Approve, Review, and Process

This manual covers three essential action tasks in OSPROV's workflow builder that enable decision-making and processing within your workflows:

1. Approve Task: Enables formal approval decisions with explicit approve/reject options
2. Review Task: Facilitates review and feedback without formal approval/rejection
3. Process Task: Handles processing actions on submissions with focus on task completion

These tasks share many common features but serve different purposes in your workflows. Understanding their similarities and differences will help you design effective workflow processes.

Common Features

All three action tasks share these common features:

• Role Assignment: Tasks are assigned to specific roles
• Form Selection: All tasks use forms to collect information and decisions
• Authorization Channel Filtering: Tasks are visible only to users with matching authorization channels (unless ignored)
• Notification Options: All tasks can send notifications when assigned
• Reminder Settings: All tasks support automated reminders

Approve Task

Purpose and Overview

The Approve task is a critical component in OSPROV's workflow builder that enables formal approval processes within your workflows. It allows designated roles to review submissions and provide explicit approval or rejection, making it ideal for scenarios where formal sign-off is required.

The Approve task is designed to:

• Enable formal approval or rejection decisions
• Document approval decisions for audit purposes
• Route workflows based on approval outcomes
• Create accountability through recorded approvals

Adding an Approve Task to Your Workflow

1. In the Workflow Builder, drag the Approve task from the task palette onto the canvas
2. Click on the Approve task to open its configuration panel
3. Configure the following required settings:
   • Role: Select which role will be responsible for approving this task
   • Form Template: Select the form that will be used for collecting approval information
   • Title for process: Enter a descriptive title that will appear in the submission history
   • Label for status: (Optional) Override the default "Approved" status label

Role Selection

The role selection determines who will receive this approval task:

• Select from available roles in your organization
• If you select "External" role, you'll need to specify which external organization will handle the approval
• Only users with the selected role AND at least one matching authorization channel will see this task (unless "Ignore authorization channel" is checked)

Unique Features

The Approve task has several unique features that distinguish it from other task types:

1. Explicit Rejection Path:

   • Includes specific settings for rejection notifications
   • Allows configuration of rejection email templates
   • Can notify specific roles when rejections occur

2. Concurrent Approval:

   • Can require all users in a role to approve together
   • Useful for committee decisions or multi-level approvals
   • Tracks completion status across all required approvers

3. Submission Editing:

   • Permits approvers to reopen submissions for editing
   • Allows corrections before final approval
   • Maintains audit trail of changes

Advanced Approval Settings

The Approve task includes specialized settings for complex approval scenarios:

Rejection Handling

• Roles to receive reject notification email: Select which roles should be notified of rejections
• Rejection Email Template: Select the email template for rejection notifications
• Rejection Comments: The approval form typically includes fields for rejection reasons

Concurrent Approval

• All users in this role must Actioned together: When enabled, requires all eligible users with the selected role to approve
• The workflow will not proceed until all assigned users have approved
• Useful for committee decisions or multi-stakeholder approvals

Review Task

Purpose and Overview

The Review task facilitates review and feedback processes without requiring formal approval or rejection decisions. It's designed for scenarios where you need input, comments, or validation from subject matter experts or stakeholders, but don't need a binary approve/reject decision.

The Review task is designed to:

• Facilitate review and feedback without formal approval/rejection
• Collect comments, suggestions, and expert input
• Document that a review has taken place
• Enable collaborative improvement processes

Adding a Review Task to Your Workflow

1. In the Workflow Builder, drag the Review task from the task palette onto the canvas
2. Click on the Review task to open its configuration panel
3. Configure the following required settings:
   • Role: Select which role will be responsible for reviewing this task
   • Form Template: Select the form that will be used for collecting review feedback
   • Title for process: Enter a descriptive title that will appear in the submission history
   • Label for status: (Optional) Override the default "Reviewed" status label

Role Selection

The role selection works the same way as for Approve tasks:

• Select from available roles in your organization
• If you select "External" role, specify which external organization will handle the review
• Only users with the selected role AND at least one matching authorization channel will see this task (unless "Ignore authorization channel" is checked)

Unique Features

The Review task has several characteristics that distinguish it from Approve tasks:

