Configuring self-approvals for tasks

Self-approvals are system-driven approvals that do not require any manual intervention. A case business analyst can configure a self-approval with qualifications or with a process. A self-approval with a qualification is triggered when a task meets the qualifications that are defined in the self-approval. A self-approval with process is triggered when a task meets the qualifications that are defined in the approval which in turn triggers a process for the approval.

A case business analyst configures self-approvals for manual and automated tasks by defining the following values:

• Status of the tasks on which approvals are triggered
• Status to which the tasks transition to after the approval

Self-approval with qualification

A self-approval with qualification ensures that only those tasks that meet the qualifications go through the approval process. For example, a self-approval qualification can be Category Tier 1 = Applications, Category Tier 2 = Software, and Category Tier 3 = MS Office. A task created with these categories will be self-approved.

To create a self-approval with qualification, complete the following steps:

1. As a case business analyst, log in to BMC Helix Business Workflows.
2. Click My Application Settings .
   The Settings page opens in a new browser tab.
3. Select Approvals > Approval Configuration.
4. Open the com.bmc.dsm.task-lib:Task approval configuration.
5. On the Self Approval tab, click New Condition.
6. Define the Expression and click Next.

Sample process for task approval

To configure self-approvals for tasks, a case business analyst creates a copy of the sample process in BMC Helix Innovation Studio and then defines the conditions for self-approvals. A sample process called Task - Sample Self Approval is available out of the box to configure a self-approval. You cannot modify the sample process.

The sample process contains the following process variables that are used in the self-approval process:

To create a copy of the sample process

1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio as a case business analyst, and navigate to the Workspace tab.
2. Open Task Management Service.
3. Click Processes.
4. Select Task - Sample Approval, and click Copy.
   In the new process, the process variables are automatically added.

5. To add more elements, from Palette, drag the designer elements to the process.

   The following image shows how you can create a self-approval for tasks with the Compute Value element with the expression Priority=Low to be self-approved, while cases with Priority=High/Critical will not be self-approved.

   
   Learn more about elements in Process designer elements .

6. Click Save.
   After the process is created, an administrator must associate it with an approval flow.

To create a new process

1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio and navigate to the Workspace tab.
2. Select Task Management Service.
3. Click Processes.
4. Click New.
5. Specify a Name for the process.
6. Click Add/Remove Variables.
7. Specify Case Record as the Input Variable.
8. Enter Approval Status as the Output Variable.
   
9. Click Save.
10. From Palette, drag the elements based on how you want to configure the process.
    For example, add the Compute Value element and specify the settings.
    Learn more about elements in Process designer elements .
    
11. Provide appropriate permissions for users.
12. Save the process.
    After the process is created, an administrator must associate it with an approval flow.

Associating the approval process with an approval flow

1. As a case business analyst, log in to BMC Helix Business Workflows.
2. Click My Application Settings .
   The Settings page opens in a new browser tab.
3. Select Approvals > Approval Configuration.
4. Open the com.bmc.dsm.task-lib:Task approval configuration.
5. On the Approval Flow tab, click New Condition.
6. Define the Expression and click Next.

Where to go from here

Mapping task status to approvals

Related topic

Configuring self-approval flows