Approval Flows (Workflow Management)

Overview #

The Approval Flow module, also known as Workflow Management, helps your organization manage requests through a structured approval hierarchy.

With Office-X, you can create approval workflows dynamically, from simple one-step approvals to complex multi-step approval chains. These workflows help ensure that every request goes to the right approver and follows the correct approval process.

You can create approval flows for different request types such as:

• Leave Requests
• Bill Approvals
• Purchase Requests
• Travel Requests

Video Guide #

You can watch the video guide here:

What You Can Do #

With Approval Flow, you can:

• Create approval workflows for different request types.
• Define who the approval flow applies to.
• Define who should be excluded from the flow.
• Configure step-by-step approval hierarchy.
• Assign approvers dynamically.
• Send in-app notifications and emails to approvers.
• Route requests automatically across multiple approval levels.
• Allow selected Leave Request approvers to cancel already approved leave when required.

Supported Features #

You can create approval flows for:

• Leave Requests – Employee leave applications.
• Bill Approval – Bill or payment approvals.
• Purchase Requests – Purchase order approvals.
• Travel Requests – Travel expense approvals.

Note: The Can Cancel Approved Leave option is available only when the selected feature is Leave Request.

Who Can Use This Feature? #

The Approval Flow feature is available to authorized admin users who have access to the Admin module and Approval Flow management.

Usually, this feature is managed by:

• Subscriber Admin
• Tenant Admin
• Authorized admin users with Approval Flow permission

Access Approval Flow #

To open Approval Flow:

1. Log in to Office-X.
2. Go to Admin.
3. Open Approval Flow.
4. Click Add New Flow to create a new approval workflow.

Navigation path:

Admin → Approval Flow → Add New Flow

How the Approval Flow Works #

Creating an approval flow follows a guided 5-step process:

1. Select Feature
2. Applicability
3. Exceptions
4. Approval Steps
5. Review & Create

Step 1: Select Feature #

In this step, select the request type for which you want to create the approval flow.

Available features may include:

• Leave Requests
• Bill Approval
• Purchase Requests
• Travel Requests

Only one feature can be selected per approval flow.

Step 2: Applicability #

In this step, define who this approval flow applies to.

You can apply the flow based on:

• Gender
• Department
• Designation
• Team
• Individual Employee

At least one applicability rule is required.

Step 3: Exceptions #

In this step, define who should be excluded from the approval flow.

Exception types may include:

• Gender
• Department
• Designation
• Team
• Employee

If a user matches both Applicability and Exceptions, the Exception rule takes priority.

Step 4: Approval Steps #

In this step, define the approval hierarchy step by step.

Each approval step includes:

• Step Name
• Approver Type
• Notification settings
• Email settings
• Leave cancellation eligibility, only for Leave Request flows

Add Step Name #

Enter a clear step name that explains the purpose of the approval step.

Select Approver Type #

You can select who will approve the request in each step. Available approver types may include:

Approver Types #

• Select Employees: Select this option when you want to manually choose one or more employees as approvers.
• Reporting Manager: Select this option when the requester’s direct Reporting Manager should approve the request. When selected, Office-X automatically routes the request to the requester’s Reporting Manager.
• Company Admin: Select this option when the company-level admin should approve the request.

If Reporting Manager or Company Admin is selected, manual employee selection is disabled.

Send Notification #

Enable Send Notification when you want the approver to receive an in-app notification for the approval request.

If enabled:

• The approver receives an in-app notification.
• The notification helps the approver quickly identify pending approval work.

Send Email #

Enable Send Email when you want the approver to receive an email notification for the approval request.

If enabled:

• The approver receives an email about the request.
• The email helps ensure the approver is informed even when they are not actively using the system.

Can Cancel Approved Leave #

The Can Cancel Approved Leave option appears only when the selected feature is Leave Request.

This option allows approvers in that specific approval step to cancel a leave request after it has already been approved.

Enable this option when the approver in the step should have authority to cancel approved leave.

If this option is disabled, approvers in that step can approve or reject the leave request based on the normal approval process, but they cannot cancel an already approved leave.

Important Notes #

• This option is available only for Leave Request approval flows.
• This option does not appear for Bill Approval, Purchase Requests, or Travel Requests.
• The option applies only to the approver or approvers configured in that specific step.
• A user must still be an eligible approver for that step to cancel approved leave.

Multi-Step Approval Flow #

You can add one or multiple approval steps. Approval steps are executed sequentially. A request moves to the next step only after the current step is approved.

Step 5: Review & Create #

Before saving the approval flow, the system displays a full summary.

The summary may include:

• Selected feature
• Applicability rules
• Exception rules
• Approval steps
• Approver types
• Notification settings
• Email settings
• Can Cancel Approved Leave setting, if the feature is Leave Request

Review the details carefully before creating the approval flow.

Click Create Approval Flow to save the workflow.

After Creating an Approval Flow #

After an approval flow is created, it appears in the Approval Flow list.

From the list, authorized users can:

• View workflow details
• Edit workflow rules or steps
• Delete the approval flow

View Approval Flow #

Use View to review the full workflow in read-only mode.

The details page may show:

• Feature
• Applicability rules
• Exception rules
• Approval steps
• Approver information
• Notification and email settings
• Can Cancel Approved Leave setting for Leave Request flows

Edit Approval Flow #

Use Edit to update an existing approval flow.

You can modify:

• Applicability rules
• Exception rules
• Approval steps
• Approver type
• Notification settings
• Email settings
• Can Cancel Approved Leave setting, if the feature is Leave Request

Important: Editing an approval flow does not affect requests that are already in progress. Updated rules apply only to new requests submitted after the edit.

Delete Approval Flow #

Use Delete to remove an approval flow when it is no longer needed. Before deleting, make sure the flow is not required for future requests.