Managing external approval processes

If you have a process step that requires validation on an external application before deployment, you can create an approval process and assign it to environments. With this approval process, the deployment runs automatically and only when it is approved.

Before you create an external approval process, make sure that notification templates such as Approval Created, Approval Failed, and Approval Completed exist for use in the approval process. For information about how to create notification templates, see Creating Notifications in a Notification Scheme .

Navigate to Processes > External Approval Process.
Click Create.
Enter a name for the approval process and specify the working directory.
Optionally, you can provide a process description and add teams to the process.
In the process editor, configure the steps that require approval. For help on the process editor, see Processes.
The external approval process definition is complete.
Assign the external approval process to an environment.
1. Click Applications > application name > Environments > Environment: environment name > Configuration.
2. Enable Require Approvals.
3. Enable No Self-Approvals to prevent yourself from approving the process.
4. Activate Use Agent Pool for External Approvals to run the approval process on a group of agents.
  If you turn on this option, specify an agent pool in the Agent Pool for External Approvals field.
5. Select the external approval process to use.
6. Specify an agent for the approval process in the Agent for External Approvals field.
7. Exclude other processes of the environment from the approval process by choosing processes in the Exempt Processes list.
8. Save your changes.
The approval process is assigned to the environment.

When an application process runs on the environment, the approver gets an e-mail notification and can approve or reject the request via e-mail. Subsequently, when the request is approved or rejected, the requestor is notified with an email. An example of a default Approval Completed notification template follows.
The deployment starts immediately when the request is approved or runs at the scheduled time. If a request is rejected or failed, open the Application Process Request by clicking View Request and check comments on the approval by clicking the Comment icon in the Actions column.

You can verify the status of the request by using any of these methods:

Go to the Deployment Detail pane on the Reports tab.
Check the environment history.

An approved request status is displayed with a Success label. A rejected request is shown with a External Approval Failed label.

Note: While you export or import an application, the approval processes are also included in the export or import.

You can also export and import external approval process individually. While importing, select Upgrade Process to import an updated and existing approval process.