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Approval Workflows

Approval workflows enforce governance by requiring authorized reviewers to sign off before a record advances. You can configure single or multi-stage approvals with role-based gates and delegation.

Who this is for

Admin Executive Analyst

Prerequisites

Approval stages

An approval workflow consists of one or more stages. Each stage has approvers, conditions, and exit rules.

Property Description
Stage name Human-readable label, e.g., "Finance Review"
Approvers Users or groups assigned to review
Required approvals Minimum number of approvers who must approve
Approval mode any_of, all_of, majority
Condition Optional field or formula gate to include the stage
Timeout Hours until escalation triggers

Configuring approvers

You can assign approvers by:

  • User: Specific named user.
  • Role: Any user holding a role, e.g., Tenant Admin.
  • Group: Members of a defined group.
  • Record field: Dynamic approver drawn from a stakeholder field on the record.

Multi-stage approval

Stages run in sequence by default. Parallel stages are supported when stages have no interdependencies.

graph LR
  A[Submit for Review] --> B[Stage 1: Manager]
  B --> C[Stage 2: Finance]
  C --> D[Stage 3: Executive]
  D --> E[Approved]
  B --> F[Rejected]
  C --> F
  D --> F

Step-by-step: create a multi-stage approval

  1. Navigate to Admin > Configuration > Workflows.
  2. Select the workflow and click Approval.
  3. Click Add Stage.
  4. Enter a Stage Name and set Order.
  5. Choose Approver Type and select the users, roles, or groups.
  6. Set Required Approvals and Approval Mode.
  7. Add a Condition if the stage should only appear for certain record types.
  8. Click Save and Publish.

Delegation

Approvers can delegate their authority when unavailable.

  • Delegation is configured in My Account > Delegation.
  • The delegate inherits the approver's permissions for the specified date range.
  • Delegation is audited and visible in the approval history.

Delegation limits

A user can delegate to one person at a time. Circular delegation is blocked by the system.

Rejection handling

When a stage is rejected, the record returns to rejected status or a configured fallback status.

Rejection action Behavior
Return to draft Owner must revise and resubmit from the beginning
Return to previous stage Record re-enters the prior approval stage
Stay in review with comments Record remains in_review for clarification

You configure the rejection action per stage in the Approval tab.

Approval history

Every approval action is recorded:

  • Approver name and role at time of action
  • Timestamp and decision (approve, reject, delegate)
  • Comments and attachments
  • Override indicators

Permissions required

Role Permission Scope
Super Admin Configure approval stages Organization
Tenant Admin Configure approval stages Organization
Content Admin Edit stage names and conditions Organization
Analyst Approve records where assigned Assigned records
Editor Approve records where assigned Assigned records

Limits and guardrails

Limit Maximum 10 stages per workflow.

Limit A stage can have up to 50 approvers.

Limit Approval timeout defaults to 72 hours. Minimum is 1 hour; maximum is 720 hours.

Limit Approval history is retained for the life of the record and cannot be edited.

Troubleshooting

Issue: approver does not receive notification

Cause: Notification preferences are disabled, or the user is not active. Resolution: Verify the user status in User Management. Check Configuration > Notifications > Approval channel settings.

Issue: approval stage skipped unexpectedly

Cause: A stage condition evaluated to false, or the record matched a bypass rule. Resolution: Review the stage condition formula and the record field values. Check automation rules for bypass triggers.

Issue: delegated approver cannot see the approval

Cause: Delegation was not active at the time the record entered the stage, or the delegate lacks the base role. Resolution: Verify the delegation date range covers the record submission date. Confirm the delegate has a role with approval permission.

Escalation path

For approval workflow logic errors or stuck approvals:

  1. Check the approval history panel on the record for the exact stage and timestamp.
  2. If a stage is stuck, an Admin can force-approve or force-reject from the record detail.
  3. File a support ticket with the record ID and stage name.
  4. Escalate to #valuepact-ops if force actions fail or data appears inconsistent.