1. Feedback-Focused:

   • Emphasizes collecting input rather than making decisions
   • Forms typically include comment fields rather than approve/reject options
   • Status shows as "Reviewed" rather than "Approved"

2. No Explicit Rejection:

   • Review tasks don't have the explicit rejection path that Approve tasks have
   • Reviewers provide feedback but don't formally reject submissions
   • The workflow typically continues after review regardless of feedback content

3. Multiple Reviews:

   • Often used in sequence to collect input from different experts
   • Can be configured for concurrent review from multiple roles
   • Feedback can be accumulated across multiple reviewers

Advanced Review Settings

While Review tasks share many settings with Approve tasks, they're typically configured differently:

Review Form Design

• Review forms usually focus on feedback fields rather than decision fields
• May include rating scales, comment areas, or specialized feedback sections
• Can include attachments for detailed feedback documents

Sequential vs. Parallel Reviews

• Can be configured for sequential review (one after another)
• Can use concurrent review settings for parallel feedback collection
• May be combined with conditional tasks to route based on review content

Process Task

Purpose and Overview

The Process task is designed for operational processing actions rather than decisions or feedback. It's ideal for scenarios where you need to record that a specific action has been taken or a procedure has been completed, such as processing a payment, fulfilling an order, or updating a system.

The Process task is designed to:

• Handle processing actions on submissions
• Record that processing has been completed
• Assign processing responsibilities to specific roles
• Document processing details and outcomes

Adding a Process Task to Your Workflow

1. In the Workflow Builder, drag the Process task from the task palette onto the canvas
2. Click on the Process task to open its configuration panel
3. Configure the following required settings:
   • Role: Select which role will be responsible for processing this task
   • Form Template: Select the form that will be used for documenting the processing
   • Title for process: Enter a descriptive title that will appear in the submission history
   • Label for status: (Optional) Override the default "Processed" status label

Role Selection

The role selection works the same way as for other task types:

• Select from available roles in your organization
• If you select "External" role, specify which external organization will handle the processing
• Only users with the selected role AND at least one matching authorization channel will see this task (unless "Ignore authorization channel" is checked)

Unique Features

The Process task has several characteristics that distinguish it from other task types:

1. Action-Oriented:

   • Focused on recording actions taken rather than decisions made
   • Forms typically include fields for documenting processing steps
   • Status shows as "Processed" rather than "Approved" or "Reviewed"

2. Operational Focus:

   • Designed for operational tasks rather than governance decisions
   • Often used for fulfillment, payment processing, or system updates
   • May include integration with external systems

3. Process Documentation:

   • Emphasizes documenting what was done rather than deciding what should be done
   • May include timestamps, reference numbers, or other processing details
   • Creates an audit trail of operational activities

Advanced Process Settings

Process tasks include settings that are particularly useful for operational scenarios:

Process Documentation

• Process forms typically include fields for recording action details
• May include system reference numbers, timestamps, or processing notes
• Can include attachments for supporting documentation

Process Automation

• Can be configured to trigger automated actions upon completion
• May integrate with external systems through hooks
• Can update status in other systems when processing is complete

Advanced Settings

Click on More settings to access additional configuration options for all action tasks:

Authorization Settings

• Ignore authorization channel: When checked, all users with the selected role will see this task, regardless of their authorization channels

  • This is useful for roles that need to see all tasks of a certain type, regardless of department
  • Example: Finance processors who need to handle all approved expense reports

• Allow delegation: Allows assigned users to delegate the task to others

  • Enables users to reassign tasks when they're unavailable or not the best person to handle it
  • The delegation is recorded in the workflow history for audit purposes
  • Delegated users receive notifications about their new assignment

• Allow actionee to accept: When enabled, users can "claim" the task, removing it from other potential users' queues

  • Useful when multiple users could handle a task but only one needs to
  • Prevents duplicate work and clarifies responsibility
  • The acceptance is recorded in the workflow history
  • Can send notifications to specified roles when a task is accepted

• Acceptance Email Template: Select the email template for acceptance notifications

  • Customizes the notification sent when a task is accepted
  • Can include details about who accepted the task and when

