Task Escalations and Timeouts

You can manage the task handling process by defining automatic escalations and timeout periods for each task. A task escalation can assign a task to another user, such as a manager, when the task is not completed within the specified time period. This ensures that a process is not held up because a human workflow task is not completed. Tasks can be escalated based on a duration or on a deadline.

A task timeout defines a deadline or duration after which a task fails. If you define a task timeout and the task is not completed within the specified duration or by the specified deadline, the task is treated as failed and returns to the workflow (BPEL process) with a system fault. This is useful for cases when a task is not completed even after it has been escalated.