customize an escalation email notification

You can use an email message to notify a staff member that they have a work item in the form of an escalation.
Notifying an event handler of an escalation

You can use customized notification event handlers within your application environment to deal with escalations in your human task model.

Building human tasks

Related tasks:
Selecting a calendar type for your escalation
Setting duration values for your human task
Defining timer-driven behavior in a BPEL process
Use business calendars within human tasks
Notifying an event handler of an escalation

Related reference:
Details tab: business state machine editor
Duration tab: Human Task editor

Related information:

Interface UserCalendar

Option	Description
Ready	When a task is in the ready state, it is waiting to be claimed. Configure the escalation settings to notify an authorized staff member should nobody claim it within the specified period of time.
Claimed	When a task is in the claimed state, a staff member has accepted the work and should currently be working on it. Configure the escalation settings to notify an authorized employee should the staff member fail to complete the work within the specified period of time.
Subtask	A task is in the subtask state when the owner of the parent task must delegate part of the task to other staff members. Configure an escalation for a subtask to make sure that it can be completed in time enough for the parent task to be finished as well. If the subtask cannot be completed within the required amount of time, the parent task is escalated and indicates that it is still waiting on the subtask.

Option	Description
Expected task state	Use this field to specify the state in which the task should be when the escalation times out. If the task is not in the state specified, then an escalation is thrown. You will have the three following options: Ended Choose this as the expected end state when you want an escalation initiated if the task is not complete by the end of the escalation period. Claimed Choose this when you want an escalation initiated if, at the end of the escalation period, the task has not yet been claimed by a user. All subtasks ended Choose this as the expected end state when you want an escalation initiated if the subtasks associated with this task have not been completed by the end of the escalation period.
Escalate after	Use these fields to specify the period of time that will elapse before this task is escalated. You can enter the values using the spin boxes provided, or click the secondary radio button and enter a value that makes sense to the type of calendar (simple, WebSphere CRON, user-defined) that is specified in the task's Duration properties page.
Notification type	Use this list to tell the system how to deal with this escalation. You will have three options: Work item Choose Work item to have the task delivered directly to a designated staff member's "to do" list. Since a work item is always created in an escalation, this setting creates a work item, and nothing else. E-mail Choose E-mail to have an email message that announces the escalation delivered to a staff member. Once you select this option, a separate field will appear from which you can choose an appropriate email message. Event Choose Event if you want to trigger an event handler in the runtime environment. If you select this option, you then have to specify the event handler in the Event handler name field in the task's Details properties page.
E-mail message	Use this field to select the email message that will be delivered to the designated staff member in the event of the escalation. You can create a new message, or select an appropriate message from the list and click Edit to make any necessary changes to it.
Repeat notification every	Use these fields to specify the period of time that will elapse before the notification associated with this escalation is repeated. You can enter the values using the spin boxes provided, or click the secondary radio button and enter a value that makes sense to the type of calendar (simple, WebSphere CRON, user-defined) that is specified in the task's Duration properties page.
Increase task priority	Use this list to determine if and how this escalation's priority will change with each iteration of it. You will have three options: No Choose No to leave the priority unchanged. Increase this time only Choose this if you only want it to boost the priority with one iteration. Increase per repetition Select this if you want the priority augmented each time this escalation is repeated.