Change Management - Manual approvals

[nguynnhthi]

Hello,

The client wants the ability to add manual approvals on state Authorize of change requests. Here are the things that I've done:

1. First approach: Add Edit button on Approvers related list

I enabled the Edit button on the Approvers related list and wrote some scripts so that manual approval state changes to Requested instead of Not Yet Requested. However, there is a case when all the normal approvals are approved, the change request moves to state Scheduled and skips the manual approvals.

2. Second approach: Change approval policy

I created an approval definition that retrieves the manual approvers from a custom field that I created on the change request table that checks the approval at state Authorize. This works, however, when the client adds the manual approvers at state Authorize, they are not added to the approvers' list and they want to add manual approvers at state Authorize also.

I'm currently implementing the second approach and it seems that I can't modify the OOTB change flows. I'd appreciate it if anyone has some insight into this.

Thanks,

Thi

[Dan O Connor]

You've said state Authorize there a few times, do you mean it works at Assess, but when you try during Authorize they are not added? 

Why can't you change the OOTB flows? Not sure if you are using models or just standard change flows, but if introducing a new element to the Change Process Flow, would make sense that a change to the Flows themselves might be needed.

For example if you have added a new field to capture manual approvers, I'd be using this as part of the flows to say along the lines of 

IF Manual Approvers IS NOT NULL -> Move through a Nested approval

IF Manual Approvers IS NULL -> Move onto next step of your flow

Without looking at or possibly changing the OOTB flows, I'd imagine the Flow will sometimes ignore the manual approvers because they are not being defined as a particular step, especially if the existing Approval step is 'If anyone approves' 

[nguynnhthi]

Hi Dan,
I am setting the manual approvals to occur at state Authorize. If I add the manual approvals in the custom field at state New or Assess, they got added to the approvers list. However, customer wants to add the manual approvers at state Authorize instead, and when I add them at state Authorize and update the record, they are not added to the approvers' list.

As for the OOTB change workflow, it's read-only and I cannot edit it (see image below). Can't I edit it at all?

[Dan O Connor]

So I'd suggest you make a copy of the flow (in the menu at the top right).

This way you maintain the OOTB version should it ever be needed, but you can make a configured Flow with manual approvals for your customer. And in your copy one is where I'd put things like the manual approval and wait conditions etc. 

Just make sure to then deactivate the OOTB one 🙂 

[nguynnhthi]

Thanks for your reply, but unfortunately I still can't get it to work properly. I'm thinking of adding another state between Authorize and Scheduled called Manual Approval and returning to the second approach in the original post.