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Understanding Health Status

Monitor automation effectiveness with health indicators

Understanding Health Status

Health status helps you quickly identify which automations are working well and which need attention.

What is Health Status?

Health status is a visual indicator showing how well an automation is performing based on task completion rates. It answers the question: "Are tasks created by this automation being completed on time?"

Health Status Indicators

Healthy (Green)

Meaning: Tasks are being completed consistently and on time.

Metrics:

  • 90% or more of tasks completed
  • No or minimal overdue tasks
  • Steady completion rate

Action Needed: None - automation is working as intended.

Warning (Yellow)

Meaning: Some tasks are being completed late or remain incomplete.

Metrics:

  • 70-89% completion rate
  • Some overdue tasks
  • Declining completion trend

Action Needed: Investigate why tasks aren't being completed on time.

Failing (Red)

Meaning: Many tasks are incomplete or overdue.

Metrics:

  • Below 70% completion rate
  • Significant number of overdue tasks
  • Consistent pattern of non-completion

Action Needed: Immediate attention required - process or scheduling issue.

Inactive (Gray)

Meaning: Automation is turned off.

Metrics: N/A - no tasks being created

Action Needed: Activate if needed, or delete if no longer required.

Understanding the Metrics

Total Tasks Created

The number of tasks this automation has created since activation.

Example: A monthly automation running for 6 months creates 6 tasks.

Completed Tasks

How many tasks have been marked as done.

Example: 5 out of 6 tasks completed = 83% completion rate.

Overdue Tasks

Tasks past their due date that remain incomplete.

Example: 1 task due last week, still not done = 1 overdue.

Completion Rate

Percentage of tasks completed (completed ÷ total × 100).

Example: 10 tasks created, 9 completed = 90% completion rate = Healthy.

What Health Status Tells You

About the Automation

  • Is the schedule appropriate?
  • Is advance notice sufficient?
  • Are task descriptions clear?

About the Process

  • Do assignees understand what's needed?
  • Is the work too complex for the time allowed?
  • Are there resource constraints?

About Compliance

  • Are we meeting our review commitments?
  • Which controls/areas need attention?
  • Where are compliance gaps forming?

When to Investigate

Healthy to Warning Transition

What it means: Recent tasks aren't being completed

Investigate:

  • Did team workload increase?
  • Was there a personnel change?
  • Is the task becoming more complex?

Actions:

  • Talk to task assignees
  • Consider extending advance notice
  • Review task requirements

Warning to Failing Transition

What it means: Consistent pattern of non-completion

Investigate:

  • Is the automation still needed?
  • Is the frequency too high?
  • Do assignees have the resources/skills needed?

Actions:

  • Adjust automation frequency
  • Reassign to different team members
  • Provide additional training or resources
  • Consider deactivating if no longer valuable

Taking Action Based on Health Status

For Warning Status

  1. Review Recent Tasks

    • Open the tasks created by this automation
    • Look for patterns in what's incomplete
    • Note any common blockers

  2. Check Workload

    • Are assignees overloaded?
    • Have priorities shifted?
    • Do they need help?

  3. Adjust Settings

    • Increase advance notice days
    • Reduce frequency if too burdensome
    • Update task descriptions for clarity

  4. Communication

    • Remind assignees about pending tasks
    • Clarify expectations
    • Offer support

For Failing Status

  1. Immediate Review

    • Meet with stakeholders
    • Understand root cause of non-completion
    • Determine if automation should continue

  2. Process Evaluation

    • Is this task actually valuable?
    • Is it duplicating other work?
    • Does it need to be this frequent?

  3. Corrective Actions

    • Significantly reduce frequency
    • Reassign to different people
    • Simplify the task requirements
    • Provide better tools/resources
    • Or deactivate if not adding value

  4. Set Improvement Goals

    • Target: Return to Warning within 30 days
    • Target: Return to Healthy within 90 days
    • Monitor progress weekly

Viewing Automation Health

In the Automations List

  1. Go to Settings → Automations
  2. Look at the "Health" column
  3. Color-coded indicators show status at a glance

In Control Detail Views

  1. Open a control
  2. Look at attached automations in the evidence table
  3. Health status appears next to each automation

Filtering by Health

In the automations list, you can filter to show only:

  • Healthy automations (working well)
  • Warning/Failing (need attention)

Tip: Regularly review Warning and Failing automations in your weekly or monthly management routine.

Health isn't static - watch for trends:

Improving Trend: Completion rates increasing over time

  • Good sign - process maturing
  • Continue current approach

Declining Trend: Completion rates decreasing

  • Warning sign - investigate early
  • Don't wait until Failing status

Stable Trend: Consistent performance

  • Healthy stable: Good
  • Warning/Failing stable: Needs intervention

Common Health Issues and Solutions

Issue: New Automation Shows "Warning" Immediately

Cause: First task not yet completed, but due date approaching

Solution: Wait for task completion - health status will update. New automations often start in warning until the first cycle completes.

Issue: Health Fluctuates Between Healthy and Warning

Cause: Inconsistent completion - some months good, some not

Solution: Look for patterns (e.g., month-end workload). Adjust schedule to avoid busy periods.

Issue: Multiple Automations on Same Control All Failing

Cause: Too much automation burden on that control

Solution: Consolidate automations, reduce frequency, or reassign workload.

Issue: All Automations for One Assignee Failing

Cause: Individual capacity or priority issue

Solution: Redistribute work, provide support, or adjust priorities.

Using Health for Compliance Reporting

Health metrics provide valuable compliance insights:

For Management:

  • "90% of our compliance automations are healthy"
  • "3 automations need attention this quarter"
  • "Completion rate improved from 75% to 92%"

For Auditors:

  • Demonstrated regular review processes
  • Evidence of monitoring and improvement
  • Proactive issue identification

For Process Improvement:

  • Identify which controls need more resources
  • Optimize review frequencies
  • Focus training where needed

Best Practices

Set Monitoring Cadence

  • Weekly: Check for new Failing status automations
  • Monthly: Review Warning automations
  • Quarterly: Full automation health review

Act Quickly on Failing Status

Don't let failing automations linger - they indicate real compliance gaps.

Celebrate Healthy Status

When automations consistently hit healthy status, it means your compliance processes are working well.

Use Health for Resource Planning

High failure rates across many automations? You may need more compliance resources.

Document Improvements

When you fix a Warning or Failing automation, note what you did in the description for future reference.

Next Steps