Determining the approval sequence
The approval sequence determines the order in which approvers approve a quote.
The approval sequence is configured as part of an approval plan. Approval plans should be configured to be as unique as possible in order to avoid conflicts in the order approval process. For example, if a quote requires approvals from multiple approval groups that contain different approvers, the approval processes can be followed simultaneously. However, if a quote requires approvals from multiple approval groups that contain some of the same users, automatic approvals occur. The following example shows the approval sequence for two unique approval groups.
Example: unique approval groups and the approval sequence
In this example, a quote triggers a pricing rule violation, which requires approvals from two approval groups: the Shipping Approval Group and the Marketing Approval Group. The approval groups do not contain the same approvers. The first table shows the approval sequence for the Shipping Approval Group, and the second table shows the approval sequence for the Marketing Approval Group.
| Approval plan | Sequence | Team | User group | Predecessor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP1 | 1 | Sales | Sales Representative | |
| AP2 | 2 | Sales | Sales Manager | AP1 |
| AP3 | 3 | Finance | Accountant | AP2 |
| AP4 | 4 | Shipping | Warehouse Group | AP3 |
| Approval plan | Sequence | Team | User group | Predecessor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP5 | 1 | Sales | Sales Director | |
| AP6 | 2 | Marketing | Analyst | AP5 |
| AP7 | 3 | Marketing | Senior Analyst | AP6 |
Approvers from both approval groups must approve the quote in the order specified by the respective approval plan. However, the approval plans can be followed asynchronously. The following table shows the overall approval sequence for the approval groups.
| Approval key | Sequence | Team | User group | Status | Approval group key |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP1 | 1 | Sales | Sales Representative | Pending Immediate | AG3 |
| AP2 | 2 | Sales | Sales Manager | Pending Approval | AG3 |
| AP3 | 3 | Finance | Accountant | Pending Approval | AG3 |
| AP4 | 4 | Shipping | Warehouse Group | Pending Approval | AG3 |
| AP5 | 1 | Sales | Sales Director | Pending Immediate | AG4 |
| AP6 | 2 | Marketing | Analyst | Pending Approval | AG4 |
| AP7 | 3 | Marketing | Senior Analyst | Pending Approval | AG4 |
In the previous table, the "Pending Immediate" status indicates that immediate approval is required from both the sales representative and the sales director. The AG3 Approval Group Key determines the approval sequence for the sales representative, sales manager, accountant, and warehouse group; and the AG4 Approval Group Key determines the approval sequence for the sales director, analyst, and senior analyst. The AG3 and AG4 approval sequences do not depend on each other and the respective approval plans are followed simultaneously.