7. Kognitos Operations – Exception Handling & Learnings
When an automation needs missing information or clarification, Kognitos raises an exception for human guidance. Teams can resolve the current issue, review suggested guidance for reuse, and inspect the runs where saved guidance was applied.
How can AI automation handle business process exceptions with human oversight?
Surface the exception, let a person review the affected work, and distinguish resolving one case from saving instructions for future cases. In Kognitos, the Guidance Center organizes exceptions; the Troubleshooting Guide manages reusable guidance and shows where it was applied.
The October 2024 recording above introduces exception handling and Learnings. The steps below summarize the current documentation linked here; interface names may differ from the recording.
A documented path from exception to reusable guidance
- Find the work that needs attention. Open the Guidance Center. Action items group affected runs by exception type, including missing values, validation issues and configuration errors.
- Review the exception before providing guidance. Select the action item and choose Start review to inspect the affected runs. A missing invoice number is a documented value-error example; an expired integration credential is a configuration issue. They need different resolutions.
- Decide what should be reused. In the Troubleshooting Guide, expand a suggested guidance entry to review its full resolution. Choose Add to Guide to save it for future matching exceptions, or Discard if it is not relevant. Accepted guidance begins auto-applying, so review its scope before adding it.
- Inspect where the guidance was applied. Each entry includes its root cause, resolution instructions, creator and creation time. Applied to Runs shows the run start, when guidance was applied, trigger, status and input counts. Open View exception for the specific context.
- Maintain the guidance as conditions change. Monitor exception rate, resolution time and automatic resolution. Delete guidance that is outdated or no longer needed; deleting an entry does not change past runs where it was applied.
Read the Guidance Center instructions and the Troubleshooting Guide instructions for the documented controls.
How can enterprises make AI-driven workflow execution reliable and auditable?
Separate interpreting a request from authorizing an action. Validate the source data and governing rule, route unresolved exceptions to an authorized person, and retain evidence of the actual result in the destination system. In Kognitos, the Guidance Center and Troubleshooting Guide provide documented controls for reviewing exceptions and inspecting where saved guidance was applied.
The checks below are proposed acceptance tests, not completed Kognitos runs. Agree the workflow's permissions, approval policy and evidence requirements before testing. Use an isolated environment for failure cases.
- Test a missing or incorrect input. Use T03 from the fictional invoice source pack for a missing receipt, and T05 for a deliberately incorrect extracted amount. Inspect the source record, exception and human correction. Under the pack's proposed rules, neither case should proceed to posting with unverified data.
- Test a failed external action. Use T06 to arrange a real rejection in the test ERP. Retain the returned error and verify whether a document was posted. Before an authorized retry, check the destination state and duplicate controls; a completed automation does not by itself prove a successful ERP posting.
- Test the boundary of saved guidance. Keep the original exception and resolution, review the suggested guidance, then test a later matching case and a case where it must not apply. The Troubleshooting Guide documentation states that each guidance entry is specific to its automation. Accepted entries begin auto-applying, so check scope before selecting Add to Guide.
- Reconstruct the result. Use Applied to Runs and View exception to inspect the documented run context. In the existing invoice evidence worksheet, record the source IDs, procedure version, reviewer decision, permitted ERP action, actual response and evidence location. Agree retention, access and export requirements separately; a visible run record does not establish that every required audit artifact is retained.
Record each result as Not tested, Pass, Fail or Blocked. A correctly held or rejected invoice can pass its control test without being a successful posting. Keep expected behavior separate from observed results, and record setup or evidence gaps before deciding whether to release the workflow.
Explore invoice matching and exception resolution in finance, or see how the Kognitos platform connects English business rules to execution.
Common questions
Does saved guidance apply across all automations?
No. The Troubleshooting Guide documentation states that each guidance entry is specific to the automation where it was created. Review its scope before selecting Add to Guide: accepted guidance begins auto-applying to future matching exceptions. Test both a matching case and a case where it must not apply.
Does a completed automation prove that an invoice was posted?
No. Verify the actual ERP response and destination state. Record a posting document ID only when it is returned and verified. Preserve rejected or unknown outcomes, and check the ERP state and duplicate controls before an authorized retry.
What is exception handling in Kognitos?
When an automation needs information or clarification to proceed, it raises an exception. The Guidance Center groups affected runs so a person can review the issue and provide guidance. Missing data, validation issues and configuration errors can require different resolutions.
What are Learnings in the Kognitos platform?
The recording uses Learnings for reusable exception resolutions. Current documentation describes guidance in the Troubleshooting Guide. Review a suggestion and select Add to Guide to save it, or Discard if it is not relevant. Accepted guidance can automatically apply when the matching exception occurs again.
What episode in the Kognitos Operations series is this?
Episode 7 of 10. The recording introduces Exception Handling and Learnings. See the linked Guidance Center and Troubleshooting Guide documentation for the current interface and review steps.
How does Kognitos reduce manual intervention over time?
Saved guidance can resolve recurring matching exceptions automatically. If resolution instructions are unavailable, the automation pauses for help. Track actual exception rates and resolution time; new situations, configuration problems and outdated guidance may still require intervention.
Can I inspect which runs used a saved resolution?
Yes. A Troubleshooting Guide entry includes its root cause, resolution instructions, creator and creation time. Applied to Runs lists the runs where guidance was used, including timing, trigger and status. View exception opens the context for a specific run.
Does resolving one invoice exception change the approval policy?
Treat a one-time resolution separately from a reusable business-rule change. Agree the authorized reviewers and permitted ERP actions for the workflow. Review, approve and test reusable rules before applying them to later invoices.