Workflow Review & Approval¶

Overview¶

When a workflow is submitted for review, designated approvers are notified and must approve before the workflow can become active. This is a design-time review process — it happens before a workflow is activated and available for execution. This is separate from execution-time approval, which occurs when a user triggers an active workflow.

The review system provides:

• Real-time notifications via bell icon, toast messages, and Teams (coming soon)
• A dedicated review page with AI-powered risk analysis
• Multi-level approval chains with configurable logic
• An approval timeline showing progress through each level

How Review Works¶

graph LR
    A[Submit for Review] --> B[Approvers Notified]
    B --> C[Review Page]
    C --> D{Decision}
    D -->|Approve| E[Next Level / Active]
    D -->|Reject| F[Back to Draft]

    style A fill:#4285f4,color:#fff
    style B fill:#f4b400,color:#000
    style E fill:#0f9d58,color:#fff
    style F fill:#ea4335,color:#fff

For workflows with multi-level approval, the flow progresses sequentially:

graph LR
    A[Submit] --> B[Level 1 Review]
    B -->|Approved| C[Level 2 Review]
    C -->|Approved| D[Level 3 Review]
    D -->|Approved| E[Workflow Active]
    B -->|Rejected| F[Back to Draft]
    C -->|Rejected| F
    D -->|Rejected| F

    style E fill:#0f9d58,color:#fff
    style F fill:#ea4335,color:#fff

Notifications¶

Approvers are notified immediately when a workflow is submitted for their review. Multiple notification channels ensure no review request is missed.

Bell Icon & Pending Approvals¶

The bell icon in the top navigation bar shows a count of pending reviews assigned to you.

Screenshot: Bell icon in the nav bar showing pending review count

• The badge count updates every 60 seconds via polling
• Instant updates via SignalR when a new review is assigned
• Click the bell to open the Pending Approvals inbox

Pending Approvals Inbox¶

The Pending Approvals page provides a centralised view of all items awaiting your action.

Screenshot: The Pending Approvals inbox with tabs and review items

The inbox has three tabs:

Each item displays:

• Type badge — Distinguishes runtime approvals from workflow reviews
• Workflow name — The workflow awaiting review
• Details — Approval level and context
• Created time — When the review was requested
• Action button — Opens the review page

Real-Time Toast Notifications¶

Toast notifications appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen when a new review is assigned to you.

Screenshot: Toast notification for a new workflow review

• New review toasts show the workflow name, context, and a Review button
• Decision toasts notify the submitter of the approval outcome (green for approved, red for rejected)
• Toasts auto-dismiss after the timeout, or can be dismissed manually

Teams Notifications (Coming Soon)¶

When available, Teams notifications will provide:

• 1:1 direct messages to individual approvers with workflow details and a link to the review page
• Shared channel cards for non-specific approvals (e.g., when any pod member can approve)
• Approvers can click through from Teams directly to the review page

The Review Page¶

The review page is the central interface where approvers examine and decide on workflow submissions.

URL: /Automation/WorkflowReview/{workflowId}

Screenshot: The full review page with details on the left and approval panel on the right

The page uses a two-column layout:

• Left column — Workflow details, AI analysis, steps, and canvas visualisation
• Right column — Sticky approval panel with decision controls

Workflow Details (Left Column)¶

The left column provides all the information an approver needs to make an informed decision:

• Workflow name and description
• Tags assigned to the workflow
• AI Analysis card (see AI Analysis)
• Expandable detailed workflow steps — Raw description of each step
• Read-only canvas visualisation — Step cards and coloured connection arrows showing the execution flow

Screenshot: The read-only canvas showing workflow steps and connections

AI Analysis¶

The AI analysis is automatically generated when the review page loads. It examines the workflow steps and provides an intelligent summary to help approvers understand what the workflow does and identify potential risks.

Screenshot: The AI Analysis card showing summary, key steps, and risk assessment

The analysis includes:

Risk Severity Levels¶

Risks are colour-coded by severity:

Click Re-analyse to regenerate the AI analysis if the workflow has been updated or if you want a fresh assessment.

