Reference
Approval workflows: library and builder
Use the workflow builder to choose approvers, conditions and processing order for each request type in your company.
Arrange approval steps on the diagram, check recipients and conditions, then activate the saved workflow when it is ready.
This screen belongs to the Workflow Studio module, included from the Professional package. Without it, requests are still approved through the default approval.
Screen layout
- Approval workflows: search by name, filter by request type and select a workflow.
- Diagram: follow the request source, approval steps and outcome. Select a step to open its editor.
- Editor: configure the selected workflow or step. Workflow details and individual steps have separate save actions.
- Activation status: open the summary beside the workflow name to read blockers, warnings and checks. A warning on a step card identifies the step that needs attention.
On smaller screens, the library, diagram and editor appear one at a time. Select a workflow to open its diagram, then select a step to edit it. Use Back to return to the diagram or library; the three desktop columns are not shown together.
An empty library may mean there are no workflows or that the filters have no matches. Check the search field and All request types before creating another definition. If the list or details could not load, select Retry; a loading error does not mean the data was deleted.
For a larger library, use the page controls at the bottom. Name search and request-type filters apply to the entire library. Changing either returns the list to its first page.
Save the draft before adding steps
- Select New in the library. When no workflows exist, you can also use Create approval workflow in the empty state. The Workflow draft editor opens.
- Enter the Workflow name, choose the Request type and set Priority. Higher numbers are checked first. Ties are checked in creation order; the first workflow with matching conditions is selected.
- Add applicability conditions if needed. Check that real request data can satisfy the conditions together.
- Select Save draft. The workflow appears in the library as Off. You can now add approval steps to the saved definition.
- Select Add first step and configure the step name, approver source and approval mode. Open Advanced options when you need a deadline, timeout handling or delegation.
- Select Add approval step. Confirm that the card appears in the diagram, then add the remaining steps before activation.
After editing workflow details or conditions, select Save changes. After editing an existing step, select Save approval step. Review the saved configuration before activating it.
Insert and reorder steps
Arrange steps while the workflow is Off. Before turning off a workflow in use, review pending requests and agree on the change with the process owner.
| Task | Action | Check the result |
|---|---|---|
| Add at the end | Select Add step above the diagram, complete the editor and select Add approval step | The new step is last in the sequence |
| Insert first or between steps | Select + on the connector at the intended position, complete the editor and select Add approval step | The new step is in the chosen position and later steps are renumbered |
| Change the order | Drag a card before or after another step, or use Move step up / Move step down | The diagram shows the new order and retains it after a reload |
| Edit a step | Select its card, edit the fields and select Save approval step | The card and editor reflect the saved configuration |
Wait for each save or reorder to finish before continuing. Read the sequence from Request source to Processing outcome and check the approver at each position.
If the insertion position has changed, reload the workflow and choose the position again. If a save could not be confirmed, check whether the step exists before adding it again. See a step appears in the wrong position.
Review readiness and activate
Off and Active show whether the workflow is enabled for new requests. The readiness summary beside its name describes a separate check:
- Ready: no issue remains in the configuration checks available on this screen. Still test the actual recipients and business conditions.
- Warnings: open the summary and review the affected step, approver or handling choice. A warning does not mean that every action is blocked.
- Blockers: correct the named issue before activation. Select the affected step card to inspect and edit it.
Readiness checks do not replace validation of recipients, permissions and data access when a request actually runs.
- Save edits to the workflow and its individual steps.
- Review the saved order, applicability conditions, approvers and timeout handling.
- When no blockers remain, select Activate workflow on the diagram.
- Confirm the Active label and reload to check it persists. Connector insertion and reorder controls are unavailable while the workflow is active.
Approvers and fallback
Each recipient must still be active and allowed to handle the business process within the relevant data scope. For payroll and KPI, a missing approver or unmatched condition is not a reason to approve automatically.
Choose approvers for each step
| Choice | When to use it | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Specific user | One person has a fixed responsibility | The employee’s name and current approval permission |
| Role | People holding a role may act | The company role and its current members |
| Position | The approver depends on a position | The position and its current holders |
| Direct manager | Follow the reporting line of the employee concerned | The reporting relationship; do not assume this is the manager of someone entering a request on their behalf |
| Department head | Follow that employee’s department | The department and its designated head |
For Shift change, additional choices use a participant in the request, that participant’s manager or department head. Select which participant the step should follow. An approver type alone does not confirm that a particular employee will receive the request.
