Approval

This activity creates a document approval task in the Web Application. Executors of the task are defined by the swimlane, in which the activity is placed. See the respective Help page to find out how the Approval activity is used in different swimlanes.

Dynamic or static swimlanes:

one of the users represented by a swimlane with the Approval activity.

Connect the approval activity with the New Approval Sheet activity using a label.

Business role swimlane:

an executor is defined by the context variable, selected on the Common tab of the Approval activity.

Connect the approval activity with the New Approval Sheet activity using a label;
executors are selected in the Web Application, when completing the send for approval task.

Connect the approval activity with the Send for Approval activity using a label.

Approval activity settings

To configure this activity, double click on the activity on the process graphic model. The activity setting will open, which includes the tabs described below.

Common tab

Fig. 1 shows an example of this tab.

Fig. 1. Approval activity. Common tab

Name* — name of the approval activity, displayed on the graphic model, in the process documentation, process policies and in the header of the settings window.

Task name – select the approval task naming option. This name will be displayed in the task list and on the task form in web application.

Use operation name – the name of the Approval activity will be used as the approval task name.
Use the document name – the approval task name will be similar to the name of the document, sent for approval.
The name is generated from a template - generate the task name from a template. The template can include: text, context variables and process instance parameters.

If you check the box Use Approval Route (this box is available only if the Approval activity is in the Business Role swimlane), you must select the context variable that contains the approval route, you need to start for the document. Using the Add Variable button you can add a context variable of the Approval Route type. When the box Use Approval Route is checked, filling in the field that contains the approval route is required.

Description – you can add a description of the activity.

The description is generated from a template box allows generating a description of the task from a template. The template can include: text, context variables and current process instance parameters.

Context variable containing the list of executors – (this field is displayed, only if the Approval activity is in the Business Role swimlane and is not connected to the Send for Approval activity. When the box Use Approval Route is checked, this field will be hidden) allows selecting the context variable with the list of users, who have to approve the document. Click Add Variable to add a User type variable (you can select one or several users, depending on the selected link type). This field is not required. You should use a context variable, if the list of executors is created during the process execution. If this variable is not selected, then the Approval activity must be connected with the Send for Approval activity, in which the list of executors is created. If the variable is selected, the Approval activity must be connected with the New Approval Sheet activity, and the list of approvers will be defined in the variable.

Features of "The context variable containing a list of executors" section:

this unit is displayed only if the Approval activity is in the business role swimlane;
in the process users must fill in the context variable with the list of approvers, before executing this activity;
the Approval activity has to be connected with the New Approval Sheet activity using a label;

Use the First Response mechanism – when this box is checked, any user stored in the context variable, can start execution of the task. As soon as one of the users has done it, the task is cancelled for the other approvers.

New Approval Sheet or Send for Approval operations – in this section you can select the preceding activity, in which the approvers group is created. When you click Change Operation, a dialog box opens, which contains all the New Approval Sheet and Send for Approval activities in the process. Select the one, in which the group of approvers is created for this approval task (fig. 2). Besides, the list of approvers can be specified with the help of an approval sheet from context. When you select this parameter, you need to choose the desired variable of the Approval sheet type from the pull-down list or create a new variable by clicking Add Variable. Apart from that, you need to configure the respective settings of the Send for Approval or New Approval Sheet activities depending on the swimlane where the Approval activity is.

Fig. 2. Select the way of creating a list of approvers

Approval sheet from context should be used to connect the Approval activity with the New Approval Sheet or Send for Approval activities (depending on the swimlane) in cases:

If both activities are in one process;

If the New Approval Sheet or Send for Approval activities (depending on the swimlane) are in a parent process, whereas the Approval activity is in an external or internal sub-process. It should be noted that it is possible to publish the process that does not have the New Approval Sheet and Send for Approval activities. However, there must be a parent process for such a process that will contain one of these activities (depending on the swimlane of a sub-process where the Approval setting is) .

Require digital signature – when this box is checked, the document can be approved only with a digital signature.

