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Troubleshooting Automations

Things usually work smoothly, but sometimes automations don't fire as expected. Here's how to diagnose and fix common issues.

Problem 1: Tasks Didn't Appear When I Activated a Stage​

Symptoms​

  • You changed Current Stage Status to "[Stage] Active"
  • It's been >5 minutes
  • Task Overview is still empty on that stage
  • Automation Status is stuck on "1 - Pending Creation" or blank

Diagnosis Steps​

Step 1: Check Automation Status

  1. Open the Stage (click it from Linked Stages on the project)
  2. Look at the Automation Status field

What it should say:

  • "3 - Linking Complete" ✅ (all done)

What it might say:

  • "1 - Pending Creation" ⏳ (still processing, give it more time)
  • Blank ❌ (automation didn't trigger)
  • "2 - Creation Complete" ⏸️ (tasks created, but dependencies not linked yet)

Stage detail showing Automation Status field

Step 2: Check Task Templates Exist The automation pulls from Task Templates app.

  1. Go to Task Templates app (should be in your workspace)
  2. Filter by Project Stage = [Your Stage] (e.g., Pre-Construction)
  3. Filter by Division = [Your Project Division] (e.g., Concrete)
  4. Do templates exist?

If NO templates exist:

  • The automation has nothing to create tasks from
  • Contact your admin/PM to populate templates

If templates exist:

  • Automation should have worked
  • Continue to Step 3

Step 3: Check Project Division Field The automation filters templates by Division.

  1. Open your Project
  2. Look at the Division field
  3. Is it set to Concrete, Drywall, or Other?

If Division is blank:

  • Automation can't find templates
  • Set the Division field
  • Change Current Stage Status to the stage again to re-trigger automation

Step 4: Wait Longer (Seriously) If it's only been 2-3 minutes, be patient.

Complex stages (40+ tasks) can take up to 5 minutes if the system is busy.

Step 5: Re-Trigger the Automation If it's been >5 minutes and still nothing:

  1. Change Current Stage Status to a different stage (e.g., if stuck on Pre-Con, change to Mobilization)
  2. Save
  3. Wait 30 seconds
  4. Change it back to the correct stage (e.g., Pre-Construction Active)
  5. Save
  6. Wait 2-3 minutes

This "resets" the automation trigger.

Still Not Working?​

Contact your GlobiFlow admin or PM. Possible causes:

  • GlobiFlow automation is paused or disabled
  • API connection issue with Podio
  • Template app was moved or deleted
  • Automation was edited incorrectly

Symptoms​

  • Tasks appeared in Task Overview ✅
  • Automation Status says "2 - Creation Complete" (not "3 - Linking Complete")
  • Dependent tasks have empty Dependencies field (should show prerequisite tasks)
  • All tasks are In Progress (Dependent tasks should be Pending)

Diagnosis Steps​

Step 1: Check Automation Status If it says "2 - Creation Complete":

  • Task creation worked
  • Dependency linking automation didn't run (yet or at all)

Step 2: Wait a Bit Longer Dependency linking is a second automation that runs after task creation completes.

Give it another 2-3 minutes.

Step 3: Check Task Templates for Dependent Task # The linking automation uses Dependent Task # field in templates to know what to link.

  1. Go to Task Templates app
  2. Find a template that should be Dependent
  3. Check if Dependent Task # field is filled out

If it's blank:

  • Template is incomplete
  • Tasks won't link automatically
  • You'll need to manually add dependencies (see below)

Step 4: Manually Link Dependencies If automation failed or templates are incomplete:

  1. Open a Dependent task
  2. Edit the Dependencies field
  3. Search for and select the prerequisite task(s)
  4. Change Status from In Progress to Pending (since it should wait)
  5. Save

Repeat for each dependent task.

Editing Dependencies field on a task

This is tedious but ensures workflows work correctly.

Problem 3: Dependent Task Didn't Unlock When I Completed Prerequisite​

Symptoms​

  • You marked Task A Complete
  • Task B depends on Task A (you verified in Dependencies field)
  • Task B is still Status = Pending (should have changed to In Progress)
  • The responsible person wasn't notified

Diagnosis Steps​

Step 1: Verify Dependency is Set Correctly

  1. Open Task B (the dependent task)
  2. Look at Dependencies field
  3. Does it list Task A?

If NO:

  • The dependency wasn't linked correctly
  • Automation won't trigger
  • Manually add Task A to Dependencies field, then re-complete Task A (see Step 4)

If YES:

  • Dependency is set correctly
  • Continue to Step 2

Step 2: Check Task A is Actually Complete

  1. Open Task A
  2. Look at Status field
  3. Is it Complete (green)?

If NO:

  • You might have changed it back by mistake
  • Mark it Complete again

Step 3: Check GlobiFlow is Running [NEEDS VERIFICATION: How can users check GlobiFlow status? Is there a dashboard?]

If GlobiFlow is paused or disabled, automations won't run.

Contact your admin to verify GlobiFlow is active.

Step 4: Re-Trigger the Automation

  1. Open Task A (the prerequisite)
  2. Change Status to In Progress (temporarily)
  3. Save
  4. Change Status back to Complete
  5. Save
  6. Wait 30 seconds
  7. Check Task B - it should now be In Progress

This forces the automation to detect the completion event again.

Step 5: Manually Unlock Task B If automation still doesn't work:

  1. Open Task B
  2. Change Status to In Progress
  3. Save
  4. Manually notify the responsible person

Then contact your admin about the automation failure.

