Approvals

The Approvals module is the workflow backbone of ORKSTRA. Instead of every other module shipping its own bespoke approval logic, they all use a single, generic engine that handles routing, escalation, SLA tracking, comments, attachments, and full audit trail.

Overview

If you ever see "Submit for approval" on any screen in ORKSTRA — IPC, variation order, document transmittal, leave request, expense report — you are interacting with the Approvals module. Each request type has its own configurable workflow, but the underlying engine is shared.

Screenshot: Approval inbox with pending requests grouped by type and priority

Key concepts

Request type. A configurable workflow definition — e.g., "IPC approval", "Variation order approval", "Document for review". Each type has its own steps, SLA, and notification rules.

Step. A single decision node in a workflow. A step has:

• An approver — by role, by user, or by formula (e.g., "the project's PM at submission time").
• A decision set — typically Approve, Reject, Reroute, Request changes.
• An SLA — soft (warning), hard (escalation), or both.

Sequence. Steps can be sequential (one after another), parallel (all approve at once), or conditional (path depends on the previous step or on request data — e.g., amounts above 1 M AED route to the CFO).

Delegation. Each approver can configure a delegate (typically during leave). Delegations are time-boxed and audited.

Comments & attachments. Every step can capture comments and supporting attachments which become part of the request record.

Step-by-step: configure a request type

1. Go to Admin → Workflows → Request types → New.
2. Pick a base entity (IPC, VO, Transmittal, etc.).
3. Add steps one at a time:
   • Name the step.
   • Pick the approver — role, specific user, or formula.
   • Pick the decision set.
   • Set the SLA (e.g., 48 hours soft, 96 hours hard).
4. Save and publish. New requests of this type use the new workflow; in-flight requests continue under the previous version.

Step-by-step: act on a request

1. Open your Approvals inbox from the top bar.
2. Pick a request — the full record opens on the right.
3. Review the request, add a comment if needed, attach a file if needed.
4. Click Approve, Reject, Reroute, or Request changes.
5. ORKSTRA logs the decision and advances the workflow.

Common tasks

• Filter your inbox: by request type, project, age, priority.
• Bulk approve: select multiple requests and approve in one click (only allowed if your role permits bulk).
• Reroute to someone else: Actions → Reroute → pick user.
• See history: every request's right pane shows the full timeline with timestamps and user names.
• Cancel a submitted request: the requester can cancel anytime before the first decision is made.

Troubleshooting

• "My request is stuck at step 2 and the approver is on leave." — Either ask an admin to reroute, or wait for the auto-escalation to fire (configurable per request type).
• "I get duplicate approval emails." — You may be both an approver and a CC. Check your notification preferences.
• "The approver list is empty for a parallel step." — The role formula returned no users. Edit the formula or assign at least one user to that role on the project.
• "Decision options are greyed out." — You may be the requester or have already acted; you cannot act twice on the same step.

SLA & escalation

Two SLA timers per step:

• Soft SLA: sends a reminder to the approver. Default: 24 hours before the hard deadline.
• Hard SLA: triggers escalation — re-routes to the approver's manager, or to a configured fallback.

SLA timers pause during weekends and tenant holidays.

Permissions reference

Permission	Who needs it
APPROVAL_VIEW_OWN	Everyone
APPROVAL_ACT	Anyone who is an approver
APPROVAL_BULK	Senior managers
APPROVAL_REROUTE	PMs, Admins
APPROVAL_CANCEL_ANY	Admins only
WORKFLOW_CONFIGURE	Admins

See also: IPC, Variations, DMS.