Approval Workflows

An approval workflow sets who needs to approve something before it goes ahead — a stage gate, a status report, a change request, a resource demand, or an actual value — and in what order. Workflows are set up under Administration > Workflows, or a program's Configuration > Workflows. Each is made up of one or more steps, each with its own approvers, and sends emails to the people involved as the approval moves along.

This article covers both the Advanced and Simple Models. Workflows work the same way in both; only where they're found differs. Managing workflows needs administrator access in the Advanced Model, or program administrator access in the Simple Model.

Where workflows are found

• Advanced Model — under Administration > Workflows. Workflows here can be used across the organization.

  

• Simple Model — under the program's Configuration > Workflows. Workflows here can only be used in that program, and their approvers come from the program's team roles.

  

Each workflow is listed with its type. Click a workflow's edit button to change it. In the Simple Model, turn a workflow's Enabled toggle on or off from the list; a workflow that's in use can't be turned off.

Workflow types

Every workflow has a type, which decides what it approves and where it's chosen. Five types can be created: Stage Gate Approval, Status Report Approval, Item Approval, Resource Demand Approval, and Benefit/Measure Actual Approval. Amplify also provides workflows for benefit plan and forecast changes, general approvals of initiatives, benefits, and measures, milestones, and dependencies, which can be edited but not created or deleted. For each type, what starts an approval, and where it's used, see Approval Workflow Types.

Creating a workflow

To create a workflow:

1. Click New Workflow. The new workflow's page opens.

   

2. Choose the Workflow Type — what the workflow approves. The type can't be changed once the workflow is saved.

   

3. Fill in the workflow's settings, described below.
4. Set up its approval steps, described below.
5. Set up its email notifications — see Email notifications.
6. Click Save.

Workflow settings

• Enabled — makes the workflow available to choose once it's saved.
• Workflow name — how the workflow is shown when it's chosen for a stage, classification, or resource type.
• Approved Status, Pending Status, and Rejected Status — the words shown on an item while it's waiting on approval, and once it's approved or rejected. These, and the workflow name, can be translated using the flag next to each field.
• Allow approvers to be modified — lets approvers be added to, or removed from, a step while an approval is in progress. Use Which Roles are able to modify approvers? to choose who can: All Users, or only members of the roles chosen. Administrators can always modify approvers.

Approval steps

Under Approval Sequence, set up the steps an approval goes through. The approvers for each step are only notified once every step before it has been approved.

For each step:

• Name — what the step is, such as Finance review.

• Consensus for Approval — how many of the step's approvers need to approve:

  • Any Approval Advances — one approver is enough.
  • Unanimous Approval Required — every approver must approve.
  • Self Approval — the person requesting the approval approves it themselves. No approver roles are needed.

  

• Approver Roles — the team roles whose members approve the step, such as a Finance role. Each step can use different roles, and a different consensus.

  

One rejection is enough to reject an approval, whichever consensus a step uses. Once an approval is rejected, it stays rejected, even if other approvers then approve.

Click + New Approval Step to add a step. Drag a step by its handle to reorder it, or click Delete Approval Step to remove it. In a Stage Gate Approval workflow, a step can also be given a condition, so it only applies to some initiatives — see Approval Workflow Types.

Email notifications

Under Email Notifications, choose who's emailed at each point:

• When the workflow is triggered — Notify Approvers, and Notify Team Roles to also email members of chosen roles. Enter a number of days in Send approval reminders after to remind approvers who haven't responded.
• When the workflow is rejected — Notify Requester, Notify Approvers, and Notify Team Roles.
• When the workflow is approved — Notify Requester, Notify Approvers, and Notify Team Roles.

Emails are only sent where email is set up for your organization. For other email notifications, see Notifications.

Reassigning approvals

Where an approver is away, or has left, their pending approvals on a workflow can be passed to someone else, so approvals aren't held up. This is done at the bottom of the workflow's edit page, under Reassign [workflow] Approvals. To reassign them:

1. Open the workflow.
2. Scroll to Reassign [workflow] Approvals.
3. Under Reassign pending approvals from, choose the approver whose approvals to move.
4. Choose who to reassign them to.
5. Click Reassign.

Only approvals still pending on this workflow are moved. Approvals on other workflows need reassigning from each workflow.

Deleting a workflow

Open the workflow, and click Delete Workflow. A workflow that's in use, such as on a stage, classification, or resource type, can't be deleted.

For what each type of workflow approves, and where it's chosen, see Approval Workflow Types.