Notification

The Notification task is a powerful component in OSPROV's workflow builder that enables automated email notifications at specific points in your workflow. It allows you to keep stakeholders informed about workflow progress, decisions, and actions without requiring manual communication.

Purpose

The Notification task is designed to:

• Send automated email notifications at specific workflow stages
• Inform stakeholders about workflow progress and decisions
• Distribute information to relevant roles and individuals
• Provide documentation and attachments related to the workflow

Adding a Notification Task to Your Workflow

Basic Setup

1. In the Workflow Builder, drag the Notification task from the task palette onto the canvas
2. Click on the Notification task to open its configuration panel
3. Configure the following required settings:
   • Notification: Select the email template to use for this notification
   • Title for process: Enter a descriptive title that will appear in the submission history
   • Label for status: (Optional) Override the default status label
   • Previous Status: Select which previous task statuses will trigger this notification
   • Sent to which Roles: Select which roles should receive this notification

Email Template Selection

The notification template selection determines the content and format of the email:

• Select from available email templates in your organization
• Templates can include dynamic content that pulls data from the workflow submission
• Templates should be created and configured before setting up notification tasks

Advanced Settings

Trigger Conditions

• Previous Status: Control when the notification is sent based on the status of the previous task
  • Select "any" to send the notification regardless of previous status
  • Select specific statuses (e.g., "approved", "rejected", "reviewed") to send notifications only in those cases
  • This allows for conditional notifications based on workflow outcomes

Recipient Configuration

• Sent to which Roles: Select which roles should receive the notification

  • Multiple roles can be selected
  • Only users with the selected roles AND matching authorization channels will receive the notification
  • If no roles are selected, the notification defaults to the workflow applicant only

• Other Recipients: Specify additional email addresses to receive the notification

  • Enter email addresses separated by commas
  • Can include dynamic values using placeholders (e.g., [email] to use an email from a form field)
  • Useful for notifying external stakeholders or specific individuals

Content Options

• Include submission as PDF: When checked, attaches a PDF of the submission to the email
  • Provides recipients with complete submission details
  • Useful when recipients need to review the full submission without logging in
  • The PDF includes all form data from the submission

Visibility Settings

• Hide from submission history: When checked, prevents this notification from appearing in the submission history
  • Useful for keeping the submission history focused on action tasks
  • Notifications are still sent, but not visible in the history
  • Helps reduce clutter in complex workflows with many notifications

How Notification Tasks Work

When a workflow reaches a Notification task:

1. The system checks if the previous task's status matches the "Previous Status" configuration
2. If it matches (or if "any" is selected), the notification process continues
3. The system identifies recipients based on the selected roles and additional email addresses
4. The email template is populated with data from the workflow submission
5. The email is sent to all recipients
6. The workflow automatically proceeds to the next task
7. If the notification fails, it's queued for retry and the workflow still proceeds

Unlike action tasks (Approve, Review, Process), Notification tasks:

• Do not appear in users' task lists
• Do not require any user action to complete
• Execute automatically and immediately
• Do not block workflow progression if they fail

Use Cases

Status Updates

Use Notification tasks to keep stakeholders informed about workflow progress:

• Notify applicants when their submission moves to a new stage
• Alert managers when tasks are assigned to their team
• Inform executives when high-priority items require attention

Decision Notifications

Configure notifications to communicate decisions:

• Notify applicants when their request is approved or rejected
• Alert department heads when significant approvals occur
• Inform compliance teams when exceptions are granted

Reminder Notifications

Set up notifications for important reminders:

• Notify users about upcoming deadlines
• Alert managers about pending tasks
• Remind stakeholders about required actions

Document Distribution

Use notifications to distribute documents:

• Send approved documents to relevant stakeholders
• Distribute reports to management teams
• Share completed forms with appropriate departments

Best Practices

1. Strategic placement: Position notification tasks at key points in your workflow where status updates are valuable
2. Targeted recipients: Only include roles that truly need the information to avoid notification fatigue
3. Clear subject lines: Configure email templates with descriptive subject lines that help recipients understand the notification's purpose
4. Relevant content: Include only necessary information in notification templates to keep communications focused
5. Conditional notifications: Use the "Previous Status" setting to send different notifications based on workflow outcomes
6. PDF attachments: Include submission PDFs only when recipients need the complete submission details
7. Testing: Always test notification tasks with different scenarios to ensure they trigger appropriately

Troubleshooting

Notifications Not Being Sent

If notifications aren't being sent:

• Verify that the email template exists and is correctly configured
• Check that the "Previous Status" setting matches the actual status of the previous task
• Ensure that there are users with the selected roles and matching authorization channels
• Check the system logs for any email sending errors

Recipients Not Receiving Notifications

If specific recipients aren't receiving notifications:

• Verify that they have the correct role assigned
• Check that they have at least one matching authorization channel with the workflow
• Ensure their email address is correct in their user profile
• Check if the emails are being filtered by spam filters

Incorrect Content in Notifications

If notification content is incorrect:

• Review and update the email template
• Check that placeholders in the template match field names in your forms
• Test the template with different submission data
• Verify that the correct template is selected in the notification task

Related Features

• Email Templates: Create and manage email templates at /emails
• Form Builder: Design forms that collect data referenced in notifications
• Workflow History: View record of sent notifications (unless hidden)

Summary

The Notification task is a versatile component in OSPROV's workflow builder that enables automated communication at key points in your workflows. By strategically placing notification tasks and configuring them appropriately, you can keep all stakeholders informed about workflow progress and decisions without requiring manual communication.

Unlike action tasks that require user interaction, notification tasks execute automatically and allow the workflow to continue immediately. This makes them ideal for status updates, decision notifications, reminders, and document distribution throughout your business processes.