Automate changing the status of tasks

What are Status Actions?

Status actions have one specific job: they automatically re-open a step (task) that was already marked as complete.

This action only works if the task you target is currently complete. If the task is still open or hasn’t started, this action does nothing.

Status actions are mainly used for:

• Approval/Rejection steps: If something is rejected, automatically re-open the previous step so corrections can be made.
• Feedback loops: Send a process back to an earlier step for revisions based on a review.

Examples of Status Actions

Example 1: Re-open task after rejection

IF (Approval Decision field) is "Requires changes"
THEN re-open task "Make changes for next draft"

(If the reviewer requests changes, the task for making changes is automatically re-opened.)

Example 2: Loop back if quality check fails

IF (Quality Check field) is "Failed"
THEN re-open task "Review product specifications"

(If the quality check fails, the process goes back to the specification review step.)

Example 3: Handle document corrections

IF (Manager Approval field) is "Rejected"
THEN re-open task "Update documentation"

(If the manager rejects the document, the task to update it is re-opened.)

(In the screenshot example, if step 2 is completed, the rule automatically re-opens step 3, potentially creating a loop back in the process.)

Important limitations

• Status actions can only re-open completed tasks.
• They cannot automatically complete, cancel, or change the status of tasks that are still active or not yet started.
• This action has no effect if the target task is not already complete.

Related articles

Automations > Actions

Automation actions in Tallyfy execute the “THEN” portion of if-this-then-that rules and include four types: assignment actions for changing task responsibility deadline actions for adjusting due dates status actions for reopening completed tasks and visibility actions for showing or hiding steps based on conditions.

Tasks > Complete or reopen tasks

Tasks can be marked complete through checkmark icons or completion buttons and reopened via a dedicated button while tasks with subtasks require meeting checklist requirements before allowing completion.

Templates > Automations

Tallyfy process automations are smart IF-THEN rules that automatically perform actions like task assignments deadline changes and step visibility based on defined conditions to reduce manual work and ensure consistent process execution.

Actions > Automate hiding or showing tasks

Visibility actions enable dynamic workflow customization by automatically showing or hiding specific process steps based on predefined conditions and task completion status.