Understanding the Approval Process in Salesforce

Understanding the Approval Process in Salesforce 

In Salesforce, an Approval Process is an automated workflow designed to streamline and standardize the approval of records within an organization. This feature is crucial for managing approvals in various business scenarios, such as discount requests, expense approvals, leave applications, and contract approvals. By automating these workflows, Salesforce enhances efficiency, maintains compliance, and ensures structured decision-making. 

 

Key Components of an Approval Process 

An approval process in Salesforce consists of several essential components: 

1. Entry Criteria: Defines the conditions that a record must meet before it enters the approval process. 

1. Approval Steps: Determines the sequence of approvers who must review and approve/reject the request. 

1. Assigned Approvers: Specifies individuals or groups (users, queues, or dynamic approvers) responsible for approving the request. 

1. Approval Actions: Actions executed when an approval is granted (e.g., updating a field, sending notifications, or unlocking a record). 

1. Final Approval Actions: Actions performed when a request is fully approved (e.g., changing the status to “Approved” or triggering another workflow). 

1. Final Rejection Actions: Actions executed when a request is completely rejected (e.g., sending a rejection email or updating the record status to “Rejected”). 

1. Recall Actions: Actions taken when a user recalls a pending approval request before a final decision is made. 

 

How to Create an Approval Process in Salesforce 

Creating an approval process in Salesforce involves the following steps: 

Step 1: Navigate to Approval Processes 

• Go to Setup → Process Automation → Approval Processes. 

Step 2: Choose the Object 

• Select the object (e.g., Opportunity, Expense Report, or Custom Object) that requires the approval process. 

Step 3: Define Entry Criteria 

• Set conditions that must be met for a record to enter the approval process. Example: “Expense Amount > $500.” 

Step 4: Specify Approval Steps 

• Define how many approval levels are required. 

• Assign approvers (individual users, managers, roles, or dynamic approvers based on record fields). 

• Determine whether approvals should be sequential (one-by-one) or parallel (multiple approvers simultaneously). 

Step 5: Configure Actions for Approval and Rejection 

• Set up actions that take place upon approval or rejection, such as: 

• Sending email notifications. 

• Updating record status fields. 

• Creating tasks for follow-ups. 

Step 6: Define Final Approval and Rejection Actions 

• Specify what happens when the record gets fully approved (e.g., updating the status to “Approved” and unlocking the record). 

• Define rejection actions, such as notifying the requester or reverting changes. 

Step 7: Activate the Approval Process 

• Once all steps and actions are configured, activate the approval process to make it live. 

 

Example Use Case: Expense Approval Process 

Scenario: 

A company wants an expense approval process that follows these conditions: 

• If an expense exceeds $500, it must be approved by a manager. 

• If it exceeds $5,000, it must also be approved by the finance team. 

• Once approved, the record’s status updates to “Approved.” 

• If rejected, the requester is notified via email. 

• The approval request can be recalled if needed before a decision is made. 

Implementation: 

1. Object: Expense Report 

1. Entry Criteria: Expense Amount > $500 

1. Approval Steps: 

• Manager approves expenses between $500 – $5,000. 

• Finance team approves expenses above $5,000. 

1. Actions: 

• Approval: Change status to “Approved,” send notification to finance. 

• Rejection: Update status to “Rejected,” notify requester. 

• Recall: Notify the approvers and remove pending approval requests. 

This ensures a structured and transparent approval flow within the organization. 

 

Benefits of Using Approval Processes in Salesforce 

1. Automation of Business Approvals

Approval processes eliminate the need for manual approval handling, reducing errors and processing time. 

2. Compliance and Policy Enforcement

By defining clear approval criteria and approvers, organizations can enforce internal policies effectively. 

3. Increased Efficiency and Productivity

Approval processes speed up decision-making and keep business operations running smoothly. 

4. Improved Transparency and Audit Trail

Salesforce automatically records approval history, providing an audit trail for compliance and accountability. 

5. Enhanced Collaboration

Approval processes enable collaboration between teams by notifying stakeholders at every stage of the approval cycle. 

 

Conclusion 

Salesforce’s Approval Process is a powerful tool that streamlines business workflows, enforces compliance, and improves efficiency. Whether for expense approvals, contract validations, or discount approvals, leveraging approval processes ensures a standardized and automated approach to business decision-making. By carefully configuring the approval steps, actions, and roles, organizations can achieve a seamless and error-free approval workflow.