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Workflows: Approval node

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This article explains the Approval node that can be configured as part of Workflows. Learn more about using workflows here. Approval node can be used to get the approvals of multiple stakeholders in the organization.

Workflows: Approval node

Used For

  1. Expense approval: An employee needs to get their expenses approved by their manager before submitting them to the finance department for reimbursement.
  2. Purchase approval: When a department or an employee needs to buy something, they need to get approval from their manager before making the purchase.
  3. Time off request approval: Employees may need to request approval for things like sick leave, bereavement leave, or personal leave.
  4. Project approval: When a team wants to start a new project, they need to get approval from their manager to ensure that the project aligns with the organization's goals.
  5. Hiring approval: When a department wants to hire a new employee, they need to get approval from HR and their manager to ensure that the new hire is needed and the budget is available.
  6. Access approval: When an employee needs access to confidential or sensitive information or tools, they need to get approval from their manager to ensure that they have a legitimate reason to access such information.

Configuring the Approval Flow (For App Admins)

Click on the block and start editing on the panel that appears on the right side.

Workflows: Approval node

Step name

This is the name that appears in the Workflow on the left side. If there are multiple Approval nodes in the workflow, set different step names like L1 Approval, L2 Approval etc.

Approvers

Comma-separated list of email addresses who will be set as approvers of a submission. We can enter static email addresses or use @ to use any email variable defined in the app. Learn more about using variables in workflows here.

Workflows: Approval node

Allowed Approval Statuses

A list of status values from which the Approver can choose a status. For this to work, you need to configure the Status List for the App by going to Design App -> Configuration -> Status

Workflows: Approval node

Parent Step

Parent step refers to the function which is just above the Approval node. Here, it is the Start function.

Enable this Step

This step is enabled by default. You can disable this step to prevent this step and the steps below this one from executing.

Performing the Approval (For the Approvers)

Once the Approval flow starts, all the Approvers will receive an Email Notification with the link to the submission that needs to be approved.

Workflows: Approval node

The Approver can click on this link or can directly go to the Clappia App and search for this submission. Then the approver can click on the Current Status of the submission and do the approval along with some comments.

Workflows: Approval node

Updates planned for the next release

  1. Allow submissions to be reviewed from the Mobile Apps as well.
  2. Allow submissions to be reviewed by directly clicking the links sent over email.
  3. Allow App Admins to customize the Email notification that goes to the Approvers.
  4. Notify the Approvers on other channels like WhatsApp, SMS, Mobile push notifications.
  5. Support approvals of type - All Approvers should approve.
  6. Customize the number of days after which the Approval Step will expire.
  7. Send reminders to the Approvers if the submission hasn't beed reviewed after X days.
  8. Let App Admins decide whether submission should be locked during the approval flow.

Let us know at support@clappia.com if we should include any other improvements to the Approval flow.

FAQs
When can I start the Approval Flow?

The Approval Workflow Step can be configured to run whenever a new submission is created or when an existing submission is edited or reviewed, very similar to any other Clappia Workflow. You can also use the Wait Step to add a delay before starting the Approval Flow.

I need to get hierarchical Approval. Only once the L1 manager approves a submission, it should go to the L2 manager for Approval. Is this possible?

Yes. This is possible by adding two Approval Flow blocks, one below the other. The first block will be configured with L1 manager's approval. This will be followed by an IF Block, where you can check for the Status. If the Status is "L1 Approved", then another Approval block will run which will be configured with L2 manager's approval.

Workflows: Approval node

What happens if the Approval doesn't come ever?

The Workflow will wait for 7 days for the approval or you can change the number. If the Approvers don't review it until then, the Approval Step expires and the workflow moves forward. The submission status remains unchanged.

Can the submitter edit the submission while it is under Approval?


Yes, the submitter can still edit the submission.

Can I send a single submission to multiple Approvers for their Approval?

Yes, you can configure multiple email addresses in the Approval Workflow. However, the Approval Flow completes as soon as any one approver reviews the submission.

Can I configure the Approval step to wait for the reviews of all the Approvers?

This is not possible as of now. Currently, as soon as one of the Approvers reviews the submission, the Approval Flow is completed. However, you can add multiple 'Approval' nodes one after the other to act as a multi-level approval flow.

Can an approver change his/her review?

No. Once an approver reviews a submission, the submission disappears from their dashboard and they won't be allowed to review again.

Can the approval mail be sent after a certain amount of time?

Yes, you can add a 'Wait' node just before the 'Approval' node to set the amount of time you would like to wait before an approval mail gets sent.

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