Approval Timeline (Multi-Level)¶

For workflows with multi-level approval configured, the approval timeline shows progress through each approval level.

Screenshot: The approval timeline showing progress through multiple levels

Each level in the timeline displays:

• Status badge — Current state of that level
• Level name — e.g., "Level 1: Team Lead", "Level 2: Manager"
• Logic type — Any One or All Required
• Approver actions — Who has approved, rejected, or is still pending

Levels are colour-coded:

Approval Panel (Right Column)¶

The approval panel is sticky — it stays visible while you scroll through the workflow details on the left.

Screenshot: The approval panel with comment box and approve/reject buttons

The panel shows:

• Current approval level — "You are approving at Level X"
• Comment textarea — Optional comments explaining your decision
• Approve button (green) — Approve the workflow at this level
• Reject button (red) — Reject the workflow

Panel States¶

Multi-Level Approval¶

Multi-level approval allows workflows to require sign-off from multiple stakeholders in sequence before activation.

How Levels Work¶

• Approval progresses sequentially: Level 1 → Level 2 → Level 3 → Active
• Each level must be fully approved before the next level's approvers are notified
• Rejection at any level immediately rejects the entire workflow — it returns to Draft status

Approval Logic¶

Each approval level can use one of two logic modes:

Approval Scopes¶

Approval configuration can be set at different scopes, with a priority resolution order:

Resolution order: Workflow → Pod-Client → Pod. If a workflow-level configuration exists, it takes precedence over pod-client and pod defaults.

Specific Reviewers¶

When specific employees are assigned as approvers at a level:

• Only those people can approve or reject at that level
• Other staff (even admins) will see "You are not an approver at the current approval level" on the review page
• Each approver receives individual notifications (bell + Teams when available)

Configuring Approval Levels¶

Approval levels are configured in the Workflow Designer:

1. Open the approval configuration in the Workflow Designer
2. Toggle Enable Multi-Level Approval
3. Add levels with a name, logic type (Any One / All Required), and approvers
4. Select approvers from the searchable employee dropdown
5. Levels execute in numeric order (Level 1, Level 2, etc.)

Demo: Configuring a single-level approval chain

Demo: Adding a second approval level for sequential sign-off

Submitting a Workflow for Review¶

To submit a workflow for review from the Workflow Designer:

1. Save all changes — The Save button should not be visible (all changes saved)
2. Run validation — Press V and ensure the workflow passes with no errors
3. Click "Submit for Review" in the toolbar

After submission:

• The workflow status changes to Awaiting Review (or "Awaiting Level 1 Approval" for multi-level)
• The workflow becomes locked from further editing until reviewed
• Approvers are immediately notified via bell icon and toast notifications

After Review¶

Approved¶

When a workflow is approved (all levels pass):

• The workflow becomes Active and available for execution
• The submitter receives a notification (toast + bell) confirming approval
• The workflow appears in the active workflows list and can be triggered by users

Rejected¶

When a workflow is rejected at any level:

• The workflow returns to Draft status
• The submitter receives a notification with the reviewer's comments
• The submitter can make changes in the designer and resubmit for review

Best Practices¶

For Reviewers¶

• Review the AI analysis before approving — it highlights risks you might miss
• Add comments explaining your approval or rejection reasoning
• Check the approval timeline to see who else has reviewed (for multi-level workflows)
• Coordinate with other approvers when "All Required" logic is used at your level
• Examine the canvas visualisation to understand the execution flow

For Submitters¶

• Run validation and fix all errors before submitting
• Write clear descriptions so reviewers understand the workflow's purpose
• Use meaningful step names that describe what each step does
• Test the workflow using test runs in the designer before submitting
• Review the AI analysis yourself before submitting — address any HIGH-risk concerns proactively

Next Steps¶

• Workflow Designer - Edit workflows and configure approval levels
• Creating Workflows - Build workflows from scratch
• Running Workflows - Execute approved workflows