After saving the step, review the approver information and warnings. For choices that depend on the requester or employee concerned, submit a planned test request for a representative employee and confirm the actual recipient.
Check roles and group scope
In Role assignments, the recipient of a role and its data scope are separate choices. A role can be assigned to an employee, people holding a position, or members of a group. When a step selects approvers by Role, check people receiving it through positions or groups too.
For By group scope, choose the groups whose data the approver should handle. A parent group includes its descendants only when Include child groups is enabled. For example, an expense approver’s scope must cover the employee’s primary group; sharing a secondary group is insufficient. Leave workflows can consider groups the employee belongs to, so successful leave approval does not by itself prove access to expense claims or advances.
If a scope choice is disabled, review the permissions in the role. A role containing an organization-wide-only permission cannot be assigned at group scope. Choose a role appropriate for the responsibility being assigned.
After access is revoked, a former routed approver may still read related information, but cannot keep approving without the applicable permission and scope. Refresh the screen to update available actions.
When no eligible approver is found
If leave or overtime reports that the request was saved for manual review, it already exists. Ask an authorized reviewer to check it in the relevant business module and an administrator to review recipients, active status, approval permission and group scope. Do not create a duplicate by submitting again.
For advances and expense claims, a message saying a required step has no eligible approver means the configuration needs correction before resubmitting. Check the subject employee’s primary group as well. Do not broaden access or remove a step unless that change reflects the person’s actual responsibility.
Choose how many people must agree
| Mode | When the step completes |
|---|---|
| Any one | One eligible approver agrees |
| All | Every approver for the step agrees |
| Majority (>50%) | More than half agree: for example, 2 of 3 people or 3 of 4 people |
An approval may complete only that person’s part. The request can still be waiting for other approvers or a later step. Reject ends the approval path; it does not count as an abstention in a majority vote.
Applicability and skip conditions
A workflow condition selects the workflow for a request. A step skip condition decides whether to skip that step within the selected workflow.
Every condition in an AND group must match. Between OR groups, one matching group is enough. Test values exactly on the boundary: greater than 5 excludes 5, while greater than or equal to 5 includes it. For lists, test values both inside and outside the selected list.
Prepare one request that enters the step and one that skips it. Check the current step number and waiting approvers on the request; a step skipped by its condition needs no approval vote. Do not use a skip condition to hide a missing approver.
Deadlines and delegation
Open the step’s Advanced options. Leave the deadline blank when none is needed; otherwise enter a positive whole number of hours. Read the explanation beneath the overdue option because the outcome can differ by request type.
In a general workflow, selecting Skip this step automatically for the final step can complete the request automatically when it times out. Use this only when it matches the process agreed by your organization.
Allow delegation controls whether an approver may select someone to help or take over. The recipient still needs the appropriate permission and scope. In a general workflow, delegation adds a co-approver and the original approver may still act. In Payroll and KPI approvals managed by those modules, delegation transfers the assignment to the recipient. It does not restart the running deadline.
If a message says the final step cannot complete automatically on timeout, review its timeout handling and whether an explicit approval step follows it. Keep the workflow Off until the configuration is suitable. Do not remove the need for a human decision merely to dismiss the error. This protects the approval process; it is separate from the warning or blocking options in labour rules.
Deactivate or delete a workflow
To delete an unused draft, select the delete icon beside its name in the library, check the name and confirm Delete. A workflow with approval history cannot be deleted. To stop using it for new requests, turn off Active in its configuration and select Save changes; existing history is retained.
Verify after activation
- Agree on a representative test request and cleanup with the process owner.
- Submit it as the intended requester and confirm it reaches the correct first approver.
- Test approval, rejection and a non-matching condition according to the test plan.
- Confirm that the business result changes only after a valid decision, then clean up test data through the relevant process.
When a workflow or action is missing
- Page missing: ask an administrator to check workflow management access.
- Empty library: clear filters and check the name before creating another workflow.
- No activation button on the diagram: check that the workflow is saved, has steps, is Off and has no blockers.
- No reorder controls: check whether the workflow is Active or a save is in progress. Review pending requests before deciding to turn it off for editing.