OOB Approval workflow.

Question

Hi All,

Has anyone used OOB Approval workflow? if yes, can you please share the business scenario where you have used the same?

Regards Amit

Answer 1

This is explained in the following Technet article, it is loosely coupled enough to wrap any suggestive business scenario around it that requires multistage or single stage approval like a formal document review or a project RAG status

...http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-designer-help/understand-approval-workflows-in-sharepoint-2010-HA101857172.aspx

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Regards John Timney http://www.johntimney.com

Answer 2

I have lots of experience with the OOTB approval workflow, its highly customizable using SharePoint Designer. It is most commonly used with Content Approval, to the point where it has functionality to set the content approval status if users approve or reject. OOTB approval is normally Serial or parallel. If its serial its normally something like Manager and then Information Expert, where if the manager disapproves the Information expert never even sees the item for approval. In parallel you can do things like "If anyone disapproves its rejected" or "majority rules". You can have good old fashioned single approver behavior too.

The main idea is that if the item is approved, it becomes visible for others to see, where if it is pending approval or rejected, only the editor and approvers can see the item or the most recent changes to the item.

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Answer 3

Hi Learn.com,

Thanks for reply. Evev i have a lot of experience with OOTB content approval. can OOTB approval workflow work Content approval? I never tried that. Here i have a question, what is the functionalities approval workflow give when it is used with content approval?

With content approval it is not possible to create the approval tasks plus notifications. Do you use the approval workflow to create the tasks and notifications in content approval? if yes then to whom task will be assigned as in case of content approval anyone having approval rights can approve and reject the document.

Also hiding the pending changes till approved is the feature of content approval workflow. Pending changes will be available to all the users who have approval rights. In case of two stage approval process how hiding will be controlled? As per content approval feature, changes will be visible to second approver too while changes are pending for first approver.

Thanks in adv.......

Regards Amit

Answer 4

With content approval it is not possible to create the approval tasks plus notifications. Do you use the approval workflow to create the tasks and notifications in content approval? if yes then to whom task will be assigned as in case of content approval anyone having approval rights can approve and reject the document.

Amen. With OOTB Content approval SharePoint does not know who to email or assign tasks to, so everyone with approval rights can act. With the approval workflow, approvers can get targeted emails and fill out the task forms. This does not stop other people with approval rights from approving/rejecting these items. Thats why I like to customize the OOTB approval workflow to dynamically grant and revoke approver permissions, so i can even target who has approval rights.

Also hiding the pending changes till approved is the feature of content approval workflow. Pending changes will be available to all the users who have approval rights. In case of two stage approval process how hiding will be controlled? As per content approval feature, changes will be visible to second approver too while changes are pending for first approver.

Hiding the pending changes is a feature of content approval, not the workflow. In a single stage or multistage approval its all the same - The editor and approvers will see the pending version and rejection comments, everyone else will see the last approved version with the approval comment, or nothing at all.

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