When work fails or gets stuck

What Iron Octopus fixes on its own, and what to do when it needs you.

Most problems fix themselves. When a work item fails, Iron Octopus retries it automatically before it ever reaches you. You only see it when the retries didn’t work.

What Iron Octopus does first

When a work item stops before it finishes, Iron Octopus puts it back on the queue and tries again, twice by default. Many failures are temporary, such as a service that was briefly unavailable, and a retry is all they need.

When it reaches you

If the retries don’t fix it, the feature shows under Needs you on Home as Failed or Stuck, with the work item that’s holding it up and how many times it was retried.

1. Find out why

   Click Ask why. Iron Octopus explains what went wrong, in plain words, for that feature.

2. Fix what it needs, if anything

   Sometimes the work needs something from you, such as a missing setting or a decision. Sometimes it just needs another try.

3. Retry

   Click Retry item, on the Home card or the feature page. The work item goes back on the queue and drops off Needs you once it runs.

When a work item is blocked

A work item can also be Blocked: it can’t start because something it depends on isn’t ready. Open the feature to see what it’s waiting for. It starts on its own once that’s resolved.

When a release stops

If a release can’t finish merging, the feature shows Releasing · needs attention. Open it to see why, then click Retry release. The feature stays in Acceptance until the release succeeds. See release a feature.

When review keeps sending work back

If a work item still has issues after its rework rounds, it goes to a person instead of looping. It shows as Review requested. See review and rework.