Every approval workflow has a type, which decides what it approves, what starts an approval, and where the workflow is chosen. Workflows are listed, with their type, under Administration > Workflows, or a program's Configuration > Workflows. This article describes each type, and links to where it's used.
This article covers both the Advanced and Simple Models. In the Simple Model, each program has its own workflows of each type. For creating workflows and setting up their steps, approvers, and notifications, see Approval Workflows.
How types differ
- Types that can be created — offered under New Workflow. Several workflows of the same type can exist, so different stages, classifications, or resource types can be approved by different people. The type can't be changed once a workflow is saved.
- Workflows provided by Amplify — one workflow each, provided with Amplify. They're listed with the others, and their steps, approvers, and notifications can be edited, but they can't be created or deleted. They start turned off; turn on Enabled to use one.
Stage Gate Approval
Approves a stage of a stage gate process, before the initiative moves to the next stage. An approval starts when someone clicks Request Stage Approval on the stage.
The workflow is chosen for each stage, in the stage gate process's configuration. In the Advanced Model, it can be overridden for an initiative classification on its Stage Gate Process tab; in the Simple Model, it's chosen for each stage on each project type's Process tab. See Configuring the Stage Gate Process. For requesting and giving approval, see Stage Gate Process.
Conditional steps
A step in a Stage Gate Approval workflow can be made to apply only to some initiatives — for example, a Finance step only where the initiative's total cost budget is over $1 million. Other workflow types don't have conditions. Each step can have one condition. To add it:
- On the step, click + Add Condition. The condition's fields appear.
- Choose the Initiative Property to check:
- Total Cost Budget or Total [Benefit] Plan — the initiative's totals.
- A custom field on the initiative, of type Select Box, Radio Group, Traffic Light, Number, or Calculated. Each field shows its type, and the initiative classifications it's mapped to.
- Choose the Condition Filter. For totals and number fields: Equals, Not Equal, Greater Than, Greater Than or Equal, Less Than, Less Than or Equal, or Is Between. For Select Box, Radio Group, and Traffic Light fields: Is or Is Not.
- Enter or choose the Condition Value.
- Save the workflow.
Where the initiative doesn't meet the condition, the step is marked as not required, and skipped. To remove a condition, click its delete button.
Status Report Approval
Approves a status report before it's published. An approval starts when someone clicks Publish Report on the status report, and starts again when a rejected report is published again.
The workflow is chosen where status reports are requested, not where they're submitted. In the Advanced Model, turn on Request Reports on the Status Report tab of the initiative classification that requests them, and choose the workflow. In the Simple Model, the same settings are on the program's Configuration > General page, and on each reporting group. See Status Reporting.
Item Approval
Approves RAID items of the Other item type, such as change requests or decisions that need sign-off. An approval starts when the item is created. It starts again when the item is moved, or given a different classification, and can be requested again from the item's Request Status section.
The workflow is chosen with the Workflow setting of a RAID item classification whose item type is Other. See Managing RAID and Action Items.
Resource Demand Approval
Approves a request for resources. An approval starts when resource demand is saved, and starts again when its values change, or a resource is allocated to it or removed from it.
The workflow is chosen on each resource type: with its Workflow setting in the Advanced Model, or its Approval Workflow on the program's Resources page in the Simple Model. Where a resource type has no workflow, its demand isn't sent for approval. See Configuring Resources (Advanced Model) or Configuring Resources (Simple Model). For approving demand, including several at once, see Resource Demand.
Benefit/Measure Actual Approval
Approves each actual value recorded against a benefit or measure. An approval starts when an actual value is entered or changed, wherever it's entered.
The workflow is chosen with the Workflow setting of a benefit classification, or a measure classification. Costs don't have actual approvals. Amplify provides one, named Measurement Workflow; more can be created. See Configuring Benefit Classifications (Advanced Model) and Configuring Measure Classifications (Advanced Model).
Total [Benefit] Plan Approval and Total [Benefit] Forecast Approval
Provided by Amplify, as Benefit Plan Workflow and Benefit Forecast Approval Workflow. They approve changes to a benefit's plan or forecast. An approval starts when the series' total changes — a change to an individual period's value that leaves the total the same doesn't need approval. They can't be started by hand.
Where enabled, they apply to every benefit. See Managing Benefits.
General Approval
Provided by Amplify, as Initiative Workflow, Benefit Workflow, and Measure Workflow. They approve an initiative, benefit, or measure as a whole, whenever someone wants it signed off.
Where the workflow is enabled, an approval starts when someone selects Launch [workflow name]... from the menu of an initiative's Properties page, or of a benefit or measure — for example, Launch Initiative Workflow.... See Managing Initiatives.
Specific Action Approval
Provided by Amplify, as Milestone Workflow and Dependency Workflow:
- Milestone Workflow — approves the milestones a benefit is linked to. Where the workflow is enabled and the benefit is linked to milestones, an approval starts when someone selects Launch [workflow name]... from the benefit's menu. See Managing Benefits.
- Dependency Workflow — approves Dependency RAID items, where a task in the initiative is chosen as another's predecessor. An approval starts when the Dependency item is created, and again when its initiative or task changes. As well as the members of the roles in its first step, the owners of the predecessor task and the successor task are added as approvers, so they're notified too. A rejected dependency can be sent for approval again. Its approvers can't be modified. See Managing RAID and Action Items.
Timesheet approval
Timesheet approvals aren't listed under Workflows, and have no workflow to set up. Approval is turned on for each timesheet group, with its Approval Workflow setting, and the group's owner approves every timesheet submitted to it. See Timesheets.
For creating workflows, see Approval Workflows.