• Roles to send acceptance email: Choose which roles should receive acceptance notifications

  • Determines who is informed when a task is accepted
  • Useful for keeping managers or stakeholders informed of task assignments

Process Control Settings

• Disable revert: Prevents users from reverting the workflow to a previous step

  • Enforces forward progression in the workflow
  • Useful for compliance scenarios where steps cannot be undone

• Allow applicant to select own Actionee: Lets the workflow initiator choose who should handle the task

  • Gives initiators control over routing when they know best who should handle a task
  • The initiator selects from eligible users with the appropriate role
  • Overrides the normal role-based assignment

• Allow previous action process to choose this process actionee: Lets the previous task handler select who handles this task

  • Enables contextual routing based on the previous handler's knowledge
  • Useful when the previous handler has information about who is best suited for the next step
  • Overrides the normal role-based assignment

• Also allow applicant or previous action to skip processes: Allows skipping this task when appropriate

  • Provides flexibility for optional steps in the workflow
  • Only available when one of the actionee selection options is enabled
  • The skip action is recorded in the workflow history

• All users in this role must Actioned together: Requires all users with the selected role to complete the task (concurrent action)

  • Implements consensus-based or committee-based decision processes
  • The workflow will not proceed until all assigned users have completed the task
  • Useful for governance scenarios requiring multiple approvals

• Copy data from initial form: Pre-fills the task form with data from the initial submission

  • Saves time by automatically populating fields
  • Only works if field names/structure match between forms
  • Users can still modify pre-filled values if needed

Form Visibility

• Form Visibility: Control which roles can view this task's form
  • Default visibility means the applicant and related roles in the workflow can see this form
  • You can select specific roles to restrict visibility
  • Important for sensitive information that should only be visible to certain roles
  • Affects who can see the form content, not just who can complete it

Notification Settings

• Send notification to Actionee: Sends email notifications when the task is assigned

  • Alerts users that they have a new task to complete
  • Helps ensure timely task completion

• Email Template: Select the email template for notifications

  • Customizes the notification content and format
  • Can include task details, links, and instructions

• External Recipients: Additional email addresses to notify

  • Allows notifications to people outside the system
  • Can use dynamic values like [field_name] to reference form fields
  • For supplementary forms, use [forms.N.field_name] (e.g., [forms.2.remark])

• Include Submission as PDF: Attaches a PDF of the submission to the notification email

  • Provides complete submission details in the notification
  • Useful when recipients need to review the full submission without logging in

Reminder Settings

• Send reminder emails to actionee: Enables automatic reminder emails

  • Helps prevent tasks from being forgotten or delayed
  • Sends escalating reminders based on configured intervals

• Actionee Reminder Email Template: Select the email template for reminders

  • Customizes the reminder content and format
  • Can include task details, links, and urgency indicators

• 1st/2nd/3rd Reminder: Days after assignment to send reminders

  • Configure the timing of reminder emails
  • Typically set with increasing urgency (e.g., 3 days, 5 days, 7 days)
  • Reminders stop once the task is completed

Other Settings

• Hide from submission history: Prevents this task from appearing in the submission history

  • Useful for internal processing steps that don't need to be visible to applicants
  • Simplifies the submission history for complex workflows

• Allow actionee to open submission for editing: Permits users to reopen the submission for editing by the applicant

  • Enables corrections or additional information to be provided
  • The submission returns to the applicant for editing
  • After editing, the workflow returns to the current step

Task Selection Guide

When designing your workflows, it's important to choose the right task type for each step. This table highlights the key differences between Approve, Review, and Process tasks:

Feature	Approve	Review	Process
Primary Purpose	Formal approval	Feedback collection	Action execution
Decision Type	Binary (approve/reject)	Feedback only	Action completion
Default Status	"Approved"	"Reviewed"	"Processed"
Typical Position	Decision points	Feedback points	Action points
Rejection Path	Available	Not applicable	Not applicable
Best For	Formal sign-offs, compliance requirements	Expert input, quality checks	Operational tasks, fulfillment

