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Optional actions in workflow

Not every Case follows the same workflow every time. For example, a CSR might need to temporarily update the mailing address for a scheduled delivery if the recipient is on an extended vacation, or a customer might want to cancel their request for roadside assistance if they manage to change a deflated tire on their own.

In Pega, optional actions provide flexibility for Case resolution by providing alternatives to the standard path of a workflow.

In this topic, you explore how optional actions can be used to control the flow of a Case at runtime.

Optional actions

Optional actions complement a Case by providing out-of-sequence actions that do not change the flow of a Process but help to provide additional information or processing flexibility. You can define conditions to display an action only when it is relevant to the conditions of the Case. For example, an insurance company may have a Case Type for handling property damage from car accidents. While reporting the accident, the customer mentions having a new phone number. The customer representative uses an optional action to update the customer's contact information.

You configure an optional action of one specific step as an optional user action. For an optional action that requires a series of Steps, you configure an optional Process. You can add optional Processes and optional user actions as Case-wide or Stage-only actions. If your action or Process is relevant only in the context of a specific Stage, configure the work as a Stage-only action.

In the following image, click the + icons to learn more about optional actions:

At run time, both optional Processes and optional user actions are accessible from the Actions menu in the Case.

Note: For more information about optional actions, see Configuring and working with Optional Actions in Case Types.

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