Approval flows

Project managers create approval flows in Review Areas by first choosing a template.

Project managers can use the approval flow as defined and simply assign reviewers for each approval within each step. Alternatively, they can modify the approval flow by performing any of the following actions:

  • Disable an approval or step that is not needed.
  • Change the name or description of approvals.
  • Change the duration of a step.
  • Indicate whether the version is locked.

You must select automatic or manual closure. If you select manual closure, you must close each step and the approval flow. If you select automatic closure, each step closes automatically when it is approved and the approval flow closes when the last step is approved.

For each step, you must also select whether all reviewers must approve or if just one reviewer can approve for the step to be approved.

When the approval flow is started, email alerts are automatically sent to each reviewer in step one of the approval flow. If step one completes successfully, alerts are sent to reviewers in step two. When a step is successfully approved, an alert is sent to the approval flow owner and all managers of the Review Area. If any reviewer responds Not Approved, an alert is sent to the approval flow owner and Review Area managers.

Note: All alerts are governed by the individual user's alert settings, which are defined in the user profile.

Steps are due at midnight of the specified date. If the due date passes and the step has not yet completed, late notifications are sent. Reviewers who have not yet responded will receive late notifications as configured in their user profiles.

Approval step completion

An approval step can complete in any of the following ways:

Behavior Typical Result Typical next step
Any reviewer in the step rejects the approval. The approval step remains open for additional responses.

An alert is sent to the approval flow owner and the Review Area manager. The approval flow does not move to the next step.

 The approval owner closes the approval flow with a resolution of Not approved, manages any required rework, and creates a new approval. The approval owner can either:
  • Copy the previous approval flow, which retains the assigned reviewers and any changes to the approval template.
  • Create a new approval flow by choosing a new approval flow template and assigning reviewers.
  • Create a new simple approval and assign reviewers.
Any reviewer in the step approves with changes. The approval step remains open with an Approved with changes status. An alert is sent to the approval flow owner and the Review Area manager. The approval flow does not move to the next step. The approval owner closes the approval flow with a resolution of Approved with changes, manages any required rework, and creates a new approval.
You selected One Must Approve and one reviewer approves the step.

Or you selected All Must Approve and all reviewers approve the step.

 The approval step is completed and alerts are sent to reviewers in the next step. If this is the last step in the approval flow, the resolution of the approval flow changes to Approved. Either the approval flow is automatically closed or the approval owner must manually close it.

Alerts are sent to the approval owner and the Review Area manager to indicate that the step has completed. If the approval flow closes automatically, an alert is sent to the approval owner and the Review Area manager.

 No action is required by the approval owner. The approval owner might optionally modify subsequent steps. For example, if step 1 was originally given two days to complete but completes in one day, the approval owner might want to extend the duration of step 2 by one day to keep the original deadline for step 2.
The approval owner or Review Area manager manually closes the approval step before all reviewers have responded. The approval step is complete and the reviewer specifies whether the step is approved or not approved. If the step is approved, alerts are sent as if all reviewers had approved. If this step is the last step in the approval flow, the approval flow is completed with an Approved status. If the step is rejected, the approval flow is closed with a Not approved status and all appropriate alerts are sent.
Note: An approval step might be manually closed in any of the following situations:
  • A sufficient number of positive approvals have been collected.
  • The due date has arrived and a decision is needed.
  • A reviewer is not available and the approval needs to move forward.
  • An early termination of the step or flow is required.
 No additional action is required if approved. If not approved, the approval owner must take the same steps as if one of the reviewers had rejected the approval, such as perform rework and create a new approval.