Review Changes - Approval process

In this section, we will discuss the approval workflow process from both the author's and the approver's ends. The author is the user who has requested changes, and the approver is the user who approves them.

Let us assume the author has made a few changes and has sent them for approval.

Now we will go to the Approvals tab where we can find the outline as well as detailed information on the change requests.

It has two sections: Pending Requests (requests you need to approve) and My Requests (requests raised by you).

Let us start with the 'My Requests' tab.

1. 'My Requests' screen

This tab displays an overview of the requests and changes you have made and sent to the approver.

This screen has the following sections:

• Pending Review: This tab lists all your open requests that are yet to be reviewed and approved.

• Overdue: This tab displays your open requests that have crossed their due date for approval.

• Action Required: This tab displays any adjustments/suggestions made by the approver for the user to act on.

• Closed: This tab displays requests that have been approved or closed.

You can switch between these tabs. Once the requests are approved/closed, they will be moved to the 'Closed' section.

Search: This window has a search box that helps you search for specific requests.

2. Detailed view of your request

The 'My Request' screen provides an overview of all change requests submitted. To understand each change request in detail, you can click on Details.

It includes the request ID, description (if you have added one), approver information, the date and time it was raised, who raised it, whether it is a high priority, the due date for approval, and its status.

• Click on Edit Details to change any of these details.

It also offers a number of options, including editing data, adding comments, viewing history, closing the request, and re-submitting it for review.

2.1. Add or View Comments

It has a 'View Comments' option that lets you view existing comments and also add new comments to the changes so that approvers can understand them better. This works similarly to the commenting and collaboration feature.

1. Click on the cell to which you want to add the comment. The comment icon is enabled.

1. Click on it to add a comment and then post. The comments are updated automatically and approvers can view them when they open the requests.

1. You can also add assignees and start a comment thread. To add assignees, click on Assign to user and select the assignee, or you can directly use an @mention and add their names in the comments.

The task status is automatically set to 'Open' and an email notification is sent to them. The assignees can reply to the thread to start a conversation.

1. Click on View Comments to view all the added comments.

2.2. Edit

1. To edit the data in the submitted changes, click on the Edit option. The changes can be a new one or the undoing/modification of the existing ones.

2. After editing, click Save. The saved changes are submitted automatically.

2.3. View History

Click on View History to view the history of edits or user actions.

2.4. Close Request

Use the Close Request option to pull back the submitted request and move it from the 'Open' to the 'Closed' section.

2.5. Re-Submit For Review

If the approver has requested changes during their review, you can either make the suggested changes or choose to skip them while adding a comment. Once you have made the necessary changes or added your comment, click the Re-submit for Review button to resubmit your work.

3. 'Pending Requests' window

This tab shows all the pending changes that require your review and approval. If you are an approver, you can view the requests submitted by other users in this section.

Similar to the 'My requests' tab, this window has options to search for specific requests.

4. Detailed view of a pending request

Click on the Details option for any request to access the detailed information.

The approver can access this window to view detailed changes in a single request. They can view the changes, which are highlighted in blue, and deleted rows in red as below:

1. To approve a change, select it and click Approve.

2. To reject a change, select it and click Reject.

3. To request/suggest changes, click Request Changes. The steps are explained here.

4. Click on View Comments to view added comments.

5. Select History to view the history of actions performed.

5. Request Changes or Adjustments

The approver can suggest modifications by requesting changes. In response, the author can review these suggestions, make the necessary adjustments, and then resubmit the revised request for further consideration.

1. If you are an approver, you can request changes to the author by clicking Request Changes.

2. You can optionally add comments describing the suggestion. Comments help the author understand the modifications you need. Click Submit.

3. The author is notified through email. They can make the changes and resubmit it for review.

Both the author and the approver are notified through emails about the suggested changes and the resubmission, facilitating quicker and easier collaboration through a simple conversation thread.

6. Removing Approval Workflow

To disable the approvals, click on the Manage Approvals tab and toggle off the Enable Approvals button, and click Proceed.