How These Tasks Work in a Workflow

Approve Task Flow

1. When a workflow reaches an Approve task, it's assigned to users with the specified role and matching authorization channels
2. Assigned approvers see the task in their task list
3. Approvers open the task and review the submission details
4. Approvers complete the approval form, indicating their decision (approve or reject)
5. Based on the decision:
   • If approved, the workflow proceeds to the next task
   • If rejected, the workflow typically returns to the applicant or ends

Review Task Flow

1. When a workflow reaches a Review task, it's assigned to users with the specified role and matching authorization channels
2. Assigned reviewers see the task in their task list
3. Reviewers open the task and review the submission details
4. Reviewers complete the review form, providing feedback and comments
5. After review is complete, the workflow proceeds to the next task regardless of the feedback content
6. The review feedback remains available in the submission history

Process Task Flow

1. When a workflow reaches a Process task, it's assigned to users with the specified role and matching authorization channels
2. Assigned processors see the task in their task list
3. Processors open the task and review the submission details
4. Processors complete the required actions and document them in the process form
5. After processing is complete, the workflow proceeds to the next task
6. The processing details remain available in the submission history

Implementation Examples

Example 1: Purchase Request Workflow

1. Form Task (Initial): Employee submits purchase request
2. Approve Task: Manager approves or rejects the request
   • Uses the Approve task because a formal decision is required
   • Rejection path returns to the employee for revision
   • Approval routes to Finance for processing
3. Process Task: Finance processes the approved purchase
   • Uses the Process task because this is an operational action
   • Documents payment details, purchase order numbers, etc.
   • Marks the request as fulfilled

Example 2: Document Review Workflow

1. Form Task (Initial): Author submits document for review
2. Review Task: Subject matter experts provide feedback
   • Uses the Review task because expert input is needed
   • Collects comments and suggestions without formal approval/rejection
   • Routes back to the author for revisions
3. Form Task (Supplementary): Author submits revised document
4. Approve Task: Manager gives final approval
   • Uses the Approve task because formal sign-off is required
   • Can reject if further revisions are needed
   • Approval triggers publication
5. Process Task: Document is published
   • Uses the Process task to record publication details
   • Documents where the document was published, when, etc.

Example 3: Complex Approval Workflow

1. Form Task (Initial): Employee submits capital expenditure request
2. Review Task: Financial analyst reviews budget impact
   • Uses the Review task to provide financial analysis without approval authority
   • Adds financial context for later approvers
3. Approve Task: Department Manager approves (first level)
   • Uses the Approve task with concurrent approval disabled
   • Can reject if the request doesn't meet department criteria
4. Approve Task: Finance Director approves (second level)
   • Uses the Approve task with "All users in this role must Actioned together" enabled
   • Requires all Finance Directors to approve (committee decision)
5. Process Task: Procurement processes the approved purchase
   • Uses the Process task to document procurement actions
   • Records vendor selection, purchase order details, etc.

Use Cases

Approve Task Use Cases

The Approve task is ideal for scenarios requiring formal decisions and sign-offs:

1. Financial Approvals

   • Budget requests
   • Expense reports
   • Capital expenditure approvals
   • Invoice payment authorizations

2. HR Approvals

   • Leave requests
   • Hiring authorizations
   • Performance review sign-offs
   • Policy exception approvals

3. Compliance and Governance

   • Policy approvals
   • Regulatory submissions
   • Audit finding resolutions
   • Risk assessment approvals

4. Project Governance

   • Project charter approvals
   • Phase gate reviews
   • Change request authorizations
   • Deliverable sign-offs

Review Task Use Cases

The Review task is best for collecting feedback and expert input:

1. Document Reviews

   • Technical documentation reviews
   • Policy draft reviews
   • Marketing content reviews
   • Legal document reviews

2. Quality Assurance

   • Code reviews
   • Design reviews
   • Process compliance checks
   • Quality control inspections

3. Expert Consultation

   • Technical assessments
   • Subject matter expert input
   • Peer reviews
   • Stakeholder feedback collection

4. Collaborative Improvement

   • Draft improvement suggestions
   • Process enhancement feedback
   • Training material reviews
   • Knowledge base article reviews

Process Task Use Cases

The Process task is designed for operational actions and task completion:

