Error Message :
N/A

If a Workflow has tasks with an earliest start time set, and these tasks are set to inactive (at the Workflow level), the Workflow execution will wait for the tasks earliest start time to be met and then the tasks will be skipped as inactive. The task waits until the earliest start time before the task is set to inactive and the Workflow remains with the next task.
 
However, in the documentation the diagram showing how the Workflow’s tasks are processed indicate that first the active flag of the task within the Workflow is set and if it’s not set then it should remain with the next task.  Only afterwards is the earliest start time checked as shown in the diagram below. 
 

<Please see attached file for image>

Cause type:
Defect
Root Cause: The behavior is correct, it’s a documentation issue. AE doesn’t check to see if the job is active or not until it is eligible to run. When you set the earliest start time, you are delaying the time for the job to be eligible to run.

OS Version: N/A

Update to a fix version listed below or a newer version if available.

Reference

Automation Workload Automation 12.0 Documentation:
User Guide > Executing Objects > Execution Stages > Workflow Logic > Workflow Validation Checks - Graphics
 

Fix Status: Released

Fix Version(s):
Component(s): Documentation Guides

Automation Engine 12.1.0 - Available
Automation Engine 12.0.3 – Available
Automation Engine 11.2.6 - Available

Workaround :
N/A