Can an Approver of a request be an Item Property?


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Can I select an Item Properties as a Approver of a request?


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Userlevel 6
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You can set it on a workflow variable?

Why do you need it on an Item Property?

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I have a workflow that requires three levels of approval, and depending on who the initiator selects on the request form is who the Request Approval notification needs to be sent to.  Any ideas on how to accomplish this?

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Dag Fernando! You are on every question! grin.png

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The workflow could be a 3 state workflow. So you could use a state machine. After the first user approves...it goes to the next state...and so on. There will be a flexi-task in each state which says who the notification goes to. You can create a list that has the approvers in it for each role/state.

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My issue is I need to send to the specific person the initiator selects (item property), and one approver only needs approve it is a certain type of cost center. So my workflow is setup as:

1. Request approval Financial Steward -if approved

2. Request approval Director - if approved and continue on if .......

3.Request approval Finance Director

My issues are:

A.) I need to be able to select certain individuals for each of the above

I created SharePoint groups for the above and refined by Start Page so I could select who is to receive for each of the above. It is still sending to everyone in each group even though I select an individual.

B) And this is a biggie the 3rd approver only needs to approve if a certain condition (or run if) exists. On this one I need the workflow to continue if a certain type of cost center is selected by the initiator.  I have looked at the Run If and cannot figure out to exclude the not needed cost centers, there are alot of them.

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This still fits the solution I recommended. Create a list. In the list, create Role, Cost center, Primary approver, Secondary approver fields. So for example, the first item may be Role = Financial Steward. Primary = the person who is the primary approver. Secondary = the backup person. Use people pickers for the primary and secondary.

In the workflow, create variables based on field columns for the approver list. Do a Query List action and return those fields based on the cost center. Set up the state machine like I said for each approver. When the state get to the 3rd approver, use a run if action before the flexi-task to check the cost center. You will have the value in the workflow variable.

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I think I figured out the Run If  - I broke up the cost centers into base and incremental and selected Run if Incremental value equals N/A.

I cannot publish a workflow without placing approvers in the Aprrovers field of Request Approval. Getting so frustated!!!! I need to be able send only to a specific person.

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I will try this, but I think I will have to set conditions or run if's

There are 8 Financial Stewards and they only approve for the area of the organization.  Won't I have to filter out the ones who should not receive the approval notification?

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Lets say the Initator selected Cost Center 1234. In your List Query, you will only pull back the item for cost center 1234. So you will get the Primary and Secondary approvers. In case the primary is on vacation, out sick, etc there needs to be a backup. That backup will already have permissions to approve. They will have to know not to approve based on whatever your rule is for them. It could be base on after x number of days.

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Thank you.  I am very very very new at this.

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Oh its ok. I understand. I've done a solution like this before. Do you understand it? Does it sound like it'll work for you?

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I am setting it up now and will test.  I hope it will work, or I won't have any hair left to pull out!!!

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cool.png It will work! Mine is...

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Can you share a screenshot?  Not sure why it's still going to all.

From what I have read, you should be able to specify the type of approval/approver  needed via Metadata such as approval type.

Then you would use a flexi-task and assign that to the right SharePoint group. It should be really simple.  I would recommend a state machine action as well and ensure your work flow is not running  on Modified.  You may also need to put in some pauses or wait until field changes to keep the states from checking and writing to the logs every two minutes or so.

Userlevel 5
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Hi Suzzanne,

Just to answer your original question (in case anyone else is wondering) the answer is Yes.   You can use a field of People type in your List and then reference this Item Property in Flexi Task approver box.

Thanks,

Mike

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