Configuring an Approval activity
The task of configuring an Approval activity includes the following steps:
- Choose approvers and configure escalation. You have to specify, at a minimum, a list of approvers for the initial approver level. Active Roles first assigns approval tasks to the approvers of that level. You can configure additional approver levels to enable escalation of approval tasks.
- Choose properties for the approver to review, supply or change. You can list the object properties that the approver must supply when performing the approval tasks (request for additional information), and choose whether the approver is allowed to view or change the object properties that are submitted for approval (review request).
- Customize the pages for performing the approval task. You can customize the header of the approval task page by choosing the task title and object properties to be included in the header, and configure custom action buttons in addition to the default action buttons Approve and Reject.
- Configure notification. You can choose the workflow events to notify of, specify the notification recipients and delivery options, and customize the notification message.
This section provides instructions on how to:
For instructions on how to configure notification settings, see Configuring a Notification activity later in this document.
Configure approvers
A valid approval rule must, at a minimum, specify a list of approvers for the initial approver level. Active Roles first assigns the approval task to the approvers of that level. You can configure additional approver levels to enable escalation of approval tasks.
To specify approvers for the initial approver level
- In the Active Roles console tree, expand Configuration | Policies | Workflow, and select the workflow containing the Approval activity you want to configure.
This opens the Workflow Designer window in the details pane, representing the workflow definition as a process diagram.
- In the process diagram, right-click the name of the Approval activity and click Properties.
- In the Properties dialog box, click the Approvers tab.
- Verify that the Initial approver - level 0 item is selected in the Select approver level to configure box.
- Click the Designate approvers button.
- On the Approvers Selection page, select check boxes to specify approvers.
- If you have selected These users or groups, use the Add and Remove buttons to configure the list of approvers.
If you enable escalation on the initial approver level (see Configure escalation), then you have to specify approvers for escalation level 1 (the escalation level subsequent to the initial approver level). Active Roles allows up to 10 escalation levels, each containing a separate list of approvers. If you enable escalation on a given escalation level, then you have to specify approvers for the subsequent escalation level.
To specify approvers for a certain escalation level
- In the Select approver level to configure list, click the escalation level you want to configure.
To configure a particular escalation level, you must first specify approvers and enable escalation on the preceding approver level.
- Click the Designate approvers button.
- On the Approvers Selection page, select check boxes to specify approvers.
- If you have selected These users or groups, use the Add and Remove buttons to configure the list of approvers.
The selection of approvers can be based on the Manager or Managed By property:
- By selecting the Manager of person who requested operation check box, you configure the Approval activity so that the operations requested by a given user require approval from the manager of that user. With this option, the operation initiated by the user submits the approval task to the person specified as the manager of the user in the directory.
- By selecting the Manager of operation target object or Manager of organizational unit where operation target object is located check box, you configure the Approval activity so that the changes to a given object require approval from the manager of that object or from the manager of the OU containing that object, respectively. With these options, the operation requesting changes to a given object submits the approval task to the person specified as the manager of the object or OU in the directory.
- By selecting the Secondary owners of operation target object check box, you configure the Approval activity so that the changes to the operation target object require approval from any person who is designated as a secondary owner of that object. Secondary owners may be assigned to an object, in addition to the manager (primary owner), to load balance the management of the object.
- By selecting the Manager of person being added or removed from target group check box, you configure the Approval activity so that the addition or removal of an object from the operation target group requires approval from the manager of that object. For example, given a request to add a user to the operation target group, this option causes the Approval activity to submit the approval task to the person specified as the manager of the user in the directory.
When you specify approvers for an escalation level, additional options are available:
- Manager of approver of preceding level. Use this option to escalate the approval task to the manager of the user or group that is designated as an approver on the preceding approver level. Suppose a given user is an initial approver, and escalation is enabled on the initial approver level. When escalation occurs, the approval task will be assigned to the manager of that user.
- Secondary owner of approver of preceding level. Use this option to escalate the approval task to the secondary owner of the user or group that is designated as an approver on the preceding approver level. Suppose a given group is an initial approver, and escalation is enabled on the initial approver level. When escalation occurs, the approval task will be assigned to the secondary owner of that group.
