Approval with e-signature

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Approval with e-signature

    The Approval with e-signature plug-in enables ServiceNow customers to approve or reject records by re-entering their login credentials, ensuring compliance with Title 21 CFR Part 11 electronic signature requirements. This functionality securely captures and stores key approval details such as the signer's printed name, timestamp, and signature meaning (approval or rejection) within the record's activity stream and audit history.

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    Key Features

    • Compliance Support: Validated for Title 21 CFR Part 11, critical for regulated industries requiring electronic signature compliance.
    • Approval Tables: Supports default tables like Change Request [changerequest] and Standard Change Proposal [stdchangeproposal]. Additional tables can be added to require e-signature authorization on approvals.
    • Approver Authentication: Approvers must enter valid user credentials (local User records or via Multi-Provider Single Sign-On integration) to approve or reject records. Failed authentication prevents changes.
    • Approval History Tracking: Each approval record maintains a detailed activity stream with e-signature stored as field changes for auditability.
    • Approval Options in UI: Approvals can be performed via context menu options, UI actions, or changing the state field on supported tables, each triggering the authentication dialog.
    • User Credential Integration: Supports authentication using local user accounts or remote identity providers through SAML 2.0 SSO integration.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    By enabling this plug-in, organizations can enforce secure and compliant approval workflows requiring re-authentication. This is especially relevant for customers in regulated industries needing to demonstrate electronic signature validity and traceability. Customers can expect detailed audit trails for approvals, flexible integration with identity providers, and configurable table support to extend e-signature requirements across their approval processes.

    Approve or reject an approval record by re-entering your login credentials. See the history of an approval from its activity stream or its audit history.

    Support for Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 11

    The Approval with e-signature plug-in is validated for Title 21 CFR Part 11 electronic signature requirements. This plug-in is required for compliance to 21 CFR Part 11.

    Each time someone approves a record, the system stores this information.
    • The printed name of the signer
    • The date and time when the signature was made
    • The meaning of the signature (approval or rejection)

    This information is stored as part of the activity stream and audit history of the record.

    Approval tables

    By default, Approval with e-signature supports these tables.
    • Change Request [change_request]
    • Standard Change Proposal [std_change_proposal]

    When you add an approval table, any approval for the table needs an e-signature authorization. See Select an approval table to add or remove a table from supporting Approval with e-signature.

    Approver Authentication dialog

    Approvers must enter their user credentials to change the approval state. If the credentials fail, then the approval remains unchanged. The system checks the user credentials against local user records or an active single sign-on integration.

    Dialog to enter user credentials

    Approval History

    Each Approval [sysapprover_approver] record has an activity stream that tracks changes to it. Approvals made by e-signature are stored as field changes.

    Figure 1. Example activity stream
    Example approval showing Bow Ruggeri approving a change request

    Available approval options

    The Change Request [change_request] table provides these approval options.

    List options
    The Change Request table provides context menu options to approve or reject records. When someone selects either the Approve or Reject context menu option, the system displays the Approver Authentication confirmation dialog.
    UI actions
    The Change Request form provides UI actions to approve or reject a record. When someone selects either the Approve or Reject UI action, the system displays the Approver Authentication confirmation dialog.
    Change record state
    The Change Request table provides a State field to approve or reject a record. When someone selects either the Approved or Rejected state, the system displays the Approver Authentication confirmation dialog.

    User credential sources

    Approval with e-signature supports these types of user credential sources.
    • A set of local User [sys_user] records.
    • A remote identity provider service accessed by the Multi-Provider Single Sign-On (SSO) integration.

    User credentials must be set up before enabling Approvals with e-signature. See Creating users to create local User records.

    See Multi-Provider Single sign-on (SSO) to create an integration to a Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) 2.0 identity provider.