When a workflow stalls
A workflow is a chain: a connector brings work in, an orchestrator processes it, a person signs off anything needing judgement, and another connector delivers it. When it stalls, the question is which link stopped.
Narrow it down first
Check the destination the export connector delivers to. If the result is there, the workflow ran.
Open the orchestrator’s documents list and select Refresh — it never updates itself, so a stale badge is the commonest false alarm. See Finding a document.
That badge names the link that stopped. Hover it on Exception, Export Failed and Partially Exported for the reason.
Nothing arrived. Walk back to the import connector — read Status and Engagement Status — then the orchestrator’s Import Channels tab.
Follow the chain back
| Symptom | Where to look | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing arrived — no document in the orchestrator. | The connector's two badges, then Import Channels. | It is not both Active and Connected, or it is not bound — and anything fetched while unbound is consumed, never fetched again. | Bind an import connector · Fetch now |
| It arrived but was not processed — Processing, Password Required or Exception. | The document itself: its banner and Failed Stage. | A locked PDF waits for Enter Password with no banner saying so; a failed stage ends in Exception. | Handling an exception · Document statuses |
| It processed but is waiting — Waiting for Review. | The document in the workbench. | It needs a person; Mark as Reviewed stays disabled while a required field is empty. Scheduled exports only take documents that have cleared review. | Sign off and re-run |
| It finished but was not delivered — Completed, Queued for Export or Export Failed. | Export Channels, then the connector. | No enabled export channel, a batch still waiting on its schedule, or a connector that refused the document. | Channels · Deliver now |
Nothing happened is not proof nothing failed
Some failures raise no message at all, so a quiet screen does not mean the work is still running. A document that completes with no enabled export channel counts as a success — nothing delivered, no error anywhere.
Next
- Watching a workflow run — where each stage is visible while it works.
- Troubleshooting by symptom — indexed by symptom across the whole product, not one workflow.