‘Update In-Flight Assignments’ Automation

💬 Note: This article refers to assignments.  Depending on your label alias configuration these might display differently in your tenant. Learn more here

🔑 Note: This automation is available only on request. Please contact Obzervr Support at support@obzervr.com to request enabling this automation

‘Update In-Flight Assignments’ is an automation that allows for seamless updates to assignments using the latest version of the group fragment. In the standard process, assignments can only incorporate the most up-to-date version at the time of creation. However, with the ‘Update In-Flight Assignments’, assignments that are open or on hold can effortlessly be updated to the latest version. This guarantees that field operators have uninterrupted access to the most recent versions, regardless of when the assignment was originally created.

In this article, we will explain how to enable it, how it will update assignments, and how it handles conflicts — so your field operators will always have the most up-to-date versions of work!

Click any of the following links to skip ahead:

• How to Enable ‘Update In-Flight Assignments’ Automation
• How Assignments Will Be Updated
• How Update Conflicts Will Be Handled

How to Enable ‘Update In-Flight Assignments’ Automation

To enable this automation, please contact Obzervr to assist with setting up the required webhooks.

Once it is enabled in your tenant you will be able to see it in the webhooks list in Manager (Integration → Webhooks).

🔒 Note: This capability requires webhook (admin) permissions to access. Learn more here

The webhook commands used are:

• PublishFragmentTemplateCommand (Required): This is what allows assignments to be updated after creation
• ResolveTemplateConflictsCommand (Recommended): This helps manage conflicts that can occur when a user works offline (see conflict for more detail)
• **InProgressAssignmentCommand (**Recommended): This prevents assignments that have been in progress from being updated

If you have ‘webhook (admin)’ permissions you will be able to manage these webhooks, including disabling, pausing, and deleting them. Learn more about how to manage webhooks here

How Assignments Will Be Updated

Note: This automation only applies to group fragments, not work templates

When the automation is enabled, if a group fragment is updated and published, it will automatically update any existing assignments containing that group that are:

• Open
• On Hold

The outdated versions of the group fragments in these assignments will be replaced with the updated group fragments.

As this is an automation this will happen automatically, without manual intervention. This differs from the standard process, as once you create an assignment, it will only use the latest published version at the point of creation.

Details of Status Update Rules

*Only if the assignment has never been ‘in progress’ (ie. no work has been done previously’) and if webhook command InProgressAssignmentCommand is active.

**Can be updated if ‘in progress’ state change occurs offline (see ‘How Update Conflicts Will Be Handled’ for more details)

How Update Conflicts Will Be Handled

Note: This requires webhook command ResolveTemplateConflictsCommand to be active. See ‘How to Enable ‘Update In-Flight Assignments’ Automation’ for more details.

At Obzervr we support offline work, allowing our users to work anywhere in the field. However, this can cause a conflict if a field operator begins filling in the assignment offline while an update happens. Obzervr will handle conflicts by duplicating the updated group, keeping both the older version (which the field operator has begun filling in) and the updated version so that no data is lost.

Note: If the assignment is created offline, it will not be updated if a conflict occurs

How to know if a conflict occurred

If a conflict occurs the following will happen in the assignment

1. The assignment will contain two groups of the same name: The old version and the new version
2. The progress completed by the field operator will be kept in the older version of the group
3. The new version will be added to the assignment, including a section at the top of the group that contains information about the update.
   Note: This section will be customized to your preferences during the setup process with the Obzervr team. It may include fields such as the new version number of the group fragment and when the update occurred. This information is intended to give field operators and supervisors a better understanding of what occurred.

What to do if a conflict occurs

If you see a conflict occur, you can:

1. Fill in the new group that has been added
2. Leave the new group empty and complete it (you can force complete on Manager if it has mandatory fields)

This decision is up to you and your business based on your processes of how you choose to handle update conflicts

What happens if the conflict webhook is not enabled?

If the conflict webhook is not enabled, then when a conflict occurs, the filled-in group will be replaced by the updated group. This can result in lost work and confusion for the field operator, who may interpret the replacement as an error, particularly if the update was minor.