1. Financial Processing

   • Payment processing
   • Invoice recording
   • Budget allocations
   • Financial reconciliations

2. Fulfillment Activities

   • Order processing
   • Service delivery
   • Resource allocation
   • Inventory management

3. Administrative Tasks

   • Record updates
   • System entries
   • Data verification
   • Documentation filing

4. Operational Procedures

   • Service ticket resolution
   • Maintenance completion
   • Implementation activities
   • Operational checks

Best Practices

Designing Effective Action Tasks

1. Choose the right task type: Select the appropriate task based on the action required:

   • Use Approve tasks when formal decisions are needed
   • Use Review tasks when feedback is needed without formal approval
   • Use Process tasks when operational actions need to be recorded

2. Design task-specific forms: Create forms that match the purpose of each task type:

   • Approval forms should include clear decision options and reasoning fields
   • Review forms should focus on feedback collection and improvement suggestions
   • Process forms should document actions taken and completion details

3. Use clear titles and instructions:

   • The "Title for process" should clearly indicate what the task involves
   • Include instructions in form help text to guide users on how to complete tasks
   • Set clear expectations about what constitutes approval, review, or processing

4. Configure appropriate notifications:

   • Set up reminder emails for important tasks to ensure timely completion
   • Configure rejection notifications to appropriate roles for Approve tasks
   • Include relevant submission details in notification templates

5. Consider task assignment carefully:

   • Enable delegation for roles where backup handlers may be needed
   • Use "Allow actionee to accept" for tasks that could be handled by multiple people
   • Consider concurrent approval for decisions requiring multiple sign-offs

6. Optimize task routing:

   • Use "Allow applicant to select own Actionee" when the initiator knows best who should handle a task
   • Use "Allow previous action process to choose this process actionee" for context-based routing
   • Consider authorization channels carefully to ensure tasks reach the right people

Troubleshooting

Task Not Appearing in User's Task List

If a task isn't appearing in a user's task list:

• Verify the user has the correct role assigned
• Check that the user has at least one matching authorization channel with the workflow (unless "Ignore authorization channel" is checked)
• Ensure the workflow has reached the appropriate step
• Check if someone else has already accepted the task (if "Allow actionee to accept" is enabled)
• Verify that the workflow is published and active

Multiple Users Receiving the Same Task

If multiple users are receiving the same task when only one action is needed:

• Enable "Allow actionee to accept" so the first person to accept the task removes it from others' queues
• Use more specific role and authorization channel combinations to target the task more precisely
• Consider using "Allow applicant to select own Actionee" for more precise targeting

Task Process Taking Too Long

If tasks are taking too long to complete:

• Configure reminder emails with appropriate intervals
• Enable delegation so tasks can be reassigned when users are unavailable
• Review the task form to ensure it's clear and easy to complete
• Consider using "Allow previous action process to choose this process actionee" to route to available users
• Check if concurrent approval is enabled unnecessarily, as this can delay completion

Rejection Handling Issues

If rejection handling isn't working as expected:

• Verify that rejection notification settings are configured correctly
• Ensure the rejection path in the workflow is properly designed
• Check that users understand how to indicate rejection in the approval form
• Review rejection email templates to ensure they contain necessary information

Related Features

• Form Builder: Create task-specific forms at /forms
• Email Templates: Set up templates for notifications and reminders
• Conditional Tasks: Route to different paths based on approval decisions
• Hooks: Integrate with external systems based on task completion

Summary

OSPROV's Approve, Review, and Process tasks provide powerful tools for implementing decision-making, feedback collection, and operational processing within your workflows. Each task type serves a specific purpose:

• Approve Tasks enable formal decisions with explicit approve/reject options
• Review Tasks facilitate feedback collection without formal approval/rejection
• Process Tasks document operational actions and task completion

By understanding the unique characteristics and configuration options for each task type, you can design efficient workflows that guide users through your business processes while collecting the necessary decisions, feedback, and processing information at each step.

Remember that while these tasks share many common settings, their primary differences lie in their intended purpose, the forms they use, and how they affect workflow routing. Choosing the right task type for each step in your workflow is essential for creating intuitive and effective business processes.