Assign Node
TLDR: Assign nodes update an agent without adding work time. Use them to tag work, set priorities, change an agent type, or prepare values that later routing and queue rules can read.
When To Use Assign
Use Assign when the model needs memory about the agent. Examples:
- Mark a patient as low acuity or high acuity.
- Set an order's priority before a shared queue.
- Tag a product as rework after failed inspection.
- Record a route choice for later reporting or conditional branching.
How It Affects Flow
Assign does not process, wait, or consume capacity by itself. It changes data on the agent, then immediately sends the agent onward.
Those attributes become useful when a downstream Processor uses custom queue priority, or when a Source or Processor uses conditional Path Control.
Modeling Notes
Keep assignments visible
Name Assign nodes after the business meaning, not the implementation detail. For example, use "Tag urgent cases" instead of "Set priority = 1".