Auto-Escalation & Escalation Levels
An escalation pushes a stalled clarification up one level of responsibility so it receives attention. This happens automatically (a…
An escalation moves a pending clarification up one level of responsibility so it receives attention. This happens automatically (according to the escalation levels of the workflow) or manually.
Escalation Levels (the Ladder)
A workflow with auto-escalation has an ordered list of escalation levels. Each level has:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Escalate to | The target: team lead, team, department lead or specific user(s). |
| Escalation Threshold | Days after which this level triggers. |
Thresholds must strictly increase — the system automatically sorts the levels by threshold, so level 1 is always the earliest. For a level with specific users, attach the specific people who should be notified.
When Auto-Escalation Fires
Daily, an active clarification is escalated to the next level if:
(the escalation base date of the clarification or its last start date) + the threshold of the next level = today
A level with threshold 5 therefore escalates 5 days after the (re)start of the clarification, the next level (threshold 10) five days later, and so on. An escalation continues only as long as the clarification is active.
What happens during an escalation
The escalation level of the clarification increases, and the escalation recipients for this level are determined (the manager(s), the team contacts, or the fixed users).
These recipients begin to watch the clarification and are notified.
The clarification appears in their view Escalated to me.
An escalation event is added to the timeline.
Manual escalation & de-escalation
Users with the permission Escalate (and an editor on the clarification) can manually escalate via the escalation dialog — they select the level and, for team/team manager levels, the specific teams/managers. Users with De-escalate can remove an escalation, which resets the entire escalation status.
Escalation on non-business days
Like with auto-start, an automatic escalation that falls on a non-business day (without trigger on holidays) is postponed by a scheduler to the next business day.
Troubleshooting
"Escalation failed" in the inbox means the clarification was escalated, but no valid recipient was found (e.g., a team without a manager). Add missing manager/contact, then escalate again.
If auto-escalation never fires, check: The workflow has auto-escalation turned on and at least one escalation level, and the clarification is still active.