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Managing due dates using email reminders and offset frequencies
Who is this article for?
Administrators manage due dates for documents, workflows, trainings, and tests.
Administration access is required.
Effectively managing due dates is essential for compliance and timely document processing. Ideagen Quality Management (Core) provides a strong reminder system with offset frequencies and email reminders to alert users of upcoming or missed deadlines. This article outlines their function and setup for best results.
1. Understanding the core concepts
| Concepts | Description |
|---|---|
| Offset Frequency | Offset frequency defines how many days after an item enters a user’s inbox the system should trigger a reminder. It’s a dynamic way to automate notifications based on user activity. |
| Inbox Time vs. Custom Date Field |
|
| Reminder Types by Status |
Ideagen Quality Management (Core) allows configuring different reminders for each document status:
Each status can have its own:
|
| Inbox Flags and Colors |
Once reminders are configured, Ideagen Quality Management (Core) automatically evaluates inbox items and applies visual flags:
|
Offset Frequency Example: If a document arrives on 10 April at 11:40 AM and the “Approaching Due Date” offset is 5 days, the reminder will trigger on 15 April at 11:40 AM.
2. Example configuration of the approval step
You described the following for documents in the Approval step:
- Approaching Due Date: 7 days after entering the inbox.
- Late: 14 days after entering the inbox.
This setup is correct. Here's how it works in practice:
| Inbox colour: | Green | Yellow | Orange | Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Email Reminder type: |
N/A |
Approaching Due Date |
Late |
Expedited |
Default Offset (Days): |
N/A |
5 (from Inbox date) |
10 (from Inbox date) |
15 (from Inbox date) |
|
Date doc enters Inbox (green): 4/10/10 11:40am |
Turns yellow: 4/15/10 11:40am |
Turns orange: 4/20/10 11:40am |
Turns red: 4/25/10 11:40am |
This setup visually alerts users as deadlines approach or pass.
- Approaching Due Date reminder triggers 7 days after the item enters the inbox.
- Late reminder triggers 14 days after entry.
Users receive timely notifications to manage deadlines. Support is available to review or adjust reminder settings.
3. Best Practices for managing due dates
- Use custom date fields for workflows with varying due dates.
- Assign Document Manager and Process for Others permissions to allow due date checks and updates.
- Set up Email Reminder Administration to automate alerts.
- Regularly check inbox flags to spot bottlenecks.