> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.elementum.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Assignment Rules

> Automatically assign work to the right team members using configurable routing strategies

Assignment Rules distribute work to team members based on configurable strategies. When combined with the [Automation System](/workflows/automation-system), assignments happen automatically as work arrives, helping balance team workload and reduce manual routing.

## Prerequisites

Before using Assignment Rules, your app or task must have two specific field types. You can add these through the [Layout Builder](/workflows/layouts). Assignment Rules are configured under **Workflows & Processes** in the left navigation menu of an App or Task.

* **Assignment Group** field (group type) — Defines the pool of users who can receive assignments
* **Assignee** field (user type) — The individual user who receives the assignment

<Warning>
  The Assignment Group field must be populated with users before running a Make Assignment automation. An empty Assignment Group causes the automation to fail. This is the most common cause of assignment issues.
</Warning>

## Assignment Strategies

Assignment strategies determine how work is distributed among team members.

### Distributed Work

Evenly distributes assignments across all available team members to balance workload.

**Best for:**

* Teams with similar skill levels
* Work that requires consistent distribution
* Preventing uneven assignment loads
* Customer support and general task routing

**Example:** Support tickets are distributed among all available agents so that no single agent receives a disproportionate share.

## Set Up an Assignment Rule

1. Open your app or task and select **Assignment Rules** under **Workflows & Processes** in the left navigation
2. Click **+ Rule** to create a new rule
3. Enter a **Title** — use a descriptive name (e.g., "Support Ticket Assignment")
4. Optionally add a **Description** explaining when the rule applies
5. Select an **Assignment Strategy** (e.g., Distributed Work)

## How Assignment Rules Execute

Assignment Rules run through the [Make Assignment action](/workflows/automation-actions-reference#make-assignment) in the Automation System:

1. An event occurs (e.g., a new record is created or a status changes)
2. An automation containing the Make Assignment action triggers
3. The action checks that the Assignment Group field contains users
4. The configured Assignment Rule applies its strategy to select a user
5. The selected user is written to the Assignee field

The Make Assignment action will fail if the Assignment Group field is empty at the time of execution.

## Advanced Patterns

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Conditional Assignment">
    Combine Assignment Rules with automation conditions to route work to different groups:

    * Route high-priority issues to a senior support group while sending standard issues to general support
    * Assign leads to different sales teams based on region or deal size
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Multi-Stage Assignment">
    Chain automations to escalate unresolved work through assignment tiers — for example, assigning to Level 1 support first and re-assigning to Level 2 if unresolved after a set period.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Managing Rules">
    * **Edit a rule** by selecting it from the Assignment Rules list and updating its configuration
    * **Rule priority**: When multiple rules could apply, the most specific rule takes precedence. Manual assignments always override automatic rules.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

**Assignment failures or no assignments happening:**

* Verify the Assignment Group field is populated with users before the automation runs
* Confirm both the Assignment Group and Assignee fields exist in your app
* Ensure the automation containing the Make Assignment action is published
* Check automation logs for error details

**Uneven distribution:**

* Review current team member workloads
* Verify the assignment strategy matches your use case
* Check whether manual assignments are skewing distribution

## Related Features

* [Automation System](/workflows/automation-system) — Event-driven workflows that trigger assignments
* [Make Assignment Action](/workflows/automation-actions-reference#make-assignment) — The automation action that executes assignment rules
* [App Health](/workflows/app-health) — Monitor automation execution and performance