Blocker tracking and escalations

In agile and fast-paced delivery, unresolved blockers cause immediate sprint drag and schedule slippage. SmartERP incorporates a dedicated blocker tracking and escalation mechanism within smarterp_project_agile to guarantee that impediments receive prompt managerial attention.

[projects-blocker-escalation]

Raising a blocker#

Any team member assigned to a task can raise a blocker when progress is prevented by an external dependency, technical impediment, or missing specification:

1. Open the task in the Agile Kanban or Form view.
2. Select a Blocker Priority:
   • Low: Minor inconvenience with an available internal workaround.
   • Medium: Task cannot proceed; work can temporarily switch to another task.
   • High: Critical path blocked; entire user story or dependent tasks halted.
   • Urgent: Critical production blocker or deployment-blocking dependency.
3. Enter a clear description of the blocker cause and the party responsible for unblocking.
4. SmartERP automatically sets Blocker Status to Blocked, records the current user as Blocker Raised By, and computes SLA target timestamps:
   • Response SLA Due: Deadline for the Scrum Master or Tech Lead to acknowledge and triage the impediment.
   • Resolution SLA Due: Target deadline for full impediment clearance.

The 4-hour automated escalation cron#

SmartERP executes a scheduled background job every 4 hours (ir.cron job ir_cron_project_blocker_escalation):

1. Scans open blockers: Queries all tasks where blocker_status == 'blocked' and stage_id.fold == False.
2. Evaluates SLA thresholds: Compares the current timestamp against response_sla_due and resolution_sla_due.
3. Triggers escalation tiers:
   • Tier 1 (Overdue Response): If the response SLA expires without acknowledgement, SmartERP raises the escalation level to 1 and schedules a high-priority activity for the project's Scrum Master.
   • Tier 2 (Overdue Resolution): If the resolution SLA expires, escalation level advances to 2, notifying both the Project Manager and Governance PMO controller.
   • Tier 3 (Critical Inaction): For Urgent blockers unresolved beyond twice the SLA duration, an emergency alert is posted to the project dashboard and leadership chatter.

Resolving and clearing blockers#

Once the impediment is eliminated:

1. The assignee or unblocker sets Blocker Status to Resolved.
2. Enter resolution notes detailing how the impediment was cleared (e.g., API key provided, design approved, server unblocked).
3. SmartERP computes the Total Blocked Hours, stamps the resolution date, and automatically cancels all pending escalation activities.
4. The task returns to active execution on the Kanban board.