Setting Relative Due Dates on Corrective Tasks

1. What a Relative Due Date Is

When a workflow fires and creates a corrective task, a relative due date sets how much time the assignee has to complete the task — measured from the moment the task is created, not from a fixed calendar date.

The clock starts at task creation, which happens at the moment of submission when the workflow trigger fires.

Example: A workflow fires at 10:00am when a temperature reading is out of range. The corrective task is created at 10:00am. A relative due date of "4 hours" means the task is due at 2:00pm.

If no relative due date is configured, the task has no deadline. It appears in the task board without a due date, won't trigger overdue notifications, won't show as overdue or missed in reporting, and may sit unresolved indefinitely. For any issue with a meaningful resolution expectation, always set a relative due date. 

2. The Available Time Units

Relative due dates can be set in:

Minutes — Due time is calculated precisely from the moment of task creation. A 30-minute due date created at 10:15am means the task is due at 10:45am. Use for urgent safety or operational issues that must be resolved within the same shift.

Hours — Due time is calculated precisely from task creation. 4 hours from 10:00am = 2:00pm. Most common for same-day operational issues where the resolution window is measured in working hours.

Days — Due time is set to 11:59pm on the day the due date falls. A 2-day relative due date created on Tuesday results in a due time of 11:59pm on Thursday — giving the full two calendar days regardless of what time on Tuesday the task was created. Use for issues that need attention within a few business days but not necessarily within hours.

Weeks — Due time is 11:59pm at the end of the week count. A 1-week due date gives until 11:59pm seven calendar days from creation. Use for non-urgent maintenance or follow-up tasks.

Months — Due time is 11:59pm at the end of the month count. Use for periodic review tasks or long-cycle compliance actions.

Important note on Days/Weeks/Months: Because these are set to 11:59pm on the target day, a task created at 9:00am with a 1-day due date is due at 11:59pm that same calendar day — not 24 hours later. If you need a precise 24-hour window, use 24 hours rather than 1 day. 

3. Setup Relative Due Date

Choosing the Right Window

The right relative due date reflects the real operational urgency of the issue — not a default or a wish. A window that's too short creates pressure on the receiving team for issues that genuinely take time. A window that's too long provides no meaningful accountability.