The Workload Management (WLM) work item lifecycle defines how Work Items progress through different states during workload execution. It ensures that items are validated, executed, and finalized consistently, with user-controlled and system-controlled transitions.

The following diagram maps out the typical journey of a work item as it moves through an automated process within WLM, listing the different states and possible outcomes.


WLM work item lifecycle

Work item statuses and descriptions

Understanding these statuses help developers, administrators, and business users manage queues effectively, track automation progress, and handle exceptions.
State Description
Insert work items
  • Initial entry point when work items are added.
  • They are validated for errors.
New
  • Default starting state for valid items.
  • Can be put on hold, marked as Completed or Failed or leave them to proceed to Ready to Run.
Ready to Run
  • Items queued for execution.
  • Cannot be edited by users.
  • System transitions them to Active.
Active
  • Items currently executing.
  • Cannot be edited.
  • System transitions them to Completed, Failed, or Unknown.
On-hold
  • Items paused temporarily (indefinitely or for a set time).
  • Can return to New or be marked Completed/Failed.
Completed
  • Final state for successfully completed items.
  • Cannot change state, can only be deleted.
Failed
  • Items that failed execution.
  • Can be re-processed (to New), marked Completed, or put On-hold.
Data error
  • Items with validation errors.
  • Must be corrected before moving to New, Completed, or On-hold.
Unknown
  • Items that ended in an undefined state.
  • Can be retried (to New) or marked Completed/Failed.

Status transitions

The following table outlines the key statuses in the work item lifecycle and possible transitions between these statuses. Use this as a quick reference to understand how work items move through different statuses during WLM processing. When you insert a work item, it can be either in New (if no error) or Data error (if error) state.
Current status Allowed transitions Who can change
New
  • → Ready to Run (system)
  • → On-hold
  • → Completed
  • → Failed
  • → Data error
  • → Unknown
 User / System
Ready to Run → Active System
Active
  • → Complete
  • → Failed
  • → Unknown
 System
On-hold
  • → New
  • → Complete
  • → Failed
 User
Completed → Deleted only User
Failed
  • → New (re-process)
  • → Complete
  • → On-hold
 User
Data error
  • → New (after correction)
  • → Complete
  • → On-hold
 User
Unknown
  • → New
  • → Complete
  • → Failed
 User

State transition rules

  • Editable states: New, On-hold, Data Error, Failed, Unknown, and Completed
  • Non-editable states: Ready to Run and Active
  • System-controlled transitions: Ready to Run → Active, Active → Completed/Failed/Unknown

Considerations

Keep the following considerations in mind:

  • The typical flow for a work item is as follows: New > Ready to Run > Active > Completed/ > Failed.
  • When you upload a large number of Work Items using a CSV file, they are inserted in multiple batches. The state of newly inserted Work Items is marked as Draft until all of them are inserted from the file.
  • Failed Work Items can be edited and reprocessed, returning them to the queue.
  • The system provides different action permissions based on the current state to maintain process integrity. For more details, see Work item status and actions.
  • Transitions between statuses are automated based on device actions, system validations, and queue rules.
    For example, if a work item is in the Ready to Run status, the system automatically moves it to the Active status when a device becomes available. After execution, the device action determines the next status:
    • If the task completes successfully, the item transitions to Completed.
    • If the task fails, the item transitions to Failed.
    • If the device cannot report the outcome, the item transitions to Unknown.
  • Monitor work item statuses to gain visibility into automation efficiency, error trends, and workload distribution.