A free approval can be initiated even without being linked to a request or any other record or module. You can create such an approval at any time and in connection with any topic or situation. Users with the appropriate approval permissions can make decisions regarding it.
As with other approvals, a rule must first be defined on which the approval will be based. Rules are defined in the section Approval → Approval Rules. More information on creating rules and on the Free Approval rule group is provided in the documentation sections Creating a Rule and Free Approval Rule Group.
There are two ways to create a standalone approval process not linked to other records:
- Via the + button (quick selection) – by selecting the option Create a free approval process
- Via the Create free approval button in the Approval → Approval
Note: If the Approval option is not available in the main menu, you need to check the permissions for accessing this module in the user details (under Users and Groups → Users) on the Permissions → Approval tab.
After clicking, a form for creating a free approval will appear. The form contains the following fields:
- Template – field for selecting the free approval template, which you define when creating the approval rule
- Approval Name – automatically generated name based on the request name, cannot be edited
- Approve by My Supervisor – when this option is enabled, the approval must first be accepted by the submitter’s supervisor, then the approval request is sent to the designated approvers
- Note for the approver – field for entering a note or additional information for the approver
- Approval evaluation – specify when the approval will be evaluated; the following options are available:
- After approval by all – approval will be evaluated only after all approvers have responded
- After the first approval – approval is considered complete once one of the approvers has responded
- Description – detailed specification of the subject of approval
- Attachments – field for uploading attachments
All form fields become editable only after selecting Free Approval Template. The fields are automatically populated based on the parameters in the template, which is defined when creating the approval rule. The fields can be edited as desired before the approval is created.
To start a free approval, click the Create button. The approval will then appear in the list of approvals under Approval → Approval.
When you open a record’s details, information about the approval process and the approval steps will be displayed. The number of approval steps depends on the number of approvers—one approval step is generated for each approver. The number of approvals required depends on the approval criteria (approval by all approvers or the first approval).
The approver can express their opinion by clicking the Accept or Deny button. If unanimous approval is required for the approval process, the entire approval is automatically denied if even one step is denied. If approval by just one of the approvers is sufficient for the approval process, the approval will be granted even if one of the steps was previously denied. Since this is a flexible approval process, the default setting is parallel approval mode which means that approvers can comment on individual steps in any order.