What an Assignment Instance is, why it matters, and how Instances give you per-delivery control over the same content.
An Assignment Instance is a single delivery of an Assignment. Whether you send the same content to three teams or to one team across three quarters, each delivery is an Instance. Instances give you per-delivery tracking, separate due dates, and reporting at both the Assignment level (the rollup) and the Instance level (each delivery).
For the strategic frame, see Designing Assignments: Direct vs. Automated.
How Instances Work
Every Assignment in Continu has at least one Instance — the first delivery. Additional Instances are created when:
- You manually add a new Instance to send the same content to a new audience or on a new timeline
- An Automated Assignment triggers for a new user (each trigger event creates a new Instance for that user's cohort, depending on configuration)
Each Instance has its own audience, due date, and notification settings — but they share the underlying content. Update the content once, and every Instance delivers the updated version.
What Instances Let You Do
Track completion per delivery. The Q1 Sales Onboarding Instance can show 95% completion while the Q2 Instance shows 40% — separately, in the same Assignment.
Manage due dates independently. Different cohorts can have different due dates without creating separate Assignments.
Customize notifications per Instance. Different audiences may need different notification cadences or templates.
Report at the Instance level or the Assignment level. Get rolled-up Assignment stats or drill into a specific delivery.
When Each Instance Is Created
Direct Assignments: The first Instance is created when you build the Assignment. Add more Instances manually as needed. See Creating a New Assignment Instance.
Automated Assignments: Each time the trigger fires for a new user or cohort, the Automation creates an Instance (or adds the user to an existing Instance depending on configuration). The Instance structure is automatic — you don't manually create Instances for Automated Assignments.
Instances vs Separate Assignments
When you have the same content going to multiple audiences, you have two options:
One Assignment with multiple Instances — rolled-up reporting, content updates apply to all, easier Bulk Editing.
Multiple separate Assignments — completely independent, no rollup, but easier if the deliveries have nothing in common operationally.
For repeating content (compliance, recurring onboarding, annual recerts), one Assignment with Instances is usually the right choice. For genuinely different programs that happen to share content, separate Assignments may be cleaner.
See Also
- Designing Assignments: Direct vs. Automated — strategic frame.
- Creating a New Assignment Instance — how to add an Instance.
- What Are Named Assignments — why naming Instances matters.
- Bulk Assignment Editing — managing Instances after creation.
An Instance is one delivery of an Assignment. Multiple Instances per Assignment = same content, different audiences or timings, with separate reporting. Use Instances over separate Assignments when content and operations overlap.