Hosting Controller ExSign - Configuring Approval Workflows

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ExSign

Configuring Approval Workflows

This page only applies if you've enabled Entity-Level or Organization-Level approval workflows (see System Settings for Exchange Server). On the Default setting, rules publish directly, and there's nothing to configure here.

A workflow is made up of one or more levels; approval stages a rule-publishing request must pass through before it actually goes live. This is what puts a rule into the In Process status you'd see on Publishing and Managing Rules: if a level's approvers withhold consent, the request doesn't move forward and stays pending.

Viewing Workflows

Navigate to the left menu, under Advanced Options, and click Workflows, then select an Entity from the list to see its workflow(s).

Column	Shows
Entity Name	Which Exchange environment this workflow applies to
Total Levels	How many approval stages this workflow has
Created Date	When the workflow was created
Actions	Edit or delete

Whether you see one workflow per entity or one per organization within it depends on which mode you chose under System Settings for Exchange Server. Entity Level gives each entity one shared workflow; Organization Level gives each organization its own.

Creating a Workflow

Click + New Workflow. This single form covers both the workflow itself and its approval levels; you don't create the workflow, then separately add a level; it's all one flow.

the Approval Manager group you'll select below must already exist. Create it first on Managing Users & Roles, doing so creates a matching security group in the ExSign Portal Active Directory. Members of that group are the pool of people who can act as approvers at any level of this workflow.

Field	What it is
Entity Name	Shown automatically, based on the entity you selected before clicking New Workflow
Select Approval Manager	The Approval Manager group (created on Managing Users & Roles) backing this workflow, this is the pool each level's approvers are chosen from.
Assigned Organizations	Choose which organizations under this entity this workflow covers

Then configure Level 1 (and add more levels as needed):

Select Users: choose one or more members from that same Approval Manager group. act as approvers specifically at this level. Different levels can use different members of the group.
Approval condition: pick one:

Option	The Request Advances to the Next Level When
Any	Any one member at this level approves
Major	More than half of the members at this level approve
All	Every member at this level approves

Click + New Level to add another stage, each additional level gets its own Select Users and Any/Major/All setting. Click to remove that level before saving.

Click Save once your levels are set up.

Choosing how many levels to use: a single level works for straightforward one-tier sign-off. Use multiple levels if you want sequential escalation, for example, a team lead approves first, then compliance signs off afterward.

Removing a Level

Click on the level you want to remove.

if you delete a level that sits above others, the level below it is automatically promoted to take its place, levels stay numbered continuously rather than leaving a gap. Keep this in mind if the specific order of your levels matters.

Editing a Workflow

Under Actions, click and modify the workflow as needed.