The selection of approvers may also be based on a script function that chooses the approver when the Approval activity is being executed. The function may access properties of objects involved in the operation, analyze the properties, and return an identifier of the user or group to be selected as an approver. For more information and instructions, refer to the “Developing Functions for Designating Approvers” topic in the Active Roles SDK documentation.
Configure escalation
An Approval activity may define multiple approver levels, each containing a separate list of approvers. Active Roles uses approver levels when escalating time-limited approval tasks. For each approver, level the Approval activity can specify a certain time period. If an approver of a given level does not complete the approval task within the specified time period, then Active Roles assigns the task to the approvers of the next level. This process is referred to as escalation.
A valid Approval activity must specify a list of approvers for the initial approver level. Active Roles first assigns the approval task to the approvers of that level. To enable escalation, a separate list of approvers must be specified for the subsequent escalation level.
To configure escalation on the initial approver level
- Specify approvers for the initial approver level (for instructions, see Configure approvers earlier in this document).
- Verify that the Initial approver - level 0 item is selected in the Select approver level to configure box.
- Select one or both of these options:
- Approval task has a time limit of <number> days <number> hours. Specify the time period within which the initial approver has to complete the approval task.
- Allow approver to escalate approval task. When selected, allows the approvers of the initial level to reassign their approval tasks to the approvers of escalation level 1.
- If you have selected only the first option (a time limit for the task), then select the Escalate approval task to Escalation level 1 option. Otherwise, escalation is not enabled.
- In the Select approver level to configure box, click Escalation level 1.
- Specify approvers for escalation level 1 (for instructions, see Configure approvers earlier in this document).
Active Roles allows up to 10 escalation levels, each containing a separate list of approvers. You can configure escalation levels one after another to create an escalation chain. Thus, after you have configured escalation on the initial approver level, you can configure escalation on escalation level 1, then you can configure escalation on escalation level 2, and so on. As a result, you could achieve the following sequence of events. If the initial approvers do not complete the approval task on time, then the task is assigned to the approvers of escalation level 1. If the approvers of escalation level 1 do not complete the approval task within their time frame, the task is assigned to the approvers of escalation level 2 with the new time limit. This escalation chain may contain up to 10 escalation levels.
To configure escalation on a certain escalation level
- In the Select approver level to configure list, click the escalation level you want to configure.
To configure a particular escalation level, you must first specify approvers and enable escalation on the preceding approver level.
- Select one or both of these options:
- Approval task has a time limit of <number> days <number> hours Specify the time period within which the initial approver has to complete the approval task.
- Allow approver to escalate approval task When selected, allows the approvers of the current level to reassign their approval tasks to the approvers of the next level.
- If you have selected only the first option (a time limit for the task), then select the Escalate approval task to Escalation level <number> option. Otherwise, escalation is not enabled.
- In the Select approver level to configure box, click the item representing the subsequent escalation level.
For example, if you are configuring escalation level 1, click the Escalation level 2 list item.
- Specify approvers for the subsequent escalation level (for instructions, see Configure approvers earlier in this document).
Note that each approver level has an individual configuration, so the escalation options of a given level apply only to that level. Thus, each approver level has a separate time limit, the option that determines whether to escalate the approval task after the time limit has expired, and whether the approvers of the given level are allowed to escalate the approval task manually.
Configure request for additional information
You can configure the Approval activity so that the approver is requested to supply certain properties of the object when performing the approval task. Suppose the creation of a user is submitted for approval. The approver may be requested to supply certain properties of the user in addition to the the properties specified in the creation request. Thus, you may configure the Approval activity to prompt the approver to specify the mailbox database for the mailbox of the user to be created.
To configure request for additional information
- Go to the Request for information tab in the Properties dialog box for the Approval activity.
- Add the desired properties to the Request the approver to supply or change these properties list.
When performing the approval task, the approver will be prompted to supply or change the properties presented in that list. The approver can provide the requested information in the Approval section of the Web Interface, under the Supply or change the following properties heading on the Object Properties tab of the Approval Task page. The tab also displays an instruction specified by the Approval activity. You can view or change the instruction text on the Request for information tab in the Properties dialog box for the Approval activity, under the Show this instruction to the approver heading.