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What is CR Approval Workflow?

A workflow is a pictorial representation of the steps involved in a process. It gives a better understanding of the process and thus helps the administrator to identify the steps easily and configure them as per the requirement.

Using the Graphical Workflow Design, you can create a workflow to define the approval cycle of a Change Record.

Working with Graphical Workflow

WORKFLOW
Figure: WORKFLOW

Section 1

This section displays the Change Type Workflows created for the selected Tenant, and the available activities, in the Workflows and Activity tab, respectively.

On the Workflows tab, you can select the Change Type and design a workflow for the Change Type.

On the Activity tab, you can view the various components of the Change Record Approval Cycle. You can drag the required components in the working space and connect the components to define the Approval Cycle accordingly.

The following table explains the components available in the Activity tab.

Component

Description

Approval

Select this component to configure the Approval Levels of the Change Record.

Task

Select this component to configure the Task to be performed when the CR is in the configured status..

Notification

Select this component to configure when the users are notified in the Approval Cycle.

Condition

Select this component to configure conditions for an Approval.

Section 2

The following table explains the options available in the tool bar:

Options

Description

Click this button to expand or collapse the left panel consisting of the Workflows and Activity tab.

Click this icon to clear the flow.

Click this icon to set the parameters for displaying the Workflow.

FILTERS pop up page
Figure: FILTERS pop up page

Show grid

Select the check box to view the grid lines while creating the workflow.

Click this icon to view the Workflow properties.

Enable Auto Cancellation for Refer Back CRs: If selected, the system auto cancels the Change Requests referred back to the Initiator and pending with Initiator without any action on it for a long time. Select this check box to enable auto-reject functionality for a workflow.

Number of Reminders: In this field, specify the number of reminders sent to the Initiator before auto-cancellation.

Alert Interval (in Days): In this field, specify the alert interval days for sending a reminder to the Initiator for resubmitting the Change Request.

Replicate to all Child Categories – If selected then the Workflow properties of the parent category gets replicated to the immediate child categories. By default, this check box is selected.

The following are the use cases to understand the usage of Replicate to Child functionality in different scenarios.

Use Cases

Let’s consider the following Category hierarchy example. The Software is the super parent category, MS Office and Google Workspace as parent categories, and MS Word and MS Excel as child categories of MS Office. A sample screenshot is shown below:

Figure: Change Category Pop-up Page

Expand
titleScenario I

In this scenario, the super parent category Software is configured with Replicate to Child as selected, and none of the child categories (MS Office, Google Workspace, MS Word, and MS Excel) have individual Workflow configuration. Hence, the child categories (MS Office, Google Workspace, MS Word, and MS Excel) inherit the Workflow configuration of the category Software.

Category NameWorkflow ConfigurationReplicate to Child Triggered Workflow

Software

Yes

Yes

Software

MS Office

No

No

Software

Google Workspace

No

No

Software

MS Word

No

No

Software

MS Excel

No

No

Software

The following infographic depicts the above scenario.

Expand
titleScenario II

In this scenario, the super parent category Software has Replicate to Child as selected, and one of its immediate child categories (MS Office) has individual Workflow configuration with Replicate to Child as not selected. Hence, the child categories (Google Workspace, MS Word, and MS Excel) except MS Office inherit the Workflow configuration of the category Software.

Category Name

Workflow Configuration

Replicate to Child

Triggered Workflow

Software

Yes

Yes

Software

MS Office

Yes

No

MS Office

Google Workspace

No

No

Software

MS Word

No

No

Software

MS Excel

No

No

Software

The following infographic depicts the above scenario.

Expand
titleScenario III

In this scenario, the super parent category Software has Replicate to Child as selected, and one of its immediate child categories (MS Office) has individual Workflow configuration with Replicate to Child as selected. Hence, only the child category (Google Workspace) inherits the Workflow configuration of Software. And the child categories (MS Word and MS Excel) inherit the Workflow configuration of the parent category MS Office. 

