Examples of Conditions for Approval Workflow Steps

You may find it helpful to review an example that shows how conditions work for approval workflow steps.

You create approval workflows in Configuration > Workflow > Approval Workflows. You enter the steps for an approval workflow in the Approval Steps grid on the Workflow tab. On the Conditions dialog box that opens from the Conditions field in the grid, you enter the conditions for an approval step. In the Actions if Conditions Not Met field in the grid, you specify the actions to take if the conditions are not met.

The following table describes an example in which three steps make up an approval workflow for purchase orders. Steps 2 and 3 each have a condition applied. Additionally, you set up notification alerts for approvers, so they know when a purchase order is waiting for their approval.

Table 1. Approval Workflow for Purchase Orders Example

Step	Step Description	Entries in the Approval Steps Grid on the Workflow Tab in Approval Workflows Configuration
1	You want the project manager of the cost distribution project to approve submitted purchase orders.	Description = PM Approval Conditions = blank (none) Actions if Conditions Not Met = blank Workflow State = In Approval Assigned To = Project Manager Specific Employees = blank Who Must Complete = All Days Allotted = 3 Review Action = blank Reject Action = Assign to Submitter
2	You want the division manager (an approver at the organization level) to approve purchase orders after the project manager approves them, if the total amount of the purchase order is greater than $10,000 and less than $100,000. You set up the Org 1 Division Manager approval role in Individual Organization Configuration.	Description = Division Approval Conditions = If Total Amount is greater than 10,000 and If Total Amount is less than 100,000 Actions if Conditions Not Met = Skip to Next Step Workflow State = In Approval Assigned To = Org 1 Division Manager Specific Employees = blank Who Must Complete = All Days Allotted = 5 Review Action = blank Reject Action = Assign to Submitter
3	You want Chief Financial Officer (employee David Anderson) to approve purchase orders after the project manager approves them if the total amount of the purchase order is over $100,000.	Description = CFO Approval Conditions = If Total Amount is greater than 100,000 Actions if Conditions Not Met = Mark as Final Approved Workflow State = In Approval Assigned To = blank Specific Employees = David Anderson Who Must Complete = All Days Allotted = 5 Review Action = blank Reject Action = Assign to Submitter

What Happens when Purchase Orders are Submitted

Using the approval workflow above, the following results occur when purchase orders are entered.

Table 2. After a Purchase Order is Submitted

Purchase Order Total Amount	Approval Workflow Results
$500	Step 1 begins. The project manager receives an alert letting him or her know that the purchase order requires approval. The project manager reviews and approves the purchase order. Vision evaluates step 2. Because the purchase order amount is less than $10,000, the condition is not met. Step 2 says that if the condition is not met, then skip to the next step. Vision moves to step 3. Vision evaluates step 3. Because the purchase order amount is less than $100,000, the condition is not met. Step 3 says that if the condition is not met, then final approve the purchase order. The purchase order is marked as final approved. Only the project manager's approval was required because the purchase order's total amount was less than $10,000.
$12,000	Step 1 begins. The project manager receives an alert letting him or her know that the purchase order requires approval. The project manager reviews and approves the purchase order. Vision evaluates step 2. Because the purchase order amount is greater than $10,000 and less than $100,000, the condition is met, and a notification alert is sent to the division manager letting him or her know that the purchase order requires approval. The division manager reviews and approves the purchase order. Vision evaluates step 3. Because the purchase order amount is not greater than $100,000, the condition is not met. Step 3 says that if the condition is not met, then final approve the purchase order. The purchase order is marked final approved. Only the project manager's approval and division manager's approval were required because the purchase order total amount was greater than $10,000 but less than $100,000.
$170,000	Step 1 begins. The project manager receives an alert letting him or her know that the purchase order requires approval. The project manager reviews and approves the purchase order. Vision evaluates step 2. Because the purchase order amount is greater than $10,000 but not less than $100,000, the condition is not met. Step 2 says if the conditions are not met, then skip to the next step. Vision moves to step 3 without alerting the division manager that the purchase order needed his or her approval. Vision evaluates step 3. Because the purchase order amount is greater than $100,000, the condition is met. A notification alert is sent to David Anderson (CFO), letting him know that the purchase order requires approval. He approves the purchase order. The purchase order is marked final approved because the approval was the last step in the approval workflow. Only the project manager's approval and David Anderson's approval were required because the purchase order total amount was greater than $100,000.