Limiting the Time Allowed to Complete the Task

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When you create a timed step, you specify a duration for the step and a base step for the duration. The base step for the duration may be the step for which the duration is specified or any preceding step. For example, if you want to specify that a step be accomplished in 24 hours, you set a duration of either 24 hours or 1 day for the step and base the duration on nothing or on the step itself. If, however, you require that step 3 end within 3 days after step 0 started, you would set a duration of 72 hours or 3 days on step 3, based on step 0.

If a step is not accomplished within the specified duration, an exception occurs. The Exceptions tab of the Edit Step dialog box allows you to specify recipients for exception messages that are generated at this step. Exception messages are generated by the StarTeam Notification Agent and cannot be changed.

Note: Setting durations can cause problems, unless your organization operates 24- 7, because the duration time continues to be calculated overnight, during the weekend, and on holidays. That means that steps will expire and exception messages will be sent earlier than anticipated. For example, if on a Friday, a step has 24 more hours before it expires, exception messages may be sent on Saturday.

To create a timed step:

  1. Double-click an existing step. The Edit Step dialog box opens.
  2. Click the General tab.
  3. In the Step Duration group, select the Limit Step Duration check box.
  4. Specify a duration for the step by typing an integer value in the Duration field and selecting days, hours, or minutes from the list.

  5. From the Relative To list, select the step on which the duration is based.

    • To specify a duration for the step from its beginning to its end, set Relative To to the current step or leave it blank. Setting a duration relative to nothing (blank) or the current step specifies that the current step must be performed in the specified time, independent of other steps in the process.
    • To specify a duration for a task that spans two or more steps, set Relative To to the first step in the task.

      Setting a duration relative to a preceding step specifies that the duration begins when the relative step begins and ends when the current step ends, no matter how many steps intervene.

      The Relative To list contains the names of all the steps in the workspace. Be sure to select a step that precedes the current step in the workflow.

  6. Click OK.

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