Category Name

Workflow Configuration

Replicate to Child

Triggered Workflow

Software

Yes

Yes

Software

MS Office

Yes

Yes

MS Office

Google Workspace

No

No

Software

MS Word

No

No

MS Office

MS Excel

No

No

MS Office

The following infographic depicts the above scenario.

Section 3

The Start and the End points of a flow are displayed in the working space by default. You can drag the components of the workflow in the working space and connect each component to create the workflow.

To view the properties of the component or delete it, right-click on the component block and click the required option.

The following table explains the properties of each component:

Component

Properties

Approval

Double-click on the Approval block or Right-click and click Properties.


Figure: PROPERTIES pop-up page

The following table describes the fields in the PROPERTIES pop-up page of the Approval block.

Field

Description

Title

Type in the name of the Approval block.

Prerequisite Status

Select the CR status when this Approval is required.

Approver

Select the required option  in the drop-down list to configure the Approver for this Approval.

  • Authorization: Select this option to set the configured Authorizer (CR Workgroup Owner) as the Approver.

  • CAB: Select this option to set the CAB as the Approver. If selected, Allow User Selectable Approval and Allow Additional Approver's Vote check boxes are displayed.

  • Dynamic Approval: Select this option to set Dynamic Approval as the Approver. If you select this option, then Field Name, Approver Column, Approval Type, and Default Approver fields are displayed.

    FieldDescription
    Field Name

    This field lists the both Standard Fields (Category, Change Category, Change Type, and Configuration Items) and Custom Fields. Select the required field name from the drop-down list. 

    Table Name

    Select the required table name from the drop-down list.

    Note
    titleNote:

    This field lists the custom table names configured in the Web Services.

    Column Name

    This field lists the column names in the selected custom table. Select the required column from the drop-down list.

    Note
    titleNote:

    This field will display only when the Standard Field is selected as Field Name.

    Approver Column

    The Approver Column drop-down lists the column names whose Data Type is an integer. Select the required custom table approver column/field form the drop-down list.

    Note
    titleNote:

    This field lists the column names based on the selected Table Name.

    Approver Type

    Select the Approval Type.

    • All Approvals: If selected, approvals from all the Approvers in the Group are required to approve the CR.
    • One Approval from Group: If selected, approval from any one Approver from the Group is required to approve the CR.
    Default ApproverSpecify the default approver in this field.
  • Line Manager: Select this option to configure Requestor's Manager's Reporting Manager as the Approver.
  • Reporting Manager: Select this option to configure Requestor's Reporting Manager as the Approver.
  • Select Individual: Select this option to configure a User as the Approver. On selecting this option, additional fields are displayed to add the User name.


    Figure: Additional fields of Approver

    The following table explains the fields when Select Individual is selected on the Approver field.

    Field

    Description

    User

    Click the search icon and select the user in the list.

    Minimum No. of Approvals Required

    Specify the minimum number of Approvals required from the list of selected User.
    Example: If three users are selected, and Minimum No. of Approvals Required is set to '2', at least, two users should approve the CR.

  • User Selectable: Select this option to specify the Users such as Requestor, Change Manager, Analyst, Authorization, CAB, and Dynamic Approval who can Add Approvers. On selecting this option, an additional field (Users who can Add Approves) is displayed to specify the Users. If user selectable approval(s) is configured along with the condition(s) in workflow, the user selectable approval(s) will be displayed based on the met conditions while raising or updating the CR.

Update CR Status To

Select the required status in the drop-down list. The status of the CR is changed to the selected status after the Approval.

Anchor
EA
EA
Enable Approval Notifications for Workgroup

 If enabled, the CR approval notifications are sent to members of the selected Owner workgroup, when the approver approves this level.

Note
titleNote:

The Enable Approval Notifications for Workgroup check box is selected by default.

Enable CR Update Notifications for Workgroup

 If enabled, the CR update notifications are sent to members of the selected workgroup.

Note
titleNote:

The Enable CR Update Notifications for Workgroup check box is selected by default.

Refer Back to Initiator

If selected, the option Refer Back to Initiator is displayed in the Status drop-down list of the APPROVAL pop up page on CHANGE RECORD ID page.

