How to complete a review request without canceling the other tasks that were created?


Badge +1

In my workflow, I am using the "Request Review" action to create a task for the required reviewers to go in and review a document.  I understand the difference between the "All must review" and "First response applies" review options.  My problem is that there is never a time when ALL the reviewers will complete the task and thus the workflow will never complete.  So I went with the "first response applies" option, which allows the workflow to complete, but I am now realizing that once one person completes his/her task, all the other review request tasks get cancelled!

So, here are my requirements:

  1. If one person completes the review, all other review requests remain assigned.
  2. If no one completes a review, the workflow will eventually continue on and complete (after all, it is a request for review, not a required review).

I read a couple of other posts and think that there are some workarounds, but I am new to Nintex and need some hand-holding.  The two suggestions I read were:

  1. Make the review option "All must review" and then include an escalation to myself so that I can complete the task.  Would this work for my case? I don't think escalation is available with the "Request Review" action, so I need some help with which action to use.
  2. Create individual tasks that loop back and check for status changes.  I understand theoretically this idea, but don't know how to make it happen.

Any help/direction is greatly appreciated!!


3 replies

Userlevel 4
Badge +12

Hi Rachel,

I'm not sure I got the requirement right. You send a request for review but you don't necessarily need them. Did I understood that right?

The request review action will always require at least one reply before it can move on. You could go with escalation of the flexi task action but why escalate if the review is not even necessary?

If you don't care if people review or not you could also just send them emails to notify them of the document so they can decide what to do with those. You could also create simple tasks by using the create task action. After a while you can delete them in a separate workflow or by an information management policy on the workflow task list. So they'll see the task but the workflow won't hold if they don't complete them.

Would that be an option for you?

Best regards

Enrico

Badge +1

Hi Enrico -

I would like people to review, but if they choose not to I don't want the workflow to never finish.  If I choose the "first response applies" option, then the workflow cancels all the other tasks once one person completes.  If I choose the "all must respond" option then the only way the workflow finishes is if every reviewer completes the tasks, which rarely happens.

So, I actually found a good workaround.  I set the review request action to "all must respond" and then added a "pause until..." action and a "complete workflow task" action.  So, after the initial task notification is sent, the workflow waits for a period of time, then sends a reminder notification and then it pauses until the end date of the review period, at which point the "complete workflow task" action marks all remaining tasks (i.e. those that are not yet complete) as "declined."  This then allows that action to complete and the workflow to finish.

I'm quite proud of myself for coming up with this solution and so far it seems to be working really well!

Thanks,

Rachel

Badge +1

Rachel,

 

This is a great information.  can you show screenshot of your "Pause until" action? I have a date that workflow automatically enters when the item is created and I want to use 3 days after that to review and I'm not sure how to set that.  Any help will be appreciated.

 

Monica

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