Configure Workflow SLA Timers

 Take Control

 Estimated Read Time: 7 minutes

---

• Set SLA Timers on a Phase
• View SLA Timers
• Add Deadlines to Notification Emails
• Transitions
  • Use Cases
• Monitor Cards with SLA Timers
• Reporting and Analysis
• FAQ

---

What are SLA Timers?

SLA timers can be applied to any phase in a workflow. They help cards move through the process, as you can monitor progress and trigger escalations.

Set SLA Timers on a Phase

1. Open a workflow and click on the relevant phase to edit it.
2. Click the SLA section.
3. Enter a value, then select the unit (hours or days) from the dropdown list.

Once set, any cards on that phase will start counting down from the timer from the point they arrive there. 

View SLA Timers

The SLA timers appear at the top of workflow forms, so users will see their expected completion date:

 

 

Add Deadlines to Notification Emails

In workflow notification emails, you can dynamically include the card’s SLA due date to inform recipients of their action deadline. To do this, insert the following into the email template:
{{ enter_phase.sla_due_date }}

This helps set clear expectations and is especially important when the SLA timer triggers an automatic transition, ensuring recipients don’t miss their chance to provide input.

Example Email Template Settings:

Example email using the above template:

 

Transitions

You can add transitions to automatically move the card to another phase once the SLA timer expires. To do this:

1. Click on the relevant phase to edit it, then navigate to Transitions.
2. Select the Conditional radio button.
3. Click ADD TRANSITION.
   
4. Enter a name, then click Create.
5. To start building the conditions, click Add, then select SLA Deadline Expiry.
6. Select the relevant values from the remaining dropdown lists to build your condition, then click Create.
   
   
7. Click the pencil icons to set the transition status to live and select the phase that cards should move to for this transition.

Use Cases

Escalations

The most common use for SLA transitions is escalations in time-constrained processes (for example in contract renewal workflows to ensure termination/renegotiation deadlines are not missed).

You could add an escalation phase next to the original with a different phase owner (for example a Dynamic Team Owner or a Workflow Group).

This helps protect against delays and missed actions by automatically reassigning responsibility when time limits are exceeded.

Bypassing Roadblocks

SLA transitions can be used to automatically skip optional workflow phases. For example, during simple contract negotiations, cards can be moved to eSign if neither party submits any draft amendments within a set period (e.g., 7 days).

To set this up, add the SLA transition to your list of approval, rejection, or submission transitions. Gatekeeper will apply it automatically when the expiry condition is met.

This avoids unnecessary delays by proceeding to signature as the default path, unless amendments are raised.

If implementing this type of SLA transition, it's recommended to inform parties of this via an email notification or form description.

Allowing optional re-submission after rejection

When a request form is rejected, there are two common approaches:

• Allow a Second Chance - Send the form back to the requestor for updates, for example if it is missing context or required documents.

• Make the Rejection Final - Move the form to a Rejected [Done] phase, informing the requestor that no further action will be taken.

SLA Timers can be used to accomadate for both options within a single workflow.

To set this up, add a new phase (e.g. Review Rejection) that cards will be sent to upon rejection:

•  The phase owner should be set to Card Creator, and all the same form sections from the initial request can be made editable. This allows the requestor to update any of their previous inputs.
• Add an email notification to inform the requestor that their card was rejected (you can use the {{ approval.reason }} content tag to include the reason why)
• Add an SLA transition to move this card to a Done phase is the form is not resubmitted within a set time (e.g. 3 days).
• If necessary, add a new form field at this phase requiring the requestor provide a reason the rejection should be reconsidered.

This setup gives the requestor the option to amend and resubmit, or let the form auto-archive after the SLA expiry, without restarting from scratch.

Monitor Cards with SLA Timers

My Dashboard

SLA timers can be used to keep track of a user's overdue cards. Within My Dashboard, select the SLA toggle to show only cards with expired SLAs.

Workflow Kanban View

To view all cards with expired SLAs on a specific workflow, add a filter where SLA Expired = Yes.

Reporting on SLA Timers

The Card Age report is a key tool for viewing metrics on workflow cards and identifying bottlenecks.

Setting SLA timers allows a visual comparison of average card ages vs the expected SLA deadline (shown as a red line).

 

FAQ 💬

Q: What happens to cards which are already on a phase when the SLA timer is configured?

A: The SLAs will calculate retroactively (after the SLA hourly calculation job runs).

Q: My card is past its SLA but hasn't been highlighted red.

A: If this is within an hour of the SLA passing its due date, it may be awaiting the hourly SLA calculations job to apply the red border/highlights.

Q:  What if a card leaves a phase then moves back? Will the timer keep counting from the previous visit?

A: No, whenever a card moves phases, the SLA clock is reset. If a card goes back to a phase it has visited previously, the SLA countdown will be for the full duration.

Q: Why can I not set an SLA timer for Done phases?

A: This is because Done phases are used for cards that require no further interaction.