User Routing
User Routing is the logic engine within the Celonis Platform that determines how Signals are distributed to the right people. Instead of sending every alert to every user, routing rules allow you to:
Automate Assignments: Automatically direct a Signal to the specific individual or User Group responsible for taking action.
Scale Operations: Create a single rule that can be reused across multiple Skills, ensuring consistency in how work is handed off.
Manage Accountability: Designate a Default Assignee who owns the task, while allowing other team members to stay informed as "Subscribed Users."
Essentially, it acts as a traffic controller, ensuring that process insights are converted into action by the correct stakeholder at the right time. Routing rules decouple assignment logic from individual Skills, allowing you to maintain a consistent authorization and accountability model across your organization.
Celonis supports three distinct routing methods to match your organizational structure:
Method | Logic type | Scalability | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
Simple Routing | Static | Low | Small teams or pilot projects where all Signals go to the same group. |
Data Model Column | Attribute-based | Medium | Routing by geography (Country), department (CC), or vendor category. |
Signal Attributes | Logical Matrix | High | Complex routing requiring "AND/OR" logic. |
Understanding the difference between visibility and accountability is critical for operational efficiency.
Subscribed Users: These users can view the Signal in their Signal List and My Inbox. They are informed but not primarily responsible.
Default Assignee: The specific individual designated as the primary owner. This user receives the Communication notification and is the first point of contact in the system.
When using Simple Routing, you can designate one person as the "Default Assignee" while keeping their backup team members as "Subscribed Users." This ensures the Signal is never missed during holidays or illness.
Routing rules act as a distribution layer, but they do not override underlying security protocols.
Data Permissions: Skill administrators are responsible for ensuring that routing rules do not bypass data privacy. If a user is routed a Signal for a vendor they are not permitted to see in the Data Model, they may encounter access errors.
Group-Based Routing: To reduce administrative overhead, it is recommended to route Signals to User Groups rather than individuals. This ensures that as employees join or leave, you only need to update the group membership rather than every individual Routing Rule.
Matrix Complexity: For organizations with overlapping responsibilities, use Routing based on Signal attributes to build multi-step logic blocks that mirror your internal escalation matrix.
Routing rules are dynamic. Changes can be applied to both future and historical data.
Rule Reuse: A single rule can be linked to multiple Projects and Skills. Updating the master rule propagates changes across all linked assets instantly.
Retroactive Updates: By default, rule changes only apply to new Signals. Use the Reset Assignments feature to re-evaluate existing open Signals against the updated logic.
Action Flow Integration: Beyond the Celonis Inbox, you can use the routing results to trigger external workflows. By calling the routing logic within an Action Flow, you can dynamically push Signals to third-party tools like Jira, ServiceNow, or Slack based on the assigned owner.
No Signals in Inbox: Verify the user is either a Subscribed User or the Default Assignee in the Routing Rules page.
Stale Assignments: If you’ve updated your team structure but the Inbox hasn't changed, ensure you have triggered a Reset.
Logic Conflicts: If a Signal matches multiple attribute blocks, the system evaluates them in top-down order. Ensure your most specific logic blocks are at the top of the list.