How to Set Up a Workflow Stage to Automatically Submit a Form for Approval in Assurance

In this article, you will learn about:

• Submitting a Form for Approval
• Automatically Submit a Form for Approval
• How the Automatically Submit for Approval Rule Works
• How Consecutive Automatically Submit for Approval Rule Works

Submitting a Form for Approval

When you Approve a Form, this moves the form to the next stage. It does not necessarily trigger the workflow for the next stage.

If you do not have the 'automatically submit for approval' rule on your workflow, you will need to choose the next stage from stage dropdown menu.

Alternatively, you can select the Submit for Approval button which lives as a drop-down option under the three ellipses dots (the same place you close a form). See this article for how to submit for approval.

Automatically Submit a Form for Approval

An Administrator may set up an 'automatically submit for approval' workflow rule, so that Full Users do not have to submit the form for approval to move to the next stage, themselves.

This means that when the Form enters this stage, it will be submitted for approval to move to the next stage automatically, without a user having to select the Submit for Approval button.

The 'automatically submit for approval' rule will appear in the workflow with an airplane icon when you 'View Workflow' on the Form.

How the Automatically Submit for Approval Rule Works

Please note: The following scenario is based off the workflow screenshot above.

Stage 1 - Report: As the Public Link has been enabled for this Register Template, any Public Link submissions will be automatically submitted for approval to move to the next stage (Management).

Stage 2 - Management: Once the Form enters this stage, it will automatically be submitted for approval to move to the stage (Review). This is because the 'automatically submit for approval' rule has been enabled as denoted by the airplane icon in stage 2.

Stage 3 - Review: Once the Form enters this final stage, no approval is required before the Form can be closed off, in this scenario.

How Consecutive Automatically Submit for Approval Rule Works

Please note: The following scenario is based off the workflow screenshot above.

1) The Approver 'CompliSpace Admin' approves the Form in the Daily Org Check stage.

2) Straight away, a pop-up like the below will appear, letting the first approver know that when the confirm button is selected, the form will be submitted for approval to the next stage.

Important note: Even though the pop-up says Approval: Services which comes after the Head of School Approval stage, this does not mean that workflow has skipped a step. It means that Lydia and Claudia are the gatekeepers for the Approval: Services stage.

When it is their turn to approve, they will be approving into the Approval: Services stage.

You can confirm or close out of this approval window by selecting the x in the top right, if you are not ready for the form to move stages. If you close out of the window, you will need to manually submit for approval when required to move to the next stage.

As you can see below, once the submitter selects Confirm, the stage is 'Head of School Approval' and Lydia and Claudia are required to approve.

In this case, there is a '2 to approve' rule, so both Approvers must approve the Form to move it to the next stage.

Note: It is best to avoid having the same Approvers in two consecutive stages for the 'submit for approval' workflow rule. This is because once approved, the workflow will skip the next stage of approval (an automatically submit for approval stage). The system has noted that the person has already approved in the stage before and assumes a second approval is not necessary.