DATIMORE · WORKED EXAMPLE

A reminder policy the team can follow

Help the delivery coordinator see whether a review is finished, needs help or has a new follow-up time.

Synthetic planning example. All records, roles, dates and rules are invented. This static example sends no messages and reports no client results. Times illustrate the chosen policy, not measured response speed.

Starting information

Task: R-037: review the delivery checklist before the coordinator prepares a customer update.
People: Reviewer: Colleague A. Team lead: Colleague B. Process owner: Colleague C. Each has agreed to these responsibilities.
Due: Monday 5 October 2026, 14:00, Riyadh time.
Working hours: Sunday–Thursday, 09:00–17:00, Riyadh time. No holidays occur in this example; a real calendar must include them.
Initial state: Open; no response recorded; no reminder sent. Task details and completion status are current.
Message: Task reference, requested action, due time and a link to the current task that only the people involved can open. No customer details in the notification.

Rules agreed for this example

Check the current task before sending. Completed or cancelled tasks receive no further reminders. If the reviewer, due time or task status is missing, create one correction task for the process owner. Reminders wait until it is corrected. Do not create the correction task again while the same problem remains unresolved.
Send one due-time reminder. If the task is open at or after its deadline, notify the reviewer once, during working hours. If the deadline falls outside working hours, send the reminder when work next starts.
Ask the team lead after two working hours without a response. Count from the first reminder. Send this follow-up once and leave the task on the lead's follow-up list. Do not send repeated alerts to the whole team.
Record an acknowledgment separately from completion. If the reviewer replies before two working hours have passed and the team lead agrees a new follow-up time, use that time instead. If no new time is agreed, notify the team lead two working hours after the first reminder. If the task is still unfinished at the new time, notify the lead once. The lead then decides when to check again. If the reviewer replies after the lead has been notified, the lead still owns the follow-up.
Record each reminder and follow-up when it is sent. Rechecking the task or receiving the same update must not send that reminder or follow-up again. A known failed message goes to the process owner's list of messages that need checking. An uncertain delivery result needs checking before resending. Check overdue tasks against this record as well, so missing alerts can be found.

These are proposed operating rules. They require current task data, agreed cover for absences and checks that messages can be sent through the service in use. They do not prove reliable delivery by any particular tool.

Monday's worked timeline

14:00 · One reminder to the reviewer
R-037 is open and due. Record reminder M-1. Output: reviewer receives the task and requested action.
14:30 · No duplicate
The task is still open, but M-1 is already recorded. Output: no new message.
16:00 · One follow-up to the team lead
Two working hours have passed with no response. Record follow-up M-2. Output: the lead is asked to arrange help.
16:10 · Response, not completion
The reviewer says the review is underway. The lead agrees a check-in at 16:45. Output: task remains open; next follow-up 16:45.
16:20 · Review completed
The reviewer records completion. Output: the coordinator sees “Completed”; the 16:45 follow-up is cancelled.
16:45 · No further reminder
The latest state is completed. Output: no message.

Final state: review completed, two notifications recorded, no pending reminder. This says nothing about whether the coordinator has sent the customer update.

Check the alternative cases

No reviewer assigned: no reminder to an unknown recipient. Show one correction task for the process owner. Rechecks do not multiply it.
Completed at 13:55: no 14:00 reminder and no later follow-up to the team lead.
Response at 15:00 with a lead-agreed follow-up at 16:30: cancel the original 16:00 follow-up to the team lead. If still unfinished at 16:30, notify the lead once. An acknowledgment alone never marks the review complete.
Reminder sent Thursday at 16:00: one working hour elapses Thursday. The second elapses Sunday at 10:00, so that is the follow-up time, assuming no holiday.
Failed or uncertain message: keep the task open and visible for the process owner. Check delivery before deciding whether to resend; do not assume the recipient has seen it.

Try the policy with your real owners, calendars and task changes before connecting it to live messages. Check who can open the task. Also test what happens when its status changes while a reminder is being prepared: check again before sending, so completed work receives no further reminder.