Why can't I move a case forward?

You are in the Case Manager and expect a button to move a case to the next state, but the transition is not shown. A transition acts like a gate between two states, so several conditions must all be met before it appears.

Here are the things to check.

First, is it live?

Changes you make during configuration only take effect once you have put them live. Before investigating anything else, make sure your latest changes have been put live. See Put Live.

Are you in the transition's source state?

Every transition has a state it transitions from and a state it transitions to. A transition is only offered when the case is currently in its source state. If the case has already moved past that state, or has not yet reached it, the transition will not be shown. Check the current position of the case in the workflow bar at the top of the case overview and compare it with the transition's configured source state.

Does your role have permission to execute it?

A transition can be restricted to specific user roles. If your role is not among those allowed to execute the transition, you will not see it, even when the case is in the correct state. Confirm with the transition's configuration which roles are permitted, and check the case with a user that holds one of those roles.

Is the transition's condition met?

A transition can carry a condition that defines when it can be executed. If the condition evaluates to false, the transition stays hidden. For example, a transition that requires a special approval might have:

OUTCOME_INSTANCE.is_employed = true

Until is_employed is answered with yes, the transition will not appear. Make sure that all the information the condition depends on has been provided in the case, and recheck the condition for logic mistakes.

Isolate a complex condition

If the condition is large and complex, build it up little by little. Start with a small part, put live, and check whether the transition appears. Keep adding parts, checking each time, until you find the piece that is wrong.

Is the workflow part of the process you are using?

If the transition belongs to a workflow that is not used by the process the case was started with, it can never be shown. Open the process and confirm it uses the workflow that contains your transition.

For more on how states and transitions are configured, see Extending a Workflow.