Problem 4: Recurring Tasks Didn't Regenerate​

Symptoms​

  • You completed a task with Type = Recurring
  • It's been a week (or the expected recurrence interval)
  • No new copy of the task appeared

Diagnosis Steps​

Step 1: Check Stage is Still Active Recurring tasks only regenerate for active stages.

  1. Open your Project
  2. Check Current Stage Status
  3. Is the stage the task belongs to still Active?

If NO:

  • You moved to a new stage
  • Recurring tasks from old stage won't regenerate
  • This is expected behavior

If YES:

  • Continue to Step 2

Step 2: Check Type Field

  1. Open the completed recurring task
  2. Look at Type field
  3. Is it set to Recurring?

If NO:

  • It's not marked as recurring
  • Won't regenerate
  • Edit it and set Type = Recurring, or manually create a new copy

Step 3: Check Recurrence Schedule [NEEDS VERIFICATION: What's the exact recurrence schedule? Weekly on Mondays? Configurable?]

The regeneration might be on a weekly schedule (e.g., Mondays at 9 AM).

If you completed the task on Thursday, a new one might not appear until next Monday.

Step 4: Contact Admin If it's past the expected regeneration time and still nothing:

  • GlobiFlow recurring task automation might be disabled
  • Schedule might have changed
  • Contact admin to investigate

Problem 5: New Project Didn't Create Stages​

Symptoms​

  • You created a new Project
  • Stages weren't automatically created
  • Linked Stages field is empty

Diagnosis Steps​

Step 1: Wait a Minute Stage creation is usually fast (30-60 seconds), but give it a minute.

Step 2: Check GlobiFlow The "Create Stages on New Project" automation might be paused.

Contact your admin to verify it's active.

Step 3: Manually Create Stages If automation is broken and you need to move forward:

  1. Go to Stages app
  2. Create 5 stages manually:
    • Pre-Construction
    • Mobilization
    • Construction
    • Demobilization
    • Retainage
  3. For each stage, set Linked Project to your project
  4. Fill out other fields (Stage Name, etc.)

This is tedious, but gets you unblocked.

Then contact admin to fix the automation for future projects.

Problem 6: Tasks Assigned to Wrong People​

Symptoms​

  • Tasks were created, but Responsible field shows the wrong person or a role name (e.g., "Project Manager" instead of "Jared McKenzie")

Diagnosis Steps​

Step 1: Check Project Role Fields Task assignment pulls from Project fields:

  1. Open your Project
  2. Check these fields:
    • Project Manager (should be a person's name)
    • OC - Operations Coordinator (should be a person's name)
    • FOCS - Field Operations Coordinator (should be a person's name)
    • Foreman (should be a person's name)

If any are blank:

  • Tasks assigned to that role will be blank or show the role name
  • Fill in the correct person
  • Manually reassign the tasks (see assigning-tasks.md)

Step 2: Manually Reassign Tasks If automation assigned incorrectly:

  1. Go to Tasks app
  2. Filter by the stage or project
  3. Open each task with wrong assignment
  4. Change Responsible to the correct person
  5. Save

Or use bulk edit if available [NEEDS VERIFICATION].

This doesn't break anything - you're just overriding the automation's initial assignment.

Problem 7: Automation Status Stuck on "1 - Pending Creation"​

Symptoms​

  • Changed Current Stage Status
  • Automation Status shows "1 - Pending Creation"
  • It's been >10 minutes
  • No tasks appeared

Diagnosis​

This means the automation started but didn't finish.

Possible causes:

  • GlobiFlow encountered an error mid-process
  • API rate limit hit
  • Template data is malformed

Solution​

Step 1: Re-Trigger

  1. Change Current Stage Status to a different stage
  2. Save
  3. Wait 1 minute
  4. Change back to the correct stage
  5. Save
  6. Wait 5 minutes

Step 2: Contact Admin If it happens again, there's a deeper issue with the automation.

Provide:

  • Project name
  • Stage you tried to activate
  • Division
  • Time you triggered it

Admin can check GlobiFlow logs for errors.

General Troubleshooting Tips​

✅ Do:​

  • Wait at least 2-3 minutes before assuming an automation failed
  • Check Automation Status field for clues
  • Verify required fields are filled out (Division, PM, OC, etc.)
  • Re-trigger automations by changing and re-changing fields
  • Manually fix issues if you need to keep working (reassign tasks, add dependencies)
  • Document what went wrong so you can report to admin

❌ Don't:​

  • Panic and start deleting things
  • Create duplicate tasks while waiting for automation (wait first!)
  • Assume it's broken after 30 seconds
  • Manually create 40+ tasks when you could just re-trigger automation

When to Contact Admin​

Contact your GlobiFlow admin or PM if:

  • Automation fails repeatedly
  • Automation Status is stuck for >10 minutes
  • Tasks are missing fields or data
  • You see error messages
  • Recurring tasks haven't regenerated after multiple cycles
  • Entire stages are missing tasks

Provide details:

  • Project name
  • Stage
  • Division
  • What you were trying to do
  • What happened (or didn't happen)
  • Screenshot of Automation Status or error

Quick Reference: Automation Status Meanings​

StatusMeaningWhat To Do
BlankAutomation hasn't triggeredRe-trigger by changing stage status again
"1 - Pending Creation"Automation started, creating tasksWait 2-5 minutes
"2 - Creation Complete"Tasks created, linking dependenciesWait 1-2 more minutes
"3 - Linking Complete"All done! ✅Nothing, it worked
Stuck on "1" for >10 minAutomation failed mid-processRe-trigger, contact admin if repeats

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