--- sourceDocument: Brazil IT Service Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/it-service-management Release : - brazil ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Brazil IT Service Management ft:clusterId : - itsm bundleId : - itsm workflow : - Technology --- # Change Approval Policy workflow activity # Change Approval Policy workflow activity {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Brazil Updated September 10, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Change Approval Policy workflow activity The Change Approval Policy workflow activity in ServiceNow enables precise control over the approval process for change requests. It uses defined Change Approval Policy records to create user and group approvals based on matching approval decisions. This activity can be used multiple times within a workflow, referencing the same or different policies, and evaluates approval criteria using inputs from the change request and additional policy inputs. Show full answer Show less This activity is specifically designed to run on tables that extend or are the **changerequest** table, ensuring it integrates directly with change management processes. ## Key Features * **Approval Policy Application:** Apply a specific Change Approval Policy to govern approvals. * **Policy Inputs:** Customize the approval evaluation by supplying additional inputs defined in the policy record. * **Finish Condition:** Control whether the activity completes even if approvals are still pending, supporting workflow scenarios like putting a change request on hold. * **Multiple Outcome States:** The activity returns results such as Approved, Rejected, Canceled, Skipped, or Finished based on the policy evaluation. * **Workflow State Management:** The activity progresses through states including Executing, Waiting, Finished, Cancelled, and Error to manage its lifecycle within the workflow engine. ## Practical Use and Behavior Input variables allow you to specify the Change Approval Policy to apply and set any policy-specific inputs required for dynamic approval logic. The activity evaluates the policy and transitions to the appropriate outcome condition: * **Approved:** All approval criteria are met. * **Rejected:** Any rejection causes the activity to reject the change request. * **Skipped:** Occurs if no matching decisions exist or no approvals can be generated. * **Error:** Handles unexpected errors during execution. The activity can be configured to complete while approvals are still pending, useful for scenarios like putting a change request on hold and later restarting the approval process. ## Example Scenario In a typical use case within the Change Request - Normal workflow, the Change Approval Policy activity can check if the assigned group's manager has approved the change request by setting a **managerapproved** input. When the change is put on hold, the activity marks pending approvals as "No Longer Required" and completes, suspending the approval process. When the hold is released, the activity restarts, resuming approvals as defined by the policy. ## Key Outcomes * Enables automated, policy-driven approval management in change workflows. * Supports complex approval conditions through configurable inputs and dynamic decision evaluation. * Improves workflow flexibility by allowing approval activities to pause and resume based on change request state. * Provides clear and actionable activity results to guide workflow transitions. Use the Change Approval Policy workflow activity to control the approval process for a change request by creating user and group approvals according to a change approval policy record. Multiple activities can be used in a workflow, where each activity can reference the same or different Change Approval Policies. Using the current change request and additional inputs defined in the Policy Input script field in the activity, you can evaluate the Change Approval Policy record, which applies the approval definitions from matching decisions. Note: This activity is only available when the workflow runs on a table that extends or is the \[change_request\] table. ## Results {#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__section_qxb_l3j_mjb} The activity assigns a result value according to the outcome of the applied policy. The possible result values are: * Approved * Rejected * Canceled * Skipped * Finished {#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__ul_ez3_t3j_mjb} ## Input variables {#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__section_z31_y3j_mjb} Input variables determine the initial behavior of the activity.{#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__table_xqx_fjj_mjb__entry__2} | Field | Description | |-|-| | Approval Policy | The Change Approval Policy that you want to apply to the change request. | | Policy Input | Policy Inputs that are defined on the Change Approval Policy record. Set additional policy inputs here. | | Finish condition | Determine if the activity should complete while pending approvals remain. Use this condition if the workflow is configured to handle restarting the Change Approval Policy activity. For example, when the Change Request goes on-hold. | [Table 1. Change Approval Policy activity input variables] {#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__table_xqx_fjj_mjb} ## Condition {#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__section_dyp_wlj_mjb} The following conditions determine which transition runs after this activity.{#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__table_zgj_ttw_w4__entry__2} | Condition | Description | |-|-| | Approved | Change request is approved when the criteria defined by applied Approval Definitions is met. | | Rejected | Any rejection from applied Approval Definitions will result in the Rejected outcome. | | Error | The event or condition that generates an error. | | Skipped | If this condition is not configured on the activity, then the Approved condition is used. This outcome occurs for the following scenarios: * No decisions from the Change Approval Policy match * No approvals can be generated from matched decisions {#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__ul_ub3_5tt_njb} | [Table 2. Change Approval Policy activity conditions] {#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__table_zgj_ttw_w4} ## States {#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__section_ssh_fmj_mjb} The workflow engine uses the activity state to perform the next logical action on the activity.{#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__table_jr2_15w_w4__entry__2} | State | Description | |-|-| | Executing | The workflow engine starts the execute function of the activity. | | Waiting | The workflow engine ignores the activity until a specific event to restart the activity is fired. | | Finished | The activity finished running. See the result value for the outcome of the activity. | | Cancelled | This activity, or the workflow that contains this activity, was canceled. | | Error | A JavaScript error occurred. Review the logs for error details. | [Table 3. Change Approval Policy activity states] {#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__table_jr2_15w_w4} ## Example {#change-approval-policiy-wf-activity__section_iz2_g2x_mjb} In this example, let us reference the Risk approvals activity in the Change Request - Normal workflow. In the workflow, the change approval policy factors if the assigned group's manager has already approved the Change Request. You can use this activity to access the risk of the change request of a normal change policy. When this activity runs, the associated decisions executes the approvals that needs to be requested. Use the Policy Input field to set up additional inputs. In the given example, the activity defines the manager_approved property and performs the query to check if an approved record exists for the approved group's manager. Note: Ensure that the manager_approved policy input is defined in the Change Approval Policy record. The Finish condition field is used to complete the activity by marking pending approvals as No Longer Required. In this workflow example, when the Change Request is put on-hold, the Change Approval Policy activity is completed and the workflow disregards the pending approvals before waiting for the Change Request to resume. When the on-hold state is released, the Change Approval Policy activity is restarted.