Rule Group Open Approval, unlike other approval groups, can be created independently, without being linked to a request or other records. A user can apply such a rule at any time, whenever needed. For this approval group, the parallel approval method is the default setting. Open approval can be further edited before it is initiated, for example, to change the approvers.
To create a free approval rule, you need to enter a name and description, specify where it will be used, and set whether a comment must be provided upon approval or denial. After creating the rule (by clicking the Save button), a new Template tab will appear in the rule record.
Open Approval Template
The open approval template is used to define parameters that are automatically populated in the approval form when an open approval is triggered by a defined rule, eliminating the need to re-enter them. The pre-filled data can be further edited before the approval process is actually initiated. The free approval template consists of a form with the following fields:
- Approval Name – brief description of the approval
- Use Approval Name – specifies the use of the approval name; the name can be either the approval name from the template or the request name
- Approve by My Supervisor – if this option is enabled, the approval must first be approved by the submitter’s supervisor; only then is the approval sent to the approvers specified in the template—this is known as the zero step of the approval process
- Approvers – selection of users who will review the given approval. There can be multiple approvers at the same time. The user list only displays users with the appropriate approval permissions. This permission can be configured in the section Users and Groups → Users → specific user → Permissions tab → Approval item → Offer as approver → Open approval.
- Approval evaluation – determining when the approval will be evaluated; the following options are available:
- After approval by all – If this option is selected, the approval process will not be closed until every approver has provided their feedback.
- After the first approval – If this option is selected, the approval process will be closed after the first approver has provided their feedback, even if multiple approvers were selected for the approval.
- Description – field for further specification of the approval
- Prioritize description – determination of the use of the approval description; the description can be either from a defined template or from the request on which the open approval is created
To save the defined template for the open approval rule, click the Save button. Click the Cancel button to close the form without saving changes.