New Features

The following features are new to Intelligent Workflow Approvals in this release.

Header and Line Item Approval with Line Item Preview

This feature enables you to set up one consolidated approval process for any standard or custom object (header) and its related objects (child line items). For example, you can set up one approval process for a Quote Header and Quote Line items; Agreement Header, Agreement Clauses and Agreement Line Items; Opportunity and Opportunity Products; and route all approvals for the header and line items at the same time. The Header and Line Item Approval with Line Item Preview feature provide the following additional capabilities:

• Approval Required Check: An Approval Required Check is run on parent and its related child objects to validate whether the approval is needed whenever any change is made to the object. Approval Required Check sets the approval status of the header and line items to "Approval Required" to provide quick visibility whether an approval is required.
• Overall and Line Item specific Preview: Enables you to preview all approvals needed for the object or a specific child line item before you submit an approval request.
• Grouping of Related Approval items: Organizes related approvals into approval groups to enable you to view related approval items at one place when you check the approval preview or approval status.
• Line Item Approval: Routes individual line items as separate approval requests so that each line item can be approved or rejected independently of the other line items.
• The Separate business justification for each approval group: Requestors can provide separate business justification for each approval group before submitting an approval request.
• My Approvals: Approvers can view all the approvals needed for the object on a single My Approvals page and take mass actions for approve or reject. Approvers can decide to approve a subset of approval items and reject other approval items. Approvers can also take ownership of the queue that they are part of. Additionally, the My Approvals page displays all the comments entered by other approvers.
• Consolidated Notifications and Email Approvals: Approvers receive consolidated email notification for all the approvals for header and line items after all approval items become available for approval. Approvers can also approve all or reject all approval requests from an email. This prevents approvers from receiving multiple approval notifications for the same document; thus reducing the time needed for a document approval. This is supported for users, queues, and roles. Consolidated notifications and approvals provide two options:
  • Option 1 - Consolidated Notifications: Approvers get a single approval email notification, and can approve all or reject all from email, mass approve or reject from the My Approvals page, or selectively approve / reject from "My Approvals" page
  • Option 2 - Consolidated Approvals: Approvers get single approval email notification, can approve all / reject all from email, mass approve / reject from "My Approvals" page. However, users are not allowed to selectively approve / reject from "My Approvals" page.
• Incremental Approvals: During iterative changes to the line items or header, previously approved line items are not routed for approval unless they are changed.
• Auto Re-approval: Provides the ability to automatically re-approve previously approved items during re-submission based on auto re-approval conditions defined for each approval step. For example, if a discount was approved at 45% by a Pricing Analyst and later reduced to 30%, then Pricing Analyst step is re-approved.
• Continue pending approval on a reject: Provides an option to enable approvals from mutually independent groups to continue when one or more of the approval items is rejected by a different approval group. For example, Pricing Approvals can continue if the Legal team has rejected the quote for some legal terms and conditions and is sent back to the requestor after all the pricing approvals are completed.
• Display approval conditions details for each approval step: You can choose to add relevant information from header or line item object for each approval step. For example, for each approval on the line item, you can display product name, discount %, price, and deal guidance parameters that are available to approvers for quick reference. You can also display a business description for each approval condition to specify the reason for an approval.
• Use of fields from related objects as a reference in approval definition: You can setup fields from objects related to an approval object as reference fields to be used in the approval process definition. For example, you can setup fields from Account and Opportunity as approval reference fields to be used in the CPQ Approval process definition. These reference fields can be used in process criteria, step criteria, approval rules, auto re-approval rules, or as display fields on approval details page. These reference fields can also be used in Approval Required Check setup.
• Approval Rule (Condition): A new approval rule of type Condition is now available to enable complex auto approval and auto re-approval criteria. Auto re-approval rules are not supported for an approval rule of type Dimension.

CPQ Cart Approvals Preview from Quote

This feature enables you to launch a detailed approvals preview page based on the current shopping cart (Product Configuration), from the Quote/Proposal record. It includes Return, Submit, and Cancel actions. This functionality is the same as initiating approvals from the shopping cart; however, instead of using the product configuration you are actively working on, the most recent product configuration from the Configurations related list on the Quote/Proposal record is shown in the preview.

Consolidated Approvals for CPQ

In addition to sending out consolidated approval requests, you can have approvals for both the Header and Line Items handled at the same time.

Support for Apttus Advanced Approvals from Communities

Approvals are now supported for Partner Managed Quotes and Contracts using Salesforce Communities. Your channel partners can create quotes, contracts, and also access all the approval functions that are available to your internal employees.

New Enhancements

The following section describes existing feature that is changed (or are no longer supported) in this release.

Approval History and Comments of an Approval Request

This enhancement was part of the AWA 7.1 Patch. The Approval History page has been enhanced to show appropriate comments from the system or the user and to capture all the approval actions and events. The following enhancements are available:

• The user generated comments and the system generated comments are differentiated.
• If an approver does not enter comments for Approve or Reject actions, appropriate date and timestamps appear.
• Approval actions and events are captured for all use cases.
• Entries unrelated to the approval request are not created.

The following enhancements are available for Email approval and comments through email approval:

• Issues fixed related to email approval adding signature or previous email content as approval comments as long as approver follows the email approval instructions.
• Use the Approve / Reject key words in the very first line.
• Add comment in the immediate second line.
• End comments with a blank line.