The Approval Process ensures records are controlled according to specific rules, approval is obtained from authorized people or teams, and operations on records are restricted until this process is completed.

The purpose is to ensure critical operations progress in a traceable, controlled, and standardized manner.

An approval process can be initiated by the record's creation, update, status change, assignment, or manual triggering by a user.

Approval Process Definition

Approval process definitions are made in the Settings menu under Business Management.
Once an approval process is published, it actively works and automatically activates on relevant records.

Structures Composing the Approval Process

Approval Management consists of four structures in total:

• Approval Process
  The main definition of the approval flow. It determines which records, in what condition, and what kind of approval will be executed.
• Approval Stage
  The steps of the approval process. It defines from whom approval will be obtained and the approval order.
• Approval Request
  Represents an approval process initiated for a record. The entire process is tracked through this record.
• Approval
  Individual approval records assigned to users or teams. Approve, reject, or revise actions are performed on these records.

Approval Process Definition Steps

Basic Information

• The concept to which the process is linked is selected (the Approval feature must be active in the concept).
• Title and system name are mandatory.
• Owner information is used for role and authorization.
• If the Lock Record option is active, the record cannot be updated while the approval process continues.
• The priority value determines which one will run if multiple approval processes are applicable.

Triggers

The operation in which the approval process will run is defined:

• When a record is created
• When a record is updated (including field-based control)
• When status changes
• When assignment is made
• When manually triggered

At least one trigger must be selected.

Record Filters

Filters can be added based on record fields. This way, different approval processes can be run for the same concept under different conditions.

Approval Stages

• At least one stage definition is mandatory.
• Stages can be set to work sequentially or simultaneously.
• In each stage:
• Primary approver
• Alternative approver
• Time limit

can be defined.

Two separate roles can be defined in each approval stage:

Approver; The person or team primarily expected to perform the approval action.

Alternative Approver; The backup approver that comes into play when the primary approver cannot take action.

The approver and alternative approver can be configured as follows:

• Record owner
• Record owner's manager
• Record owner's manager's manager
• Record owner's region manager
• Record owner's region manager's manager
• A specific user
• A specific team

The process cannot be published without defining a stage.

Approval Process Role Management

Approval management is entirely role-based and is evaluated together with record ownership.

Approval Process Permissions

• On approval process and stage definitions:
• viewing
• updating
• deletion
  permissions are controlled through roles.

Approval Request and Approval Record Permissions

A user's access to approval records is possible by meeting at least one of the following criteria:

• Being the owner of the approval request
• The approval record being assigned to them or to a team they are a member of
• Being the owner of the related record or a member of the owning team

Authorizations work with OR logic.

Sending Record for Approval

In concepts with the Approval feature active, if there is no active approval request associated with the record, the Approval button appears.

Starting Process with Approval Button

When the Approval button is pressed:

• Published approval processes that allow manual triggering are listed.
• The user initiates the approval by selecting a process.
• If the record matches the process filters, an approval request is created.

Manual Approval

With the manual approval option:

• Without a predefined approval process
• A single-stage, instant approval request can be created

This method is generally used for exceptional cases.

Creation of Approval Request and Approval Records

When the approval process starts:

• A single Approval Request record is created.
• Depending on the process structure:
• If sequential, a single approval record for the relevant stage
• If unordered, approval records for all stages

are created.

Approval records are automatically assigned to defined approvers.

Approving the Record

The following buttons appear on active approval records assigned to the user:

Approve

• The relevant stage is completed.
• In sequential processes, the next stage is automatically started.
• If it is the final stage, the approval request is closed.

Reject

• The entire approval process is terminated.
• Other pending approvals are automatically closed.
• The record is marked as not approved.

Request Revision

• A correction is requested on the record.
• The process is not closed and can be re-evaluated after revision.

Comments and attachments can be entered during each operation.

Record Behavior During Approval Process

• The record can be locked while the process is active.
• Updates, status changes, and assignments can be blocked.
• The lock is automatically released when the process is completed.

Example Use Cases

Sales Approval (Discount-Based)

When a sales record is created or the discount rate is updated, the approval process is automatically initiated.

• 0% – 5% discount
  Single-stage approval runs.
  The sales representative's manager is the approver.
• 5% – 10% discount
  Two-stage approval runs.
1. stage: Sales representative's manager
2. stage: Manager's manager
• Discount over 10%
  Three-stage approval runs.
1. stage: Sales manager
2. stage: Region manager
3. stage: Upper management

The sales record cannot be updated and the price cannot be changed until approval is completed.

Campaign Approval

The approval process is activated when a campaign record is created or the campaign budget is changed.

• Low-budget campaigns
  Marketing manager approval is sufficient.
• Medium-budget campaigns
  Marketing manager + finance approval are requested together.
• High-budget campaigns
  Requires sequential approval from marketing, finance, and upper management.

The campaign cannot be published without approval.

Purchase Approval

Requests above a certain amount are automatically sent to managers. As the amount increases, the number of approval stages also increases.

Human Resources

Leave requests first go to the team manager, then to HR. Rejected requests immediately return to the user.

Bank Operations

Risky transactions are first directed to the operations team, then to upper management. The transaction is not executed until all stages are completed.