Select Update flow to save the work we've done. When you review Anna’s new document, you feel that the Introduction is too long. (Instructions follow the illustration.). The workflow engine provides powerful automation and allows for complex approval processes which allow business users to go beyond simple site content control and utilize SharePoint for business data and document processing and approval. The workflows included with SharePoint products function as master templates on which the specific, individual workflows that you add to your lists, libraries, and site collection are based. It runs every time a triggering event occurs. Select a task list to use with this workflow. My goal is:- - When I publish a major version of a document, the System recognizes the approvers of the folder and sends him an approval task.- - The solution must be flexible so that when I create a new folder, I set the approvers for this folder and don’t need to change the workflow. To reassign the Approval task to someone else, click this button. This site member receives a task notification, with instructions to send a copy of the item for review to the outside participant. For more information about these options, see the PLAN segment of this article. And of course, you might have one or more workflow tasks to complete yourself. On your mobile phone with the Power Automate app installed, select Approve from the request approval email. When the outside participant’s response arrives, the site member completes the task in on behalf of the outside participant. In this example, the item is the document named Keynote Draft and the workflow is Approval 3. When you have all of the fields in the form the way you want them, click OK. All active tasks in the current instance are updated. The whole idea is that a group of people all have the authority to approve or reject requests but only one is needed to complete it. Go to the list or library where the item that you want to run the workflow on is stored. Enter the names or addresses in the order in which the tasks should be assigned. To keep the existing due date    Leave Duration Per Task blank and make no change to Duration Units. If this is the first time that you’ve been assigned a task in an Approval workflow, you might find it useful to review this segment of the article in full before you complete your task. She finds the information about the specific change that has been requested in the Change Requested of text (number 2). ), Start manually from within a Microsoft Office program. The order of the names or addresses doesn’t matter. I need to create a memo review workflow using SharePoint Online. If inheritance has been broken for any sites or subsites where you want this workflow added to inheriting content types, then make sure that you’re a member of the Owners group in each of those sites or subsites before you run this operation. The Workflows page opens, displaying the information. Require approval of documents in SharePoint using Power Automate. Click here for a few tips about getting the most out of this article. If all of the tasks will be assigned at the same time    Each participant chooses among several possible responses: to approve or reject the item, to request a change in the item, to reassign the task, or to cancel or delete the task. On the Workflow Status page, the Workflow History section is located near the bottom. This simple scenario illustrates a few of the advantages of both multiple stages and serial reviews: Imagine that Frank adds a new Approval workflow. (The Owners group has the Manage Lists permission by default; the Members group and the Visitors groups do not. The activity in a workflow can be monitored and adjusted from a central status page, and the history of events in a workflow run is maintained for 60 days after completion. The workflow assigns a task to each specified participant. If your site will have numerous workflows, or if some workflows will involve numerous tasks, consider requesting new lists for each workflow. Use the Workflow Status page to monitor workflow progress. You can use Markdown to format the Details field. If your task is an Approval task, however, keep right on reading! Change permanent settings for a workflow. The task form for an Approval workflow task looks something like this. Select Confirm in the upper right corner of the screen. On the Workflow Settings page, click the Add a workflow link. Tasks already completed or deleted, and tasks not yet assigned, aren’t affected by the changes you make in this form. This action gets the manager for the person who created the vacation request in SharePoint. Now you can go ahead and complete your review of the changed item. Complete the first page of the association form. On the Site settings page, under Site Administration, click Workflows. All current tasks are canceled, and the workflow ends with a status of Canceled. (Again, the Owners group has the Manage Lists permission by default; the Members group and the Visitors groups do not.). (Later, when you’re ready to view the report, you’ll find it at the location you specified in the preceding step.). Permissions    The SharePoint default settings require that you have the Manage Lists permission to add workflows for lists, libraries, or site collections. For the purposes of this walkthrough, the SharePoint Online list that you create must include the following columns: The SharePoint Online list you create must include the following columns: Make note of the name and URL of the SharePoint Online list. Select a history list to use with this workflow. The first three links appear on the page of the person who started the workflow instance, but the End this workflow link doesn’t appear unless that person also has the Manage Lists permission. Task lists and history lists: Existing or new? That sort of review process is called content approval. The first three links appear on the page of the person who started the workflow instance, but the End the workflow link doesn’t appear unless that person also has the Manage Lists permission. We will see how we can use Approval action and use it in different