Need to setup an approval flow

[Naveen Suneja]

We designed a request type that allows any employe to request group access on AD. However, we want the request to go to the approver first, and only after that should it proceed to the next stage for access. Additionally, we want this approval workflow to be specific to this request type, with no influence on other request types. What is the most probable solution to this?

[Rik de Valk _Brainboss_ · Accepted solution]

Hi @Naveen Suneja , 

A workflow is attached to a Work Item Type. So if you need a specific workflow, you will need to use a specific Work Item Type. 

A common solution is to use the Work Item Type 'Service request' for normal request types (without approval) and use the Work Item Type 'Service request with approval' for request types that require approval. 

You can read more about approvals here: https://support.atlassian.com/jira-service-management-cloud/docs/what-are-approvals/ 

Hope that helps. 

Have a nice day! 

Rik 

[Shreyas_Quietmill]

@Naveen Suneja 

Rik and ben have the shape covered between them: the approval lives on a workflow status, and the workflow follows the work type — so a dedicated work type with its own workflow is what keeps the approval specific to this one request type. Two catches are worth knowing before you build it, because both make a correct setup look broken:

The approver field needs Global context. If you create a custom user picker for this approval and scope it to your project, it silently disappears from the approval configuration in the workflow editor — only fields with Global context are offered there. This is the usual reason the field you just created seems to be missing when you add the approval (https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/JSDCLOUD-10251).

Fill the approver before the request enters the approval status. The approval step reads its field at the moment the request lands on the status. If an automation rule sets the approver on that same transition, it can lose the race, and the approval spawns with nobody in it. A short triage status in front fixes it: the rule runs there, fills the field, then transitions into the approval status.

I wrote up the full mechanics of who can approve — including how this changes in team-managed projects — here: https://community.atlassian.com/forums/App-Central-articles/Who-Can-Approve-in-JSM-Restricting-and-Mapping-Approvers-Company/ba-p/3272822

[Ben Friedman _Ben_viter_io_]

Hi @Naveen Suneja  it depends a bit on your current setup of the service desk.

Generally, an approval is a property that can be set in the workflow to which a request type is tied to (via the work type).

To have no affect on other request types, you need to make sure the workflow of that  request's type is unique to that work type only!

For the approval itself, in the workflow, it sounds like you need a preceeding status (before it gets to the next access step). On that status in the workflow editor, click it, and add an approval. if you dont see the option to approve this can mean the field on which the approval is based on (usually a user based field) is not available in the request or the field scheme of the project. 

to note, the approver can be a JSM agent, or also a user that doesnt have a jira license.

feel free to ping back if you need anythign else