Refer Back to Previous Approvers

If selected, the option Refer Back to  <Approval Name> is displayed in the status drop-down list  of the APPROVAL pop up page on CHANGE RECORD ID page.

Allow Customer Approval

If selected, the Analyst can select the customer for Customer Approval on the CHANGE RECORD ID page when the CR is in the configured Prerequisite Status.

Is PIR Required

If selected, Is PIR Required ? check box in the APPROVAL pop up page of the CHANGE RECORD ID page is enabled for the selected Prerequisite Status.

Allow User Selectable Approval

If selected, Users who can Add Approvers drop-down list becomes enabled.

Users who can Add Approvers

Select User or User Group from the drop-down list who can configure Approvers for the specific Approval level.

Allow Additional Approver's Vote

If selected, members other than approvers will be able to vote Yes or No on the APPROVAL tab of CHANGE RECORD ID page with comments but final approval will be done by CAB members with approval rights.

Note
titleNote:

This field will display only when the Approver is selected as CAB.

Auto Approval

Select the check box and configure the auto-rejection and auto-approval of the Change Requests. 

  • Approve: Select the option and enter the time in the Approve/Reject Duration field to automatically approve the Change Request if the configured time exceeds.
  • Reject: Select the option and enter the time in the Approve/Reject Duration field to automatically reject the Change Request if the configured time exceeds.
Are Mandatory Fields are Required To Be Filled by Approver?

If selected as Yes, then the Approver can not approve the CR through e-mail approval. In this case, the Approver has to log in to the application and fill the mandatory fields to approve a CR. Also, the below e-mail notification will trigger the Approver.

Expand
titleSee Screenshot

If selected as No, then the Approver can approve the CR via e-mail approval. In this case, the below e-mail notification will trigger the Approver.

Expand
titleSee Screenshot


Allow Change Manager to approve

Select Allow Change Manger to approve check box to configure the Change Manager as a approver for specified approver. If selected, the Notify Change Manager field is displayed.

Select Notify Change Manager check box to send the e-mail notification to the Change Manager as shown in the following figure.

Expand
titleSee Screenshot

Task

Double-click on the Task block or Right-click and click Properties.


Figure: PROPERTIES pop up page

The following table describes the fields in the PROPERTIES pop-up page of Notification block.

Field

Description

Title

Type in the name of the Task.

Prerequisite Status

Select the status of the CR in the drop-down list. The task is performed when the CR is in selected status.

Optional Status

Select the required status in the drop-down list. The selected Status are displayed in the Status drop-down list on the CHANGE RECORD ID page.

Initiate Task

Initiate Task check box defines the Task functionality.

  • If Initiate Task check box is selected, after an  approval as defined in the Workflow, task status changes from Draft to New.
  • If Initiate Task check box is not selected, the Task functionality works as per the traditional way.
    • For Normal, Standard, and Expedited Change Type, Task is initiated once the CR is approved.
    • For Emergency Change Type, when e-CAB Approval is required After Implementation, Task is initiated after Initial Authorization of the CR.
    • For Emergency Change Type, when e-CAB Approval is required Before Implementation, Task is initiated the CR is Approved.

Final Status

Select the Final Status of the Change Record from the drop-down to validate all the Tasks.

All the Tasks linked with the CR should be validated before moving the CR to the

selected Final Status. If Tasks are not validated, the CR cannot be moved to the selected Final Status.

Note:

  • In most of the cases, Task validation is the Implementation of Task. The Task validation can also vary according to the organization workflow.
  • This configuration is applicable only when the Initiate Task check box is enabled.
  • If Initiate Task check box is not enabled, the default final status of CR is Implementation. In this case all the Tasks should be validated before moving the CR to the Implemented status
Enable Task Notifications for Workgroup

If enabled, the task notifications related to Testing, Implementation & Approval will be sent to members of the selected Owner workgroup.

Note
titleNote:

The Enable CR Update Notifications for Workgroup check box is selected by default.

Enable CR Update Notifications for Workgroup

If enabled, the CR update notifications are sent to members of the selected workgroup.

Note
titleNote:

The Enable CR Update Notifications for Workgroup check box is selected by default.