strategies. Enter send email into the search box on the Choose an action card. Updates the SharePoint Online list with the decision, and the comments from the approver. Go to Site Settings > Site Collection Features > activate the Workflows feature. If only one out of 5 rejects the item status will turn immideately to "rejected" and the workflow stops. Also, it’s a good idea to check whether participants are receiving their email notifications, and particularly that the notifications aren’t being mishandled by junk email filters. In the open item, click the File tab, click Save & Send, and then click the workflow that you want to run on the item. Get to the item and the task form from the task notification message, Get to the item and the task form from the list or library, Claim and complete a group task (optional), Reassign your Approval task to someone else (optional), Complete a task on behalf of an outside participant (optional). In SharePoint products, you can use an Approval workflow to make the content approval process even easier and more efficient. This option is available in the form whether or not content approval is required in the list or library. ), Contact information for questions and problems, If applicable, a note about single tasks assigned to entire groups or distribution lists (You’ll find instructions for claiming a group task in the Complete segment of this article.). Anna adds any information she wants to in the Comments field, then clicks Send Response. ), A word about printing this article    This is a long article. Click the Settings icon Enter names or addressed for the people you want the workflow to assign tasks to. An Approval workflow is a SharePoint feature that routes a document or other item stored in a SharePoint list or library to one or more people for their approval or rejection. Note: SharePoint 2010 workflows have been retired since August 1, 2020 for new tenants and removed from existing tenants on November 1, 2020. On the Workflow Settings page, under Show workflow associations of this type, specify if you want the workflow to run on the document, list, or a folder and then click Add a workflow. Here’s a diagram of a very simple version of the Approval workflow. The primary disadvantage of manual starts is that somebody has to remember to run the workflow whenever it’s appropriate to do so. Review events in the most recent instance, Access instance history for up to 60 days, 1. Review events in the most recent instance. There are several workflow templates that have the word ‘Approval’ in their names. For more info, see SharePoint 2010 workflow retirement. You also have a SharePoint list (‘Department Approvers’) that has the approvers for each department. Complete the first page of the association form. Select Approve from the email you receive when an item is added to the SharePoint Online list. Any new information that you supplied is included in the Delegated by text in the new task notification (number 1 in the following illustration). Instead, participants can request that changes be made to the item in the course of the workflow instance. You’ll find links to articles about how to use the other types of workflows included with SharePoint products in the See Also section of this article. Get to the item and the task form from the task notification message. That sort of review process is called content approval. This post covers only the out-of-box approval process. (You’ll find the instructions for claiming a group task in the Complete segment of this article.). (Meanwhile, the outside participant receives a copy of the task notification, which can function as a useful alert or heads-up.). Automatic reminders are sent to participants who fail to meet task deadlines. For information about reasons for creating a new history list (as opposed to choosing an existing one), see the PLAN segment of this article. The following list describes the options available for a approval workflows: (Again, the Owners group has the Manage Lists permission by default; the Members group and the Visitors groups do not.). Access instance history for up to 60 days. If you want to make any changes that will apply each time the workflow runs, or if you want to change workflow settings that don’t appear in this form, see the CHANGE segment of this article. Use the Get the manager for the person who created the vacation request steps we did earlier to add, and then configure another Get manager action. The workflow assigns the first task or tasks, and meanwhile sends start notifications to you and to anyone listed in the CC field of the initiation form. To add or remove participants, or to change the order of tasks    Add, remove, and/or rearrange the order of participant names or addresses in theParticipants field. If the workflow runs in only one list or library. Add this workflow to child content types? In the list or library where the item is located, click the In Progress link for the item and workflow that you want. Documents that contain sensitive information often require approvals. Type a name for this workflow. Note: The Open this Task button on the Ribbon in the task notification message appears only when the message is opened in the full, installed version of Outlook, and not when it’s opened in the Outlook Web Access web application. He wants his coworkers Anna and Sean to review each item first, before he himself reviews it. Remember that: Because you are starting the workflow manually, you will receive the start and stop notifications whether or not you’re listed in this field. 