Service request approvals

The end-to-end process that starts when a service request is sent for approval and ends with an approval outcome is called an approval. Approvals are an integral part of resolving service requests.

Approvers are end users who can approve, reject, or put approval requests on hold. There can be a single approver or multiple approvers.

The following types of applications are supported for setting up approvals:

Integrated applications, such as BMC Helix Business Workflows and BMC Helix ITSM.
Custom applications developed by using Developer Studio.

Approval roles

The following roles are involved in the approval process:

Roles in approvals.png

Role	Task	Description	Reference
BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog administrator	Set up the approval configuration	Configure the following approval settings: Create the approval workflow for service requests You can leverage the default approval process for manager approval or create a custom approval process. Enable users to delegate, reassign, put on hold approvals, or (Version 25.2.01 and later) request clarification regarding the approval. Configure how approval results are displayed for end users. Configure approval notifications.	Setting-up-approvals
End user	Submit a service request	Submit a service request for self, on behalf of another user, or as a collaborator that requires a single approval or a group approval. (Version 25.2.01 and later) Provide clarification for approval requests.	Submitting-service-requests-for-other-users Collaborating-with-other-users-on-service-requests Providing clarification for approval requests
Approver	Work on the service request approval	Accept, reject, put on hold, delegate, reassign, or (Version 25.2.01 and later) request clarification regarding the approval.	Delegating-reassigning-and-responding-to-approval-requests Requesting approval clarification

Approver types

Approvers can be of the following types:

Original approver—User defined as the approver in the service request definition.
Delegated approver—User defined by the original approver as an alternate approver.
Reassigned approver—User to whom the original approver reassigns an approval.

The following table shows the approval actions that can be performed by the types of approvers:

Approval actions	Original approver	Delegated approver (Alternate approver)	Reassigned approver
Approve	✅️	✅️	✅️
Reject	✅️	✅️	✅️
Put on hold	✅️	✅️	✅️
Delegate to another approver	✅️	❌️	✅️
Reassign to another approver	✅️	❌️	❌️
(Version 25.2.01 and later) Request clarification	✅️	✅️	✅️

Important

An approval cannot be delegated to an alternate approver, and then reassigned to another user.

Original, delegated, and reassigned approval scenarios

Britney is an employee at Apex Global. The following scenarios describe how her request gets approved by an alternate approver, a reassigned approver, and a reassigned and designated approver.

Scenario_Delegated or alternate approver.png

Scenario_Reassigned approver.png

Scenario_Reassigned delegated approval.png

Where do requesters and approvers see approval requests?

The following table shows where the requester and approver can see the approval requests on the UI:

User	Status of request	Approval request	Delegated approval requests	Reassigned approval requests	Reassigned and then delegated approval requests
Requester On behalf of users Collaborators	Waiting for approval	Active events	Active events	Active events	Active events
Original approver		Active events	Active events	Not available	Not available
Alternate approvers		Not applicable	Active events	Not applicable	Active events
Reassigned approver		Not applicable	Not applicable	Active events	Active events
Requester OBO users Collaborators	Approved	Active events	Active events	Active events	Active events
Original approver		Past events	Past events	Not available	Not available
Alternate approvers		Not applicable	Past events	Not applicable	Past events
Reassigned approver		Not applicable	Not applicable	Past events	Past event
Requester OBO users Collaborators	Closed or rejected	Past events	Past events	Past events	Past events
Original approver		Past events	Past events	Not available	Not available
Alternate approvers		Not applicable	Past events	Not applicable	Past events
Reassigned approver		Not applicable	Not applicable	Past events	Past events
Requester OBO users Collaborators	(Version 25.2.01 and later) More information needed	Active events	Active events	Active events	Active events
Original approver		Active events	Active events	Not available	Not available
Alternate approvers		Not applicable	Active events	Not applicable	Active events
Reassigned approver		Not applicable	Not applicable	Active events	Active events

Important

An approval request is available in Active events for the requester, OBO users, and collaborators only if the workflow of the requested service contains other activities.

If a workflow of the requested service contains only the Approval activity, the approval request can be found in the Past events.

Any change in the status of an event is noted on the UI. When no further action can be taken on an item in the events view, the item is marked with a dark border and a check mark; the Update button () expands in width to display the text. Both are visual indicators to users that their events view needs to be refreshed. To refresh the view, users can click Update button.

The following image shows two requests, one that has been approved and the other that is in progress.

Behavior when only one approver from a list of approvers needs to approve

If a request is assigned to multiple approvers, the request appears in the Active events section for all approvers. If a request requires approval from only one of the approvers, an appropriate message is displayed if a second approver tries to approve or reject the request at the same time as the first one. When such a message is generated, an exclamation mark is added to the item in the events view. The second approver can click the exclamation mark icon to view the message. All other approvers see the event as completed in their events view.

Indicator when action is taken on a request with an appropriate message