Approval

Watch as Every Workflow Becomes a Grand Parade of Approvals!

The Approval component enables you to set up an approver who can take the necessary approval actions according to the business needs. It also helps in organizing and simplifying the approval process for different tasks and requests.

You have the flexibility to customize the approval process by configuring different types of approvers, specifying conditions, and defining actions. This detailed customization ensures the smooth and efficient functioning of the approval component.

User Persona - Analyst / End User

Configure Approval Component

To configure approval component, perform the following steps:

In the Control Nodes, drag and drop the Approval component.
The Approval component is displayed.
Figure: Workflow Designer Canvas
Double-click the Approval component.
The Approval - Properties section is displayed.
Figure: User Approval - Properties
Enter values in the required fields as described in the following table and click Save.

Field	Description
Workflow Name*	Enter the name of the approval component which reflects the type of the approval required and manage for which this workflow is designed to achieve.
APPROVAL CONFIGURATION
Review Stage	Specify a purpose of the approval required. The description should offer a clear and concise purpose and key details of this workflow and to understand the workflow's scope and functionality.
Approval Type	Select the type(s) of approval required for this workflow. The approval types specify the review and authorization processes necessary for different stages within the workflow. The types of approval list are: Static Approval Role Approval
Minimum Number of Approvals	Approval Condition enables you to streamline the workflow and ensure that approvals are triggered based on the requirement which enhance the efficiency and compliance of the Workflow. The listed approval conditions are: All Members - should approve Any One Member - should approve Minimum approvers (in number) - should approve Minimum approvers(in percentage) - should approve
Approval Action	The Approval Actions (Approve and Reject) are selected by default and cannot be unselected. The listed actions are: Approve Reject For more information on Approval Actions, refer Approval Actions.

Types of Approvals

The type(s) of approval required for the workflow which ensures that tasks are properly authorized and executed in compliance with organization's standards. It specify the review and authorization processes necessary for different stages or actions within the workflow.

The following are the approvals type in Workflow Designer:

Static Approval

Static approvals involve fixed authorization procedures with predefined rules that remain unchanged unless formally updated. Their effectiveness varies depending on an organization's specific environment. The approval configure based on the combination of User or Group approvals for all approval component.

Figure: Static - Approval Type

By Users

The Users field enables you to select an individual or an additional users as an approvers for this component. Click Select User(s) by Filter to configure filters or conditions based on the requirement.

Allow Requestor to Select Additional Approver(s) : Enables you to select additional approver. If the approval setup is configured for Level-1, the requestor select additional approvers; for Level-2, it can be either the requestor or Level-1, depending on the configuration.
Approval Selection is Mandatory : Enable to ensure that the user must select an approver during the workflow creation and ensure that an approval is an integral part of the process. It is necessity for explicit approval at that stage for the workflow to progress. This option is displayed only when the Allow Requestor to Select Additional Approver(s) is enabled.
Approval to be Select Additional Approver(s) : Enables you to select additional individuals for approval ensuring flexibility in the approval process.

Figure: By Group

By Groups

The groups field enables you to select from various predefined groups of approvers. When you select a static group, it displays the current count of members within the selected group, reflecting the number of individuals in that specific state.

Allow Requestor to Select Additional Group Approver(s) : Enables you to select additional group of approvers.
Approval Selection is Mandatory : Enables that you must select an approver during the workflow creation and ensure that an approval is an integral part of the process. It is necessity for explicit approval at that stage for the workflow to progress. This option is displayed only when the Allow Requestor to Select Additional Approver(s) is enabled.
Group Approval to be Selected by : Enable to select a group for making approval selections. If you have configured an approver for Level-1 then only the requester can select an additional approvers. For Level-2 approver configuration, the requester or Level-1 can select a group of approvers based on the configuration.

The following use case from the ITSM domain on the importance of Approval Type - Static Approval.

Let's explore the following use-case.

Use Case User Persona: Application Designer	Solution
In NovaTech, Sandra is required to deliver a client presentation and requires USB access to do so. Rather than following the manual approval process, which involves obtaining approval from her manager and then from the manager responsible for USB devices in the US, she desires a faster process.	Fredrick, the Application Administrator, informs Sandra that she can automate the process of obtaining USB access using a workflow. In this workflow, he will provide approval where necessary, replacing the static person responsible for USB access approval. By utilizing this workflow, Sandra successfully obtains USB access and delivers her presentation to the client.

Role Based Approval

Approval defined in the based on the user role by using dot walking mechanism. The approval process is established by taking into account the specific roles assigned to users within a organization. The term "dot-walking mechanism" used to automate or define the approval workflow based on the user's role, ensuring that the appropriate individuals with the necessary permissions are involved in the approval process.

Figure: Role Based Approval

Select the column names are displayed based on the selected transaction table.

Icon	Description
	To add additional records role based approval. Ensure that the data provided for the new item adheres to the relevant requirements.
	Enables you to specify whether the selected Approval Role is required or optional. You can set the field as mandatory, indicating that users must approve this record before proceeding to other. In the list of records at least one record should be mandatory.
	Enables you to delete the approval role record.

The following use case from the ITSM domain on the importance of Approval Type - Based on User Attributes.

Let's explore the following use-case.

Use Case User Persona: Administrator	Solution
In NovaTech, Sandra an administrator raise a change request to her reporting manager to upgrade the Operating System on her Laptop.	The reporting manager of Jennifer evaluate the request based on the alignment with IT policies and approves the request which route to the concern team to take appropriate actions.

Approval Conditions

The required number of approval conditions varies based on the organization's specific process complexity. It can range from a single condition in basic workflows to multiple conditions in more intricate processes.

The defined minimum approval conditions are:

All Members – should approve - In this approval type, every member's approval is necessary for the process to be finalized.
Any One Member - should approve - In this approval type, any one member's approval is necessary for the process to be finalized.
Minimum approvers (in number) – should approve - In this approval type, defined number of approval is necessary for the process to be finalized.
Minimum approvers (in percentage) – should approve - In this approval type, define the minimum % of approvers who should approve is necessary for the process to be finalized.
Note
The define number should be whole number only.

Approval Action

The approval actions are the actions performed by the approvers are authorized to perform approval actions which are:

Approver 1 can Approve
Approver 2 can only Approve & Reject
Approver 3 can Approve and keep it On-Hold but not Reject

Approval actions are activated accordingly. You can customize the display name to appear on the transaction screen and establish a workflow action, which appears as a node within the Approval component. Subsequent workflow steps can then be defined based on this approval action.

Figure: Approval Actions

The table provides explanations for the following listed actions:

Action	Description
Approve	The Approve action validates and authorizes a request, to move to the next stage of the workflow.
Reject	Enables you to reject a request if not align with the requirements.