3. ), Alternatively, Owners can choose to configure specific workflows so that they can be started only by members of the Owners group. Enter the name or email address of the person you’re requesting the change from. (Each member of the group will receive the task notification, and each member will have his or her own task to complete.). Your pending approval requests appear on the Received tab. Your task is marked Completed, a new task is assigned to the person now responsible for the task, and a task notification is sent. In the following section, you’ll find a list of questions that will prepare you to complete the association form. For more information, see the Microsoft Software Developer Network (MSDN) Help system. This way project management costs and efforts are saved. The first three links appear on the page of the person who started the workflow instance, but the Terminate this workflow now link doesn’t appear unless that person also has the Manage Lists permission. So before you begin, make sure that the task you’ve been assigned is indeed an Approval workflow task, and not a task for some other type of workflow. You’ll find instructions for claiming a group task in the Complete segment of this article.). For more information, see Create or customize a site content type and Add a content type to a list or library. Cancellation and Error Report    Use this report to see whether a workflow is frequently being canceled or encountering errors before completion. Collect Feedback Workflow The workflow needs to be exactly like the OOTB approval workflow with the exception that the Approvers depend on a metadata field in the document. (Also, if you want to include the complete graphics in your printed copy, print in landscape orientation and not portrait orientation.). All future tasks in the current instance will reflect your changes. After you accept and edit a submitted document, you’ll run the second workflow on the edited draft to decide whether to accept it as final. If you aren’t already familiar with the versioning and content approval features in SharePoint products, we recommend that you begin with a review of the following articles: Require approval of items in a site list or library, Approve or reject items or files in a site list or library, Enable and configure versioning for a list or library. This condition checks the response from the Start and wait for an approval action. When the workflow is complete, the whole history of that run (or instance) can be reviewed for up to 60 days on the Workflow Status page. (To send your request to the person who started this run of the workflow — or, if the workflow started automatically, to the person who originally added this Approval workflow — you can also leave this field blank. If the tasks will be assigned one at a time (in serial)    For information about selecting start options, see the PLAN segment of this article. 2. Having a formal workflow in place for document review, expenses approval and other similar day-to-day business processes is ubiquitous across most organizations. and One content type, or all content types? First, make sure you’ve got the right article. Tip: If this is a group task — that is, a single task assigned to a whole group or distribution list so that a single group member can complete the task for the whole group — then it’s a good idea to claim the task before you review the item. In the task form, in the This workflow task applies to message bar, click the link to the item. An Approval workflow is a SharePoint feature that routes a document or other item stored in a SharePoint list or library to one or more people for their approval or rejection. Which tasks have already been completed, and what was the outcome for each of those tasks? That is, when an item is added to the list or library, and/or when an item in the list is changed in any way, and/or when somebody attempts to publish a major version of an item). On the Site Content Types page, click the name of the site content type on which the workflow runs. On the Workflows: Item Name page, under Completed Workflows, click the name or status of the workflow instance that you want to review. A quick example    If you want to run your workflow only on items that are authored by a writer from outside your team, then starting it only manually will keep it from running automatically on items authored by you and your teammates. You can select an existing history list or click Workflow History (new) to have a new list created. You can even create custom workflows from scratch. When the form is complete, click Send. If you’re ready, go to the START segment of this article and start the first instance to test your new workflow. A new item is created in or uploaded to the list or library. That way, you can add multiple workflows, all versions based on the Approval workflow master template, but each of the versions named and tailored for the specific way that you will use it. The workflow automates, streamlines, and standardizes the whole process. While the workflow runs, individual participants complete their assigned tasks. WHILE the workflow runs (complete, monitor, adjust)    The approval request is also sent to the approvals center. The approval request is also sent to the approvals center. The remaining two sections in this segment provide instructions for both methods. For your reference: All about Approval workflows. A task that has been deleted no longer appears in the Tasks area of the Workflow Status page. By task duration    You can specify a number of days, weeks, or months that are allowed for the completion of each task, beginning when that task is assigned. If you want to print only selected segments, make sure that only those segments are expanded when you print. The other actions at the end of the workflow handle the approval result: Publishing the result or sending a rejection notification to the submit… For an illustration of the page where you’ll enter the details of the reassignment, and for further instructions, go to section 7 in this segment, Reassign the Approval task to someone else. In fact, you can do so for up to 60 days, from either of two entry points: the list or library, or the workflow completion notification. Permissions    All four of the command links in the following illustration appear on the Workflow Status page of anyone who has the Manage Lists permission. To change the request text    Make any changes you want in the text box. (Don't type a zero in this field. 