"Update List Item Failed"
When designing a workflow process, a common error is to have two workflows starting at the same time, where both are set to update the same item. This can lead to issues where an update fails and the workflow will end in an error, usually “Update List Item Failed”.
When running a large workflow it can be very difficult to determine which action caused the issue. Also, due to the large amount of actions running, the correct timing or sequence of update actions is also difficult to manage. To resolve these types of issues splitting the workflow is recommended.
A suggested method is to have a set of updates in the first workflow, commit the changes (with a “Commit pending changes” or a “Pause” action) immediately afterwards, then use a “Start workflow” action to initiate the second workflow process. Using this method, both workflows will essentially start automatically, however they will not both attempt to update the item at the same time.
Related Topics
When and why should you split a workflow process into small sequential workflows?
Approaches to splitting a Nintex Workflow