Notify or lock task with multiple asignees


Badge +4

Dear community,

I built a workflow where the requirement is that all tasks have a group of users assigned. And so it happens that a task is often accessed simultaneously by 2 people. They get no notification that the task is open so they start working on the large task form and the slower of both will get a message in the end (while trying to submit) that the task has already been completed.

Is there a solution, a trick or a workaround to this situation because I can see how frustrating this can be? I'd appreciate to hear your approach.

Thank you.

Dimiter


17 replies

Badge +16

Hi

Have you ticked the box to create separate tasks?  That way they wouldn't be working on the same task?

Badge +4

Hi Cassy,

I have but that had no effect because that way the workflow created as many tasks as there are assignees and those are treated as separate items. So I returned to creating a single task for all, assuming this will work but as long as the task is Pending and you have the permissions to edit it, SharePoint will allow you to, with no notification that it might be currently open by somebody else from your group.

Badge +16

why don't you want them as separate items?  you can still have first response applies behaviour?

Badge +4

It does indeed. But the task form is quite large and it takes time to fill in. So if 2 people open it at (relatively) the same time, by the time you fill in everything, someone else might have done it a little quicker than you and you end up with your time wasted, because this response is no longer required (the WF has moved on).

And with an Invoice Processing workflow with tens of instances per day, AP doesn't seem to feel any boost of productivity happy.png

Badge +16

yeah I totally see your point.  either way it's not good.  I don't believe there is a way around this unfortunately... 

Badge +8

This may just involve some communication among the team that is being assigned. Are the people in the same office or in different locations?

Badge +16

‌ that is crazy talk expecting people to communicate with each other! wink.png

Badge +4

Roger, I believe they are at adjacent desks happy.png And if this turns out the SharePoint limitation it looks like, users may actually have to embrace verbal communication (God forbid) happy.png

Badge +8

Also what how many people are we talking about?

Userlevel 5
Badge +14

There are a few departments here where work is delegated to a potential group, rather than an individual or set of individuals. 

In those cases where I know a task is essentially going to be taken from the top of the stack and worked on by whomever, I create an initial 'Claim Task' which gets created for the group, but which can be completed by any person in there by opening the task and clicking the "Claim" button. 

All this does is take the Current User and apply it to a [Claimed By] Column on the Associated Item, so that when the real Work Task is created which requires labor, it will be assigned to that individual listen in the column.

It isn't the most graceful way of solving it, but it was the best way I have been able to find. 


(*** It should be noted that we have five different divisions nationally, so a 'department' consists of people from all over the USA who are not necessarily in the same building! Otherwise I could maybe suggest that they just yell at one another from across the cube farm!)

  

Userlevel 5
Badge +14

what about if first one who takes care of the task would first delegated it to him-/her-self personally? and just then started to filling in the form.

that way the task would be 'locked' for him/her, and rest of the group could get notifications that their responses are not required anymore.

Badge +16

I thought this aswell but then I thought the same could happen at the first part (where they delegate to each other).

Userlevel 4
Badge +10

It would be nice if there was a way that an assignee could "take ownership" of the task and alterativly "release control" of the task if they change their mind.

Userlevel 4
Badge +10

They could always text or emoji each other... :/

Badge +8

Or Skype. happy.png

Userlevel 4
Badge +10

Great idea ‌! Is there a way to release the claim if the person cannot follow through? This would make a great blog-post.

Userlevel 5
Badge +14

I feel like that could easily just be another Workflow that can be executed on the Item by way of either a highly privileged individual (in a specific group or groups), or the individual themselves. 

All it would is remove the Claimed By col data, end the workflow containing the Work Task, and roll back the State to the branch before it, or start up the Queue workflow (putting it back into the stack), which will vary based on your own design philosophy. 


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