04. You can use any of the more than 200 services with which Power Automate integrates to drive your flows. Also see SharePoint 2013 Step by step: Setup for Outgoing Email Setting. When the workflow starts, it assigns the first task or tasks and sends a task notification to each assignee. Microsoft Visual Studio    Build your own custom workflow actions. Note: This action sends the pre-approval request to the email address in the Assigned To box. Enter the names or addresses in the order in which you want the tasks to be assigned. To have one task assigned to each member of each group that you enter in the Assign to field, select this check box. You … On the Site Settings page, under Web Designer Galleries, click Site Content Types. To learn how one of your workflow versions is performing generally — over time and over multiple instances — you can create either or both of two predefined reports: Activity Duration Report    Use this report to see averages of how long it’s taking for each activity within a workflow to complete, as well as how long it takes each complete run or instance of that workflow to complete. This field must either contain a calendar date value or be empty.). Meanwhile, Anna receives the following email notification: Anna can tell after just a glance at the Subject line (number 1 in the illustration) that this isn’t an ordinary Approval notification, but instead a request to change something about the item. You’ll find the instructions for claiming a group task in the Complete segment of this article.). 4. When all of the settings in this page are the way you want them, click Next. Select Add an action in the IF YES branch. Meanwhile, all of these changes are tracked and visible in the Tasks and History sections of the Workflow Status page, as shown here. The document /list item can be rejected by anyone of the approvers. You can choose to have only one stage of review tasks, or to have multiple stages. Otherwise, click OK to finish and close the dialog box. In the opened item, click the Open this task button on the message bar. The task will remain incomplete and assigned to you. Start manually from the list or library. Here’s how Frank sets up his single-stage serial review. (There is also a very similar Publishing Approval workflow, created especially for use in SharePoint sites that publish webpages to the Internet. For more information, see the PLAN segment of this article. Instead, you use the task form to register all of your responses.). (You’ll find instructions for claiming a group task in the Complete segment of this article.). BEFORE the workflow runs (plan, add, start)    If you want to add a workflow in which participants insert comments and tracked changes in the item itself, see the article, All about Collect Feedback workflows, in the See Also section. Whether each workflow template itself is currently active or inactive in the site collection. b. ), If the tasks and history for this workflow will contain sensitive or confidential data that you’ll want to keep separated from the general Tasks list, then you should definitely indicate that you want new, separate lists for this workflow. You might not need any of the other segments for now. To create a SharePoint 2013 based workflow with similar logic, use SharePoint Designer 2013. When the report is complete, you can click the link shown in the following illustration to view it. But in the latest SharePoint Online version, though SharePoint designer is used but it is not recommended and Microsoft recommend to use Power Automate or OOB Content Approval workflow. To make permanent changes to the settings for an existing workflow, you open and edit the association form that you originally used to add it. In order to retain all of your completion notifications, you might want to create an Outlook rule. And it allows you to modify the approver name every time when you run the workflow. From the workflow completion notification. However, I need to get a response from all 3 before the task completes. The steps to approve a request are identical to the steps to pre-approve a request. For more information about including outside participants, see the Complete segment of this article. ), To have only one task assigned to each entire group that you enter in the Assign to field, clear this check box. (Each member of the group will receive a task notification, but any one member can claim and complete the single task on behalf of the whole group. Often, therefore, the following three items are involved in your completion of the task: The notification message (which you receive as email), The item submitted for your approval (which you open and review), The task form (which you open, complete, and submit). The workflow automates, streamlines, and standardizes the whole process. Sends an email to the person who requested vacation. To move the due date out by extending the task duration    Use both duration fields to specify the number and type of units by which you want to extend the duration. Add any stages that you want beyond the first one that you have just configured. Then she goes to the Workflow Status page and opens her change-request task from the Tasks area there. In any one list or library, there can only be one Approval workflow that’s used for approving publication of major versions. Change future tasks (tasks not yet assigned), Permissions    All four of the command links in the following illustration appear on the Workflow Status page of anyone who has the Manage Lists permission. Make your changes in the form that opens, and then click UPDATE. Note: When a new workflow that will start automatically is added, the Due Date for All Tasks field on the second page of the association form should usually be left blank, because any explicit date value specified there won’t automatically adjust itself in relation to the date on which the workflow starts each time. ), Remove    Option that removes the workflow from the list or library altogether. This person to whom the task is actually assigned acts as the proxy for the outside participant. (This way, only one person does the necessary work. You can set up the workflow to be started automatically by any of the following events: Someone attempts to publish a major version of an item. When the workflow is started automatically, the person who originally added it