Approval rule grouping and sequencing
Summarize
Summary of Approval Rule Grouping and Sequencing
The Approval Rule Grouping and Sequencing feature allows Procurement Administrators to associate approval rules with approval groups and define the sequence in which these rules are triggered. This enhancement ensures that approval rules are evaluated in a structured manner, allowing for more controlled and efficient procurement processes. For instance, when purchasing IT products, a manager's approval can be required before the IT department's approval is sought.
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Key Features
- Sequential Triggering: Approval rules within a group are triggered in sequence rather than simultaneously, ensuring a smoother approval flow.
- Independent Evaluation: Rules not associated with an approval group are evaluated independently alongside grouped rules.
- Approval Group Details: These are stored in the Approval Group table, enabling customization of the approval process.
- Resend Approval for Reassessment: This property applies when approval rules within a group are satisfied, affecting how approvals are resent after revisions.
Key Outcomes
By implementing approval rule grouping and sequencing, ServiceNow customers can expect:
- Improved efficiency in the approval process, reducing the chances of simultaneous evaluations that can lead to delays.
- Enhanced clarity in approval workflows, as approvals can be structured according to organizational hierarchy or specific needs.
- Greater control over the approval process through the ability to define which rules trigger subsequent approvals, preventing unnecessary evaluations.
- Flexibility with the resend approval feature, allowing appropriate actions based on the satisfaction of rules after revisions.
As a Procurement Administrator, you can associate approval rules with approval groups and define the sequence to determine when these rules should be triggered. With this association, a set of approval rules within a rule group is triggered in sequence, instead of all of them being evaluated simultaneously.
For example, when purchasing an IT-related product, a manager can first approve the purchase before sending it to the IT department for approval.
Rules within an approval group are evaluated only if all the rules within it are satisfied. If there are multiple approval groups, all groups are evaluated simultaneously. For approval rules that do not have an associated approval group, evaluation is done as-is at the same time with rules that are associated to approval groups. By default, all rules in an approval group are also evaluated independently. If a rule group is satisfied, then the individual rules do not need to be evaluated. This prevents a Procurement Administrator from creating duplicate rules that need to be evaluated independently and also within the context of an approval group.
Consider the following scenarios:
Scenario 1
- Purchase requisition amount is $8,000
- Business owner’s job code is IC3, cost center is Engineering
- Business owner’s managerial job code hierarchy is IC3 => M3 => M4 => CFO
- Without rule group and group sequencing, approval rules A and B are triggered simultaneously.
- With rule group and group sequencing, approval rule A is triggered first, followed by approval rule B when A is complete.
Scenario 2
- Purchase requisition amount is $8,000, supplier product belongs to the XYZ product category
- Business owner’s job code is IC3, cost center is Engineering
- Business owner’s managerial job code hierarchy is IC3 => M3 => M4 => CFO
- Without rule group and group sequencing, approval rules A, B, and C are triggered simultaneously.
- With rule group and group sequencing, approval rules A and C are triggered first, followed by approval rule B when A is complete.
Scenario 3
- One purchase made for $120k
- Another purchase made for $95k
- Without rule group and group sequencing, approval rules A, B, C, and D are triggered simultaneously.
- With rule group and group sequencing, approval rules A and D are triggered first, followed by approval rules B and C when A is complete.
Approval group details are stored in the Approval Group table. Within each approval group, there is an approval rule composition related list to define the order of approval rule evaluation within that specific group.
Impact of rule groups and sequencing on the resend approval for reassessment property
If approval rules that belong to a rule group are triggered, the resend approval for reassessment property is only applicable if the same rules within that rule group are satisfied as a result of a merge or revision.
In the scenario where there are rules that belong to a group, and are also evaluated independently, the resend approval for reassessment property is only applicable if the same rules within the group are triggered. For rules that do not belong to a group, the property behaves as-is.
- If the resend approval for reassessment property is set to No, and as a result of a revision, approval rule A is satisfied, rule B is not satisfied, and rule C is satisfied, then approvals are resent to the approver for rule A.
- If the property is set to No, and rules A, B, and C are satisfied as a result of a revision, then the approvals are not resent.
- If the property is set to Yes, and rules A, B, and C are satisfied as a result of a revision, then all approvals are resent.
- If the property is set to Yes, and rules A, C, and a new rule D are satisfied as a result of a revision, then approvals A and C are resent, and a new approval D is sent.