Notification

Double-click on the Notification block or Right-click and click Properties.


Figure: PROPERTIES pop-up page

The following table describes the fields in the PROPERTIES pop-up page of Notification block.

Field

Description

Title

Type in the name of the Approval block.

Notification Type

Select the notification type in the drop-down list.

Select Recipient

If this check box is selected, the selected recipients are notified as configured in the workflow.

Additional Recipient

Type in the e-mail id of the users/analyst to be notified, and click ADD TO LIST or ADD CC LIST button as required.
ADD TO LIST: Click this button to add the e-mail id to the To List field.
ADD CC LIST: Click this button to add the e-mail id to the CC List field.

To List

Displays the e-mail ids of the users as configured in Additional Recipient field.

CC List

Displays the e-mail ids of the users as configured in Additional Recipient field.

Subject

Type in the subject of the Notification e-mail. Here Subject is hard coded with Change Request ID. This prefixing is done to ensure any custom notification triggered from the system is mapped to system generated mails.

Custom Attributes

Select the Custom Attributes in the drop-down list. The custom attributes is displayed in the Body text field.

Body

Type in the content of the Notification e-mail.

Show HTMLClick Show HTML to view the HTML editor in the above field Body.
Keywords

Identify all required keywords that can be used in custom notification.

The list of keywords is listed in the following table. These can be used in custom notifications. 

Expand
titleView Keywords

Note
titleNote

The notification supports most of the keywords available in the OOB notifications templates except keywords that are related to CAB as it is not relevant 
 

Condition

Double-click on the Condition block or Right-click and click Properties.


Figure: PROPERTIES pop-up page

The following table describes the fields on the PROPERTIES pop-up page of the Condition block.

Fields

Description

Title

Type in the name of the Condition block.

AND

Click the AND tab to add Rule using the AND operand for configuring Rules for the selected Custom Attributes. If the AND operand is selected, all the Rules defined under it have to be successful to implement the Action.

To add Rules:

Select the required option for which you want to configure the Rule from the list. Choose the operator from the list. Type in the value you want to equate with the Rule.

OR

Click the OR tab to add rule using the OR operand for configuring Rules for the selected Custom Attributes. If the OR operand is used then at least one of the Rules has to be successful to implement the Action.
To add Rules:
Select the required option for which you want to configure the Rule from the list. Choose the operator from the list. Type in the value you want to equate with the Rule.

ADD RULE

Click ADD RULE to add another row of Rules.

ADD BLOCK

Click ADD BLOCK to add another block of Rules configuration.

DELETE BLOCK

Click DELETE BLOCK to delete the additional row of Rules configuration.

SAVE

Click SAVE to save the configured Condition.

Note
titleNote:

Select any component and press the DELETE key or Right-click on the component and click Delete to delete the component from the Workflow.

To Configure Approval Workflow:

  1. Click Admin > Basic > Infrastructure > Workflow.
  2. On the WORKFLOW page, specify the required fields on the FILTERS pop-up page and click SUBMIT. The Change Types are displayed for the selected criteria.
  3. Select the Change Type for which you want to design the Workflow.
  4. Drag the required components from the Activity tab to the working space.
  5. Set the properties of the component blocks.
  6. Connect the components as required.
  7. Click SUBMIT to save the Workflow.

To Configure Dynamic Approvals in Workflow:

  1. Click Admin > Basic > Infrastructure >Workflow. The FILTERS pop-up is displayed.
    FILTERS pop-up page
    Figure: FILTERS pop-up page

  2. On the FILTERS pop-up, select Module as Change Management and select the required Tenant, Change Type, Customer, Owner Workgroup, Category, and Change Category from the drop-down list.
  3. Click SUBMIT. The WORKFLOW page is displayed.
  4. Under the Workflows section, the user can view the configured Workflows as per the selected filter criteria.

