Set Due Dates on Steps
There are two ways to put a due date on a step. Set it once in the workflow and every run calculates its own dates, or set a date by hand on a step inside a run. Most teams use the first for the dates that are always the same distance apart, and the second for the exceptions.
Relative due dates in a workflow
A due date in a workflow is relative, because the workflow does not know when it will be run. You describe the gap, and each run turns it into a real date.
- Open the workflow for editing.
- Hover over the step and click the due date icon (the calendar).
- Enter the amount of time and choose the units: Minutes, Hours or Days.
- Choose what the gap is measured from.
- Click Save.
What the due date is measured from
- From the run start date. Every step is due a fixed distance from the day the run began.
- From completion of the previous step. The clock starts when the step before it is ticked off, which suits a hand-off where the wait is what matters rather than the calendar.
- From the run due date. Useful for work that has to be finished before a fixed deadline.
- From a step's collected date. The date comes out of the run itself. If an earlier step asks for the closing date or the start date, later steps can be due relative to the answer. The dialog then asks which date field to use, and only date fields already on the workflow are offered.
Dates before the basis
The amount can be negative, which places the due date before whatever you measured from. Combined with From the run due date, this is how you say "this has to be done two days before the deadline" without calculating it per run.
Business days
When the units are Days, accounts with business calendars can choose Business days or Calendar days. Business days skip weekends and the holidays on the calendar the workflow uses. See Configuring Business Days.
Removing a relative due date
Reopen the same dialog and click Remove Due Date. Runs already under way keep the dates they were given.
Specific due dates in a run
Inside a run, a step's due date can be set or changed to a specific date. This is the flexible option, and the one that has to be remembered each time, so it suits exceptions rather than the normal case.
- Open the run.
- Click the due date on the step, or open the step's details panel and click its due date.
- Pick the date and save.
Admins and Users can set due dates inside a run. Members and Limited users cannot, so the due date shows as text for them.
What due dates drive
Due dates are not only a label. They decide which steps count as late, which steps appear in the today, this week and next week filters, and when reminders about overdue work are sent.
Video walkthrough
This video walks through setting due dates on steps, both in a workflow and inside a run.