Substitutions
Substitutions allow another user to act during absences or delegated responsibility periods.
The exact behavior depends on configuration. In most setups, substitutions affect task visibility and notification handling, while the audit trail still records who performed the action.
What a Substitute Can Do
Substitution behavior is installation-specific. Depending on configuration, a substitute may:
- receive reminders,
- see tasks of the represented user,
- open related documents,
- perform workflow actions,
- approve within defined limits,
- only act for selected clients or modules.
Some installations use substitutions only for notifications. Others allow full task processing.
Visibility and Permission
Substitution does not automatically mean unlimited access. A substitute may still need:
- an active user account,
- the same client or mandate role,
- object read permission,
- object write permission for decisions,
- permission for the specific workflow transition.
If a substitute receives an e-mail but cannot open the linked document, notification forwarding works but access permission is missing.
Acting as Substitute
When acting as substitute:
- Open the task or document from the task list or notification.
- Verify that you are acting on behalf of the absent or delegated user.
- Review the document and comments carefully.
- Perform only actions you are authorized to perform.
- Add a comment if the decision needs context.
Audit Trail
The audit trail should show the actual acting user. This is important because a substitute performs the action personally, even if the business responsibility belongs to another person.
Common Issues
| Symptom | Possible cause |
|---|---|
| Substitute sees no tasks | Substitution not active, wrong date, wrong client, or task visibility not delegated. |
| Substitute gets reminder but cannot open document | Missing read permission or client role. |
| Substitute can open but cannot approve | Missing write permission or workflow transition permission. |
| Substitute sees only part of the workload | Some objects have different ACL, client, status, or assignment. |
When in doubt, contact an administrator with the represented user, substitute user, document ID, and expected action.