    Image Modified
    Figure: WORKFLOW page: Create a new workflow

  5. Click Image Modified to create a new workflow icon. The WORKFLOW PROPERTIES pop-up page displayed.

    WORKFLOW PROPERTIES pop-up pageImage Modified
    Figure: WORKFLOW PROPERTIES pop-up page

  6. On the WORKFLOW PROPERTIES pop-up, specify the Workflow Name, and select the required Tenant, Change Type, Customer, Owner Workgroup, Category, and Change Category from the drop-down list.
  7. Select the Active check box and click SAVE. The WORKFLOW page is displayed.


    Figure: WORKFLOW page: Activity Tab
  8. Drag and drop the Approval component from the Activity tab to the working space.
  9. The PROPERTIES pop-up is displayed. For more information about the fields on the PROPERTIES pop-up, see Field Description.

    PROPERTIES pop-up
    Figure: PROPERTIES pop-up

    Approval Workflow
    Figure: Approval Workflow

  10. Fill in all the mandatory fields and click SAVE to close the pop-up window.
  11. Connect each component to define the Workflow.
  12. Click SUBMIT to save the Workflow.

Anchor
Field Description
Field Description
Field Description

FieldDescription
Title

Specify the title for the Approver (Ex: Dynamic Approval).

Prerequisite Status

Select the CR status when this Approval is required.

ApproverSelect the Approver as Dynamic Approval.
Field Name

Select the required field name from the drop-down list. 

Note
titleNote:

The Field Name drop-down list displays the following Standard Fields, and Simple Controls (Custom Fields) configured for the Change Management module.

  • Category
  • Change Category
  • Change Type
  • Configuration Items

On the PROPERTIES pop-up page, if a User selects a standard field as a Field Name, the Table Name, Column Name, and Approver Column fields are displayed. Select the required Table Name, Column Name, and Approver Column from the drop-down list.

Expand
titleSee Screenshot


Figure: Field Name : Standard Field

Table Name: Lists the Custom Table names configured in the Web Services.

Column Name: Lists the column names based on the selected Table Name.

Approver Column: Lists the column names whose Data Type is an integer.

On the PROPERTIES pop-up page, if a user selects a simple control (Custom Field) as a Field Name, the Table Name field auto-populate with the table name configured to selected field on the FORM BUILDER page. Select the required Approver Column from the drop-down list.

Expand
titleSee Screenshot


Figure: Field Name: Simple Control (Custom Field)

Approver Column: Lists the column names whose Data Type is an integer.

Table Name

Select the required table name from the drop-down list.

Note
titleNote:

The Table Name drop-down field lists the Custom Table names configured in the Web Services.

Column Name

Select the required data source column name from the drop-down list.

Note
titleNote:

The Column Name drop-down field lists the column names based on the selected Table Name.

Approver Column

Select the required Approver column name from the drop-down list.

Note
titleNote:

The Approver Column drop-down field  lists the column names whose Data Type is an integer.

Approval Type

Select the Approval Type.

  • All Approvals: If selected, approvals from all the Approvers in the Group are required to approve the CR.
  • One Approval from Group: If selected, approval from any one Approver from the Group is required to approve the CR.
Default ApproverSpecify the default Approver.
Update CR Status ToSelect the required status in the drop-down list. The status of the CR is changed to the selected status after the Approval.
Refer Back to Initiator

If selected, the option Refer Back to Requester is displayed in the Status drop-down list of the APPROVAL pop up page on CHANGE RECORD ID page.

Refer Back to Previous Approvers

If selected, the option Refer Back to  <Approval Name> is displayed in the status drop-down list  of the APPROVAL pop up page on CHANGE RECORD ID page.

Allow Customer ApprovalIf selected, the Analyst can select the customer for Customer Approval on the CHANGE RECORD ID page when the CR is in the configured Prerequisite Status.
Is PIR RequiredIf selected, Is PIR Required ? check box in the APPROVAL pop up page of the CHANGE RECORD ID page is enabled for the selected Prerequisite Status.
Auto Approval

Select the check box to configure the Auto Approval or Rejection of the Change Record.

  • Approve: Select the option and enter the time in the Approve/Reject Duration field to automatically approve the Change Record if the configured time exceeds.
  • Reject: Select the option and enter the time in the Approve/Reject Duration field to automatically reject the Change Record if the configured time exceeds.


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