Introduction to F2 Approvals

The F2 Approvals add-on module provides a fast and easy way of quality assuring work using an efficient and effective approval flow. This add-on aims to simplify the process of approving material. Approvals also helps an organisation ensure that its formal approval processes are kept.

Approvals can be used when one or more people need to have a piece of work formally approved. This may be a meeting agenda, internal regulations, or an answer to either a citizen or an authority.

F2 Signed Approvals is an add-on that streamlines the process of approving and signing documents by merging approver signatures.

Who can create approval flows?

By default, all F2 users can start an approval and define which user(s) should approve the attached material, which users should be oriented about the approval, and set a deadline for the approval. If needed, an approval template can be configured so that all approvals follow a fixed flow.

A secretariat or similar can act as a gatekeeper and manage approvals on behalf of a gated approver. Read more in F2 Gateway Approvals.

Roles in approval flows

An approval contains two main roles:

  • The responsible: The person who initiates the approval.

  • The approver: One or more persons who are to approve the submitted material.

Each approver is linked to a step in the approval process and can carry out the following approval actions:

  • Approve

  • Return, including conditional approval.

It is possible to add comments, and the approver can manage the approval process by either returning or conditionally approving. If the approver on a given step decides to return the approval, they can suggest on which step to resume the process. This allows the approver to take control of the approval process.

Copy recipients

One or more copy recipients can be added to an approval step.

Approve on behalf of other users

It is possible to grant rights to approve on behalf of other users or the user’s unit, if a unit is chosen as approver. The user with the “On behalf of” rights has the same approval actions available as the original approver.

Approvals can be processed in F2 Desktop, F2 Manager, and in F2 Touch.

Steps in the approval flow

All approvals consist of a number of steps. The steps included in an approval are determined by the requirements of each approval. An approval can be saved as an approval template on a personal, unit, and organisational level.