User approval being skipped if second in line

[raulron]

Hi,

We have a requested item workflow with 2 sequential user approvals. The first is the direct manager of the requested for, and the second uses a script to pull out the right approver from a table we setup, considering some entries filled in the catalog item variable.

For some reason, if the first approver is found, when he approves, the second approval is always skipped.

If I remove the first approval from the WF, or if a direct manager is not found, than the second approval is triggered and work just fine. So there is no problem with the script itself not finding the right approver.

It is as if the WF is satisfied with only one of the first approvals and skipps the second one. Even though, they are on different user approval activities, and chained in order in the WF.

Has anyone ever encountered such a behaviour? Any ideas how to make the WF not skip the second approval?

Thanks in advance.

[mike_bush]

This sounds odd - as if the two Approvals are NOT being treated as separate / sequential - the first is somehow bypassing the second. Without seeing the WF I can only suggest something I have used - slip a TIMER delay for 5 MIN (say) into the WF between the two Approvals and you may get to see other fields being changed and can watch what happens to the second Approval - ie has it moved from "Not Yet Requested" or somehow become "No Longer Required"

[Uncle Rob]

Lets rule out bad activity linkages.   Can you screenshot your workflow?

[raulron]

Thanks guys for the swift replies.

I actually already tried the timer option between the 2 approvals. It did not solve the issue.

I do have a new insight. As I mentioned, the second approval is using a script to fetch the right approver. If I also add a specified user as the approver, the approval is not being skipped.

Now, I know the script itself is fine, because it does find the right approver if not being skipped. But somehow, the fact that the approval is based on a script causes it to skip if there was an approval action before it... perhaps there is something I need to state in the script itself so it will not be skipped?

Anyway, I also attach here a screen shot of the relevant part of the WF. You can see it is really quite simple.

[Uncle Rob]

Hmmm... second approval will *NOT* skip if

1)   First approval is removed from Workflow

2)   hard coded user added to 2nd approval

Its a long shot, but I'd check a couple things.   First make sure your 1st approval is waiting for completion before proceeding (I can't remember if this is even an option on approvals or not).   Second, in your sample case are Approval 1 & 2 generating the exact same user?