Run escalation chains

An escalation chain takes over after the submission deadline passes. Each person who missed it is walked through a series of steps, from a gentle nudge to looping in their manager and, eventually, an owner. The chain runs itself: a background check advances every open escalation each hour and closes it automatically the moment the person catches up.

The three templates

You pick one of three pre-built chains; all timings count from the organization’s submission deadline.

Light, two nudges, no blocks. For creative and R&D teams.

When	What happens
24 hours after deadline	In-app nudge to the person
3 days after deadline	Email to the person

Standard, the default. User, then manager, then owner over a week.

When	What happens
24 hours after deadline	In-app nudge to the person
3 days after deadline	Email to their manager
7 days after deadline	Email to an organization owner

Strict, four steps with a block step at day 5. For organizations under formal compliance regimes.

When	What happens
12 hours after deadline	In-app nudge to the person
2 days after deadline	Email to their manager
5 days after deadline	Block step (currently delivered as a notification to the person)
7 days after deadline	Email to an organization owner

The “manager” target goes to your designated timesheet approvers; if none are configured, it falls back to an organization owner.

Enable a chain

1. Open Organization Settings → Configuration → Timesheets and find the Reminders section of the Compliance enforcement panel.

2. Turn on Escalation chain and pick a Template: Light, Standard, or Strict.

3. Save. From the next hourly check, anyone non-compliant for the prior week gets an escalation record that advances through the template’s steps.

Watch and resolve escalations

The Active escalations panel, further down the same settings page, lists every in-flight chain with the person, the week, and a step progress indicator. You do not resolve them by hand. An escalation closes itself when the person becomes compliant for that week, or when they are covered by a compliance exception.

Note

Escalation steps never skip ahead or repeat. Each step fires once, when its delay has elapsed, and every advance is written to the audit log for the evidence trail.

Best practices

1. Pick Light or Standard for the first quarter; Strict only when needed. Strict escalation is for orgs under formal compliance regimes (SOX, HIPAA, etc.). For most teams, Standard provides plenty of pressure without burning out relationships.
2. Configure timesheet approvers first. The “manager” target routes to designated timesheet approvers — if none are configured, escalation jumps to org owner. That’s noisier than necessary. Set up approvers in Approve timesheets.
3. Announce the chain before turning it on. “Starting next Monday, missed deadlines trigger escalation” gives people one cycle to adapt. Going from no enforcement straight to escalation surprises people.
4. Don’t combine Strict + Hard-lock unless your compliance posture demands it. They’re complementary — Strict is gradient enforcement, Hard-lock is binary. Using both together can feel punitive; one or the other suffices for most orgs.
5. Monitor the Active escalations panel weekly. If escalations consistently reach the “email owner” step, the team isn’t responding to earlier steps — either the deadline is unrealistic or the message isn’t landing. Address the cause.

Troubleshooting / common pitfalls

• Escalation didn’t fire when expected. Three causes: (a) the chain isn’t enabled in settings; (b) the person is exempt (role, user-level, or exception); (c) the hourly worker hasn’t run yet. Wait an hour and check.
• Manager step went to org owner instead. No timesheet approvers configured. Set them up; future escalations will route correctly.
• An escalation didn’t auto-resolve after submission. Auto-resolution depends on the hourly worker. Wait an hour; the chain closes itself.
• Steps fired out of order. They shouldn’t — each step has a delay-from- deadline. If you see disorder, check the audit log; the timestamps should be monotonic.
• The Strict template’s block step did nothing. It’s currently a notification, not an actual block. Organization-wide blocking is the separate Hard-lock feature.

How this combines with other features

• Escalation + Hard lock. Hard-lock is binary, escalation is gradient. Hard-lock
  • Strict escalation give you the broadest enforcement spectrum: nudge → email manager → block → email owner. See Enforce timesheets with a hard lock.
• Escalation + Exceptions. Granting an exception auto-resolves the escalation for the covered weeks. See Grant compliance exceptions.
• Escalation + Approvers. The “manager” step routes to timesheet approvers. Without them, the chain jumps to org owner. See Approve timesheets.
• Escalation + Audit logs. Every step advance writes to the audit log, building the evidence trail. See Read audit logs.

Coming from another tool

Tool	Mapping
Microsoft Project Online Reminders	Onplana’s escalation is more sophisticated
ServiceNow Workflow Escalation	Direct concept
Spreadsheet + email reminders	Onplana automates the whole chain
Custom HRIS escalation	Onplana’s escalation lives on the project side
Slack reminder bots	Onplana’s escalation is policy-driven, not opt-in

FAQs

Does the Strict template’s block step actually lock the person out? Today it delivers a final notification; the settings panel notes this next to the template. Organization-wide blocking is the separate enforcement mode covered in Enforce timesheets with a hard lock, and it applies regardless of escalation template.

Can I build a custom chain? Not yet; the three templates are the available options. Choose the closest fit and tune the deadline and grace settings around it.

What stops an escalation for someone on leave? Grant them a date-bounded compliance exception. They derive as exempt for the covered weeks, and any open escalation resolves on the next hourly check.

Can the chain be paused org-wide? Yes — disable Escalation chain in settings. Active escalations stop advancing; they auto-resolve when their target person becomes compliant.

What happens if I switch templates mid-chain? Existing chains follow whatever template was active when they fired. New chains use the new template.

Are escalations visible to the affected person? The first step (in-app nudge) is visible. Email steps go to manager/owner. The person sees the in-app notifications and banner.

Related

• Enforce timesheets with a hard lock — complementary binary enforcement
• Grant compliance exceptions — what auto-resolves escalations
• Approve timesheets — where the “manager” step routes