receives the start and stop notifications without needing to be specified in this field. Do content types that inherit from this one also get this workflow? After all of them approved or rejected the application, it should go to a "master approver" who sees all the comments and approvements of the approvers before. It assigns a new approval task to you (with Anna’s comments added in the Consolidated Comments field) and sends you a notification about that task. So it’s possible, for example, to have permissions that allow you to start a workflow but not to make changes to another participant’s task.). Use the add an approval action for pre-approvals steps we did earlier to add, and then configure another Start and wait for an approval action. In this example, the item is the document titled Keynote draft and the workflow is New Doc Approval. All tasks created by the workflow are canceled and are deleted from the Tasks area on the Workflow Status page, though they’re still reflected in the Workflow History area. and then click Site settings. Imagine that you’re a member of a group of editors. Use the task form to complete, delete, or reassign the task. If the tasks will be assigned one at a time    When only one task is assigned to the whole group, then any member of the group can claim and complete that single task. Complete the second page of the association form. The Approval workflow lets you route documents and other items stored in SharePoint to one or more people for their approval. If you want someone else to complete a workflow task that has been assigned to you, click the Reassign Task button in the workflow task form. Your group wants to use two different Approval workflows to manage document submissions from outside contributors: You’ll run the first workflow on each submitted document to decide whether to accept it for the editing process. An item already stored in the list or library is changed. On the page for the selected content type, under Settings, click Workflow Settings. For more information about when to use due dates and when to use task durations, see the PLAN segment of this article. This time we get the pre-approver's manager. Locate the workflow for which you want to view a report, and then click the name of the report that you want to view. Terminate (all tasks deleted from Tasks list but retained in History). Finally, we’ll show you two other pages where you can get additional monitoring information. Contact information for questions and problems. One list or library, or the whole site collection? Here’s how Frank sets up his two-stage parallel review. Note: If the Approval – SharePoint 2010 template doesn’t appear in the list, contact your SharePoint administrator to find out about having it activated for your site collection or workspace. On the Workflows: Item Name page, under Running Workflows, you’ll find a list of instances currently running on the item. (Any text that you enter here will be added in the Consolidated Comments area.). Who started this instance of the workflow? It's a good idea to periodically save changes to your flow as you go. Be sure to use the Email token from the Get manager category on the Add dynamic content from the apps and services used in this flow card. Usually, any document to be approved will have three or more approvers. Note: SharePoint products presents you with the first several options in this second page of the association form — numbers one through seven in the following illustration, from Approvers through CC — each time that you start the workflow manually, so that you can make changes to those options for just that one instance. The second stage won’t start until the first stage is completed; so again, if either Anna or Sean rejects the item, Frank’s review task will never be assigned. SharePoint is used here only as an example; it is not required to create approval flows. This action sends an email request for final approval. On the Workflow Status page, in the area just below the Workflow Visualization, click the Add or update approvers of Approval link. If your workflow functions just the way you want it to, you’re all set to start using it. In the list or library, in the Status column for that workflow, click any status information link. Also, Approval workflows aren’t designed to collect signatures. One of the most powerful tools SharePoint provides is the workflow and approval engine. Open the list or library for which you want to add the workflow. In this process, a site member acts as a proxy for the outside participant: Include the email address of the outside participant in the appropriate Assign To stage on the second page of the association form. Clearly distinguishes it from other workflows. How does one select multiple approvers in SharePoint online workflow? Go to the list > Item context menu > Workflows > Select the workflow to start it manually. Use the form on the Remove Workflows page to disable, re-enable, or remove workflows. 1st/2nd line manager or any other person). 07. To make it available for use, a site administrator must activate them at the site collection level. End the workflow    All tasks are canceled and are deleted from the Tasks area of the Workflow Status page. What is the due date for each task that has already been created and assigned? In SharePoint products, you can control content approval manually, without a workflow; but a SharePoint Approval workflow can make the process even easier and more efficient. If you’re not sure that this has already been done, check with your SharePoint administrator. Messages reflecting your changes are sent to the people who are currently assigned tasks in this run. Select Responses Approver response from the list of dynamic values. If the tasks will be assigned one at a time (in serial)    Let’s imagine that you are a SharePoint administrator for the world’s greatest imaginary company, Contoso. Add any stages that you want beyond the first one that you’ve just configured. For more information, see About the workflows included with SharePoint. That way, you reduce the chance that another member of your group will also review the article.