12.1.3.5 Approval

Approval cycles ensure that changes are reviewed and approved by the right individuals before implementation. Approvals can be configured to be multi-stage, transparent, and tailored to specific roles or resources.

*Modelers need to ensure they have Write permission on the object and their displayed content is set to Latest.

In this page, we’ll explore:

• The Approval Types
• Configuring an Approval Cycle
• Sending for Approval
• Editing an Ongoing Approval Cycle
• Approving an Object
• Approval Cycle Management by Subtype & Category
• Rules & Limitations
  

Approval Types

You can configure approvals as:

• Serial: Approvers are notified one after the other. The next approver is notified only after the previous one approves.
• Parallel: All approvers are notified simultaneously. Approval completes when all approvers consent.
• Hybrid: Workflows can include multiple stages, each with serial or parallel steps. Stages are executed in order.
  

Configuring an Approval Cycle

1. Access the Approval Form:
   • Navigate to the object’s Details view
   • Click on the box
   • Choose “Approval”

2. Set Approval Cycle Type and Assign Approvers
   • Choose the cycle type.
   • Filter the suggestions for Resources, Roles, or RASCI-VS (e.g., the object’s assigned Accountable user(s) will be approvers)
   • Type the name of the desired approver(s) in the text box. As you type, a drop-down will appear with suggestions based on key wording.
     • You can also use the tree selector ( ) to browse the Organization hierarchy.
   • Expand Suggested Approvers to apply recommended approvers from similar objects.

3. View Resources within Roles
   • To see which resources are part of a role, expand the role using the + button.

4. Adding Stages
   • Click Add Stage
   • For each stage, choose the cycle type (serial or parallel)
   • Add approvers to the stage (see step 2).

5. Editing Approvers and Stages
   • Reorder approvers within a stage or an entire stage using drag-and-drop button ( )
   • Remove approvers or stages using the X button.
6. Additional Options
   • Signature Required checkbox: If checked, approvers must add with their e-signature.
   • Apply to Children checkbox: Check to apply this configuration to all sub-objects.
7. Click Save to confirm the configuration.

Sending an Object for Approval

1. Go to the object’s Details view.
2. Click on the “Send for Approval” button.

3. In the confirmation pop-up:
   • Approval Comment: Optional instructions for approvers.
   • Version: Specify the “to-be” release version (Minor or Major). If rejected, the version reverts to a minor increment.
   • Due Date: Deadline for approval completion.
   • Add a File: Attach guidelines or instructions.

4. Click “Send for Approval” to confirm.

Editing an Ongoing Approval Cycle

Modelers can modify approval cycle configurations during an ongoing cycle, including adding/deleting approvers, changing the cycle type, or altering the order of approvers.

However, certain settings like e-signature requirement and “Apply changes to all children” cannot be changed during an ongoing cycle.

Approving an Object

To learn how to approve an object, please refer to this topic.

When the object has successfully been approved, the Modeler will be able to publish the object.

Approval Cycle Management by Subtype & Category

Admins can effectively manage approval configurations based on object subtypes and categories. This approach streamlines administrative tasks by enabling specific roles or resources to be automatically added or removed from approval cycles, allowing for dynamic adjustments as organizational needs evolve.

• To learn how to Configure Approval Cycles by Subtype, see here.
• To learn how to Configure Approval Cycles by Category, see here.

Rules & Limitations

Order of Appearance

• Stages added from conditional subtypes or categories follow the Order of Appearance number defined in their configuration.
• Lower numbers are applied first; stages without a number are placed after the existing stages in the approval cycle.
• If multiple conditional attributes share the same number, the system uses the order in which they were selected on the Edit Form to determine their sequence.

Versioning

• When submitting an object for approval, the “to-be” release version (e.g., 2.0) must be specified at that moment. This ensures that the approved version matches the version that will later be published.
  • If no approval cycle is required, the “to-be” version must instead be defined during publishing.
• If an approval cycle is rejected or cancelled, the defined “to-be” version is not consumed. Instead, the object automatically increments to the next minor version (e.g., 1.14). This preserves the major version (e.g., 2.0) for use when relaunching a new approval cycle.

Role & Resource Rules

• If new members are added to a role, they appear automatically in the list.

Audit

• All approval actions continue to be logged under the role name to preserve workflow context.
  • Audit entries also specify which individual performed the action, ensuring clarity and traceability.