Get a handle on your email notifications.

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Have you ever received a Workfront email notification for a work item you aren’t assigned to, or seemingly even directly tied to? Or on the opposite spectrum, get assigned work and not know about it until you log in? Did you know that Workfront has over 90 system-level email notifications available within the global Setup menu that can be activated? 

System administrators can globally activate email notifications within Setup > Email > Notifications by selecting the checkbox to the left of the notification name and then clicking the Activate button. Upon clicking the Activate button, a checkmark will automatically appear in the Active column to let you know it has been turned on for all users within your instance. 

Likewise, if an administrator would like to deactivate a notification for all users, select the checkbox to the left of the notification name and then click the Deactivate button. You will notice that the checkmark icon in the Active column disappears. 

End users will still have the option to personalize their own daily and instant email notification settings in their profile by selecting their avatar in the top right, clicking My Settings and then scrolling down to the notifications section. 

Below are the most common unwanted or missed email notifications that both the Training team and Support team members help customers troubleshoot most frequently.  

• An issue is added to a project I’m on
• A project I’m on becomes active
• Someone comments on a thread I’m in

Let’s take a look at each notification to help to clarify why you may or may not be receiving emails. 

An issue is added to a project I’m on.

For most customers, this is an unwanted email that floods your inbox. When you are “on” a project, that means you are part of the project team, which is the list of users associated with the project’s Staffing tab. You can be added to the Staffing tab automatically through the project template or by being assigned work, whether a task or issue, within the project. 

IMPORTANT: If you have been assigned to an issue that was submitted through a request queue, you are now part of the project team. If this notification is turned on in your profile, you will receive notifications for every issue that is added to the project/request queue, regardless of whether or not you are assigned. 

A project I’m on becomes active.

If your organization does not have this email notification turned on, it is highly recommended that you activate that now, as a lot of assigned work can be missed. This email notification is designed to help project managers make changes and assign work while the project is still in planning without notifying anyone, and then once the project moves to an active or current state, all who are assigned work will be notified in a single, personalized email, listing out all his/her assignments. 

IMPORTANT: This email notification is only triggered when an assignment is made while the project is in planning and then moves to current. If the project is already in an active or current state, the notification that will trigger an email to the task assignee will be “I get a new work request.”

Someone comments on a thread I’m in

Have you ever posted a question in the update stream, tagged several users and then realized you never got an email letting you know that someone replied back? If this notification is turned off and the person replying to your question does not directly tag you back in the comment, you will not receive an email notification. By turning this notification on, you can ensure quicker and improved communication amongst the team. 

IMPORTANT: This notification goes hand-in-hand with “Someone includes me on a directed update” so it is recommended that both of these are active in your profile to avoid missing out on comments, questions or action items. 

You can always turn notifications off by selecting “Stop emails of this type” in the bottom left-hand corner of the email notification, or by deselecting the appropriate email notification checkbox in your personal settings. 

If you found this post helpful, make sure to Like it. If you have any questions, comments or want to share additional email notifications that can cause confusion, please post the details in the comments section below! 

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