Availability on external devices and applications - this unit indicates, whether this activity can be executed via ELMA ECM+ mobile app.

The Forbid to reassign box forbids reassigning the task to another user in Web Application. This setting can be overwritten by the system administrator in Administration – Access Settings – Processes, where access permissions are assigned for each process. If a user has permissions to Reassign Tasks, the Forbid to reassign box is ignored.

The box Do not reassign to substitute user becomes available if the Forbid to reassign box is checked. This settings allows ignoring the substitution settings. The Do not reassign to substitute user option applies only to the current task. For example, if the executor of this task is a user, who is substituted by another user, then the substitution settings will be ignored and the task will be assigned to the substituted user.

Documents tab

This tab is similar to the Documents tab of the Send for Approval activity.

Context tab

This tab is similar to the Context tab of the Send for Approval activity.

Execution Time tab

This tab is similar to the Execution Time tab of the user task activity.

If the serial approval is used, the approval task duration for each user is calculated as follows: total approval duration is divided by the number of approvers and added to the current time. The approval end dates are recalculated each time an approver completes their task. If the first approver exceeds the execution time, and the task becomes overdue, then the task will be overdue when the other approvers receive it.

Example: approval task duration is 3 days, three users participate in serial approval. The first approver receives the task on Monday. Therefore, duration of each approval task is 1 day, i.e. the first task ends on Tuesday. Assume that the first approver completed the task in 12 hours, so that the other approvers have 2 days and 12 hours for their tasks. After that, duration of the remaining approval tasks is recalculated: each approver has 1 day and 6 hours. However, the second approver spent three days on their task. In this case, when the last approver receives the task, it is already overdue.

Advanced tab

Fig. 3 illustrates an example of this tab.

Fig. 3. Approval activity. Advanced tab

You can add information on the task in the Note field on this tab. This information will not be displayed in Web Application.

To learn more about approval task in Web Application, see the respective Help page.

Digital Signature Settings tab

If you check the Require Digital Signature box on the Common tab, then you can add exceptions on this tab (fig. 4) – users, who are not required to use Digital Signature in order to complete the approval task.

Fig. 4. Digital Signature Settings tab

As an exception, you can select:

job positions from the organizational structure of the company;
user groups;
process context properties of the User, User Group or Organizational Structure Item data type.

Add an exception in a similar manner as you have added executors in the settings of the dynamic swimlane.

To sign a document without a digital signature, complete the task by clicking the completion button, which was configured in ELMA Designer. Then you will see the Signed status on the document page (fig. 9).

Approval activity in different types of swimlanes

The Approval operation can be used in any type of swimlane. This will define how a task will function in Web Application. This is how the “Approval” task can be used in different swimlanes:

1. Static swimlane. The document approval task can be assigned only to one user – the swimlane executor. The swimlane executor automatically becomes the executor of the approval task. When you use this swimlane, the Approval operation must be connected with a New Approval Sheet activity with a label, since there is no need to assign approvers in Web Application (it is configured in the swimlane settings).

2. Dynamic. If the dynamic swimlane is used, the Approval task must be connected with a New Approval Sheet activity with a label. Apart from that, the context variable must be defined in the process before executing the Approval task. This variable contains the list of executors of the Approval task.

When the Preselection setting is used, the executors of the approval task must be defined in advance with the help of a script or a user task.

If the First Response mechanism is used, the approval task will be assigned to all the users of this swimlane. As soon as one of the users starts performing a task, all other users do not see this task any more.

3. Business Role. This swimlane is used when it is necessary to send a document for approval to several users, but the list of these users is not defined. There are two ways to define approvers:

the Approval task must be connected with a Send for Approval activity with a label. The list of users is defined in this activity.
the list of users can be defined with the help of a context variable of the User type and the Single or Many-to-many link type. This setting can be configured on the General tab of the Approval activity.

Note that on the process map the transition from the Approval activity in a Business Role swimlane will be displayed only when the approval tasks are completed in all other swimlanes.