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Prepare to Create a Classic Approval Process
Plan each classic approval process carefully to ensure a successful implementation.
Required Editions
| Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience |
| Available in: Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions |
Review the following checklist before creating your classic approval process.
- Prepare an approval request email template.
- Prepare an approval request post template.
- Determine the approval request sender.
- Determine the assigned approver.
- Determine the delegated approver.
- Decide if your approval process needs a filter.
- Design initial submission actions.
- Decide if users can approve requests from a wireless device.
- Determine if users can edit records that are awaiting approval.
- Decide if records should be auto-approved or rejected.
- Determine how many levels your process has.
- Determine the actions when an approval request is approved or rejected.
Which email template do you want to use for approval requests?
The email template you specify on an approval process is used when notifying users that an approval request is assigned to them. You can use the Salesforce default email template or create your own template. Include the appropriate approval process merge fields to link directly to the approval request. Does your org have email approval response enabled? If so, the default email template includes instructions for replying to an approval request. Type approve, approved, yes, reject, rejected, or no in the first line of the email body and add comments in the second line.
Which Chatter post template do you want to use for approval requests?
If your org has Approvals in Chatter enabled, specify an approval post template to use when notifying a user via Chatter about an assigned approval request. You can use the Salesforce default post template or create your own.
Who is the sender of approval requests?
Approval request notifications are sent from the user who submitted the record for approval. When you configure an email alert, you can add a different return email address for these notifications. You can choose the email address of the default workflow user or a previously configured and verified org-wide address. Determine which email address to use.
Who can approve requests?
Any of the following can approve or reject a request.
- A user or queue that the approval request submitter chooses.
- A queue specified by the administrator.
- A user listed in the Manager standard field on the submitter’s user detail page.
- A user listed in a custom hierarchy field on the submitter’s user detail page.
- Any combination of users and related users (users listed in a standard or custom field on the submitted record) specified by the administrator.
Do you want approval requests delegated to another user for approval?
An approver can designate a delegate to approve requests, but you can disable this option. To assign delegates, populate the Delegated Approver field for each user’s detail page.
Which records are included in this process?
Determine what attributes a record must have to be included in your approval process. If necessary, create the custom fields to store this information so that you can use it in your filter criteria. For example, if you want to include expense records from your headquarters office only, create a custom picklist field called Office Location that has two options: “HQ” and “Field.” Then, you would specify in your filter criteria that records must have “HQ” in the Office Location field to be included in the approval process.
What happens when a record is first submitted for approval?
When users submit a record for approval, Salesforce automatically locks the record so that other users can’t change it while it’s awaiting approval. You can still add campaign members to campaigns locked for approval.
Decide if you want other workflow actions to happen when a record is first submitted, such as email alerts, tasks, field updates, and outbound messages. These actions become your initial submission actions.
Can users approve requests from a mobile device?
Determine if you want to require users to log in to Salesforce to approve requests. You can also set up your approval process to allow users to approve requests remotely using a mobile browser.
Who can edit records that are awaiting approval?
Records submitted for approval are locked. Users with the “Modify All Records” object-level permission for the given object or the “Modify All Data” permission can always unlock a record and edit it. You can also specify that the currently assigned approver can edit the record. You can still add campaign members to campaigns locked for approval.
Can records be automatically approved, rejected, or skipped based on certain criteria?
You can set entry criteria for each step of your process. Configure Salesforce to approve, reject, or skip the process if a record doesn’t meet the criteria. For example, all expenses submitted with an Amount less than $15 are automatically approved.
How many people have to approve these requests?
An approval process can have several layers of approvals. Determine how many users have to approve requests and in what order.
What happens when a request is approved or rejected?
When a request is recalled, approved, or rejected, Salesforce can perform up to 10 instances of each of the following types of actions—up to 40 actions total. You can also configure up to 40 actions to occur when a record has received all necessary approvals or is rejected.
