In Engage's Workflow Manager, you can create workflows that include approval steps, and using an approval-based workflow like this can help ensure that critical steps in a process are properly validated before proceeding. It's commonly used in scenarios where accuracy, compliance, or validation from higher authorities are necessary.
Watch this short video on Approvals and how to add them to Workflow Templates.
Viewing and Completing an Approval Task
Once a Workflow is kicked off and the step kicks off the related Approval, the Approval task will be assigned to the Approver designated on the Workflow Template step.
1. Open the assigned task from the Workflow or your Tasks list.
2. Select either the Approved or Rejected option. Do not click Mark Complete.
Once the Task is Approved or Rejected, the Task becomes read-only. If Approved, the next step will kick off the next task. If Rejected, the Upon Rejection option will be followed.
Designing your Workflow to Include Approvals
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Workflow Template Creation: Start by designing your workflow template. This template outlines the sequence of steps that need to be completed for a specific process or task.
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Approval Step Identification: Identify the step(s) within your workflow that require approval. These are typically points in the process where a decision needs to be made or a specific action needs validation.
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Approval Configuration: For each approval step, you will set up the approval configuration. This involves specifying which step is an approval, and who needs to approve the task.
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Rejection Handling: Plan what happens if an approval step is rejected in the Upon Rejection field. This could involve canceling the workflow and/or triggering a revision process to address the concerns raised during the rejection.
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Approval Process: When a workflow reaches an approval step, the designated approver will receive a task indicating that their approval is needed.
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Approval Decision: The approver will review the information related to the task and make a decision: approve or reject. If approved, the workflow moves on to the next step. If rejected, the rejection handling mechanism set up on the template will be triggered.
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Next Workflow Step: After approval, the next step in the workflow will be initiated. If Rejected, the Upon Rejection options will be followed.
Create an Approval Step on a Workflow Template
To create a task with the Approve/Reject options, you must first create a Workflow Template with a Workflow Step to associate the Approval task.
1. First, we will access Engage settings. At the bottom left of the screen click Engage and then Engage Settings.
2. Next, we will select our Template to edit. Under Workflow Manager Settings, select Workflow Templates.
3. Select the Workflow Template by clicking the Name of the template.
4. Next, we need a step to set as an Approval Type. Select an existing Step by clicking on the Name of the Workflow Template Step OR create a new step by clicking + New Workflow Template Step.
5. In this example, we are creating a new step. Fill in the required fields (marked with a red asterisk). The Type must be an Approval. Click Save.
6. You must select an option for the Upon Rejection field. If selected to perform Rejection Steps in the Upon Rejection field, then you must create at least one Rejection Step. Click + New Workflow Template Step.
7. In this example, we are creating a step to Review the Forms previously submitted for Approval. Fill in the required fields marked with a red asterisk. Start with Order 1. Enter the Task you would like performed if the Approval Step is rejected, i.e. Review New Account Forms for Accuracy/Completion. Click Save.
Once the Step is saved, the Type will now show as an Approval on the Step list. In this example, Step 4 is an Approval. If the Approval is Rejected in the Workflow, the Rejection Step will create a new task to be completed. Once that task is complete, the Approval task will be recreated. This cycle will continue until an Approval is reached.
Upon Rejection Options
When setting up an Approval Step, you must select one of the following Upon Rejection options.
Cancel Workflow will cancel the entire Workflow. No future Steps will kick off any remaining tasks. To continue the business process, a new Workflow would need to be kicked off from the beginning.
Perform Rejection Steps for Reapproval will kick off the Rejection Steps you specify and once the Rejection task is completed, will create a new Approval Task. This process will continue until an Approval is reached.
Perform Rejection Steps and Cancel Workflow will kick off the Rejection steps you specify. Once that task is complete, the entire Workflow will be canceled and no further steps will kick off tasks or approvals.
