AI & automation · Practice guide

Avoid repeating an action when a connection times out

Illustrative situation

A timeout causes the workflow to repeat an action that already succeeded in the receiving system. A timeout means the sender did not receive an answer; the receiving system may already have acted. Repeating the request can therefore create another task or message. The supplier needs a way to recognise the original event and investigate uncertainty.

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What this means for your practice

Ask the supplier to demonstrate how it checks an uncertain result before repeating an action. A missing reply does not prove that the receiving system failed to act.

An example to discuss with your team

Simulate a timeout after a fictional task is created.

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A practical conversation with your supplier

Ask to simulate a lost response after a fictional task is created. Does retrying create another task? Inspect the receiving record as well as the automation log. Consequential actions with uncertain outcomes should follow an agreed review process rather than be repeated simply to clear an error.

Plan the first improvement

Ask the supplier to explain the possible outcomes when an action is sent but its reply is lost. The receiving system may have completed the action, rejected it or still be processing it. A safe response depends on establishing what happened before repeating a consequential step. Keep a stable reference connecting the request and receiving record, and ask how that reference is used in the specific products involved. Include task creation, record updates and any outgoing messages in the demonstration.

A duplicate message may be the most visible symptom even when the internal record looks correct. Decide which uncertain outcomes should wait for authorised review and what the reviewer needs to see. Record the eventual resolution so the same item does not keep re-entering recovery. During a rehearsal, simulate the lost reply after the receiving action completes. This tests the difficult case directly instead of demonstrating only failures that occur before anything happens.

How to check the result

Count duplicate actions produced during recovery testing.

Turn reading into a next step

Your action checklist

Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.

Checks to discuss

Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.

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Further reading

These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.

Related guides

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