Workflow Processes

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Approval processes in TeamConnect provide structure and enforcement for your workflow.

For example, a request to post an invoice might automatically route from staff members to a manager, and then to a director for approval, before it is posted to the appropriate budgets. At each stage in the workflow, one or more users are responsible for specific activities.

A workflow process has the following different types of users.

Workflow User	Description of User	Page with User's Requests
Requestor	Users who submit the request by completing an action that requires an approval.	Active Requests page of My Requests
Approvers	Users who approve or reject the request.	Requests to Approve page of My Approvals
Reviewers	Users who evaluate the request.	Requests to Review page of My Approvals
Process Manager	Users who see all requests in workflowprocesses and have the authority to make workflow decisions.	All pages of My Workflow Processes

When your system has workflow processes in place, a user (as the requestor) triggers an approval process by performing an action. Examples of this type of action include posting an invoice, changing the phase of a project, or deleting a record. This trigger creates an approval request, causing the record to become part of a workflow process.

A workflow process can have one or more stops. Each stop consists of one or more users who must approve the approval request. Users may also reassign the request or add additional stops prior to their approval. Workflow routes can also be subject to route conditions or hold conditions set in place.

If the process continues with successful approval and the request does not expire or get rejected, the original action finally executes.

If no active user is part of a stop, the following situations determines the outcome.

Situation When No User is Part of the Stop	Situation Outcome
The stop only requires one member's approval.	The workflow process skips the stop and continues to the next stop. The skipped stop is not listed on the approval schedule, but you can view the details on the approval history.
The stop requires all members for approval.	An error message appears. Depending on how the process is defined, if an approver rejects the request anywhere along the approval route, one of the following outcomes occur: The request is rejected and the requestor is notified. The request is sent back to the approvers in the first stop. The request is sent to the process manager, who determines the action to take.

Situation When No User is Part of the Stop

Situation Outcome

The stop only requires one member's approval.

The workflow process skips the stop and continues to the next stop.

The skipped stop is not listed on the approval schedule, but you can view the details on the approval history.

The stop requires all members for approval.

An error message appears.

Depending on how the process is defined, if an approver rejects the request anywhere along the approval route, one of the following outcomes occur:

The request is rejected and the requestor is notified.
The request is sent back to the approvers in the first stop.
The request is sent to the process manager, who determines the action to take.

In addition to the pages and processes described in this topic, each individual record is associated with a Workflow page. Users with rights to open a record can view the workflow process history. The Workflow page is not editable.

The following table provides links to detailed documentation for the various components referenced in this article/topic.

Components	Description
Using the Approval Schedule and Approval History	This page provides an overview of the approval tracking features in TeamConnect, including the Approval Schedule, which shows the status of all assigned approvers, and the Approval History, which logs each event in the approval process for completed requests.
Setting Up Email Approvals	This page outlines how users can interact with workflow approvals via email by receiving notifications and replying to approve or move items through the process.
Using Approval Process Email Notifications	This page summarizes how TeamConnect sends email notifications to requestors, approvers, reviewers, and process managers to alert them of key workflow events.
Submitting Requests for Actions that Require Approval	This page provides an overview of managing approval requests in TeamConnect, including how to track, cancel, and configure notifications for active and completed requests through the "My Requests" page and system settings.
Approving, Rejecting, and Reviewing Requests	Once a requestor initiates an approval process, one or more approvers are assigned to review and act on the approval request.
Making Workflow Decisions	As a Process Manager, you are responsible for ensuring that approval processes progress efficiently and without interruption throughout the organization.
Using Hold Conditions	The Hold Condition functionality is available for users with TeamConnect 4.0.8 and above.