Send a notification when it helps a specific person take a useful action. Keep the underlying work visible in the application so the message is not the only record of responsibility.
Prepared with AI assistance. These are practical scoping recommendations; examples are illustrative, not client results.
Name the recipient and action
For every notification, state who receives it, why they need it, and what they should do. An assignment message may need an action link; a routine completion may only belong in a summary. Avoid notifying an entire department when one owner is responsible.
Choose channel and timing
Decide whether the event needs immediate attention, a scheduled digest, or no outbound message. Account for working hours and the consequences of delay. Keep preferences within the business rules: users may be able to mute informational updates without disabling a required operational escalation.
Handle delivery uncertainty
A sent message is not proof that someone read or acted on it. Preserve the task in an owned queue and define escalation based on the unresolved work where appropriate. Give the support team a way to investigate delivery failures without exposing unnecessary message content.
Review notification load
Sample a user's normal day and identify repeated or redundant messages. Consolidate updates that concern the same action and verify that important changes remain noticeable. Measure whether recipients complete the intended tasks, rather than treating a high send count as evidence that the communication design is working.