Skip to main content
Version: Current

Approval Milestones and Steps

Structure complex approval processes logically by organising them into milestones and steps using Zudello's Automation Sentences. This guide explains how to configure these elements for clear and manageable workflows.

Best practices​

  • For Manual Configuration (User/Group approvals):

    • Use clear and descriptive names for milestones and steps (e.g., "Finance Review Milestone", "Manager Approval Step")
    • Group related approval actions within a single milestone
    • Use separate milestones for distinct stages of approval (e.g., Department Approval, Finance Approval, Final Approval)
    • Keep the number of steps within a milestone manageable

  • For DOA-based Approvals:

    • Ensure your DOA dataset is properly configured before creating DOA-based approval sentences
    • Review the DOA dataset structure to understand how milestones and steps will be automatically generated
    • Test with documents of various values to verify the correct approval tiers are triggered
    • Remember that you cannot override the automatic milestone/step generation - any changes must be made in the DOA dataset configuration

  • General Best Practices:

    • Test your configured approval flows thoroughly with different scenarios
    • Document your approval logic for future reference
    • Regularly review and update approval configurations as organizational structures change

Understanding Milestones and Steps​

Zudello's approval system, primarily configured via Sentences, uses a hierarchical structure:

  • Approval Flow: The overall container for the entire approval process for a specific document. A document can have one active approval flow at a time.
  • Approval Milestone: Represents a distinct stage or phase within the approval flow. All steps within a milestone must be completed (approved) before the flow can proceed to the next milestone. If any step within a milestone is rejected, the entire milestone is considered rejected.
  • Approval Step: Represents a specific approval action required within a milestone. This could involve getting approval from a specific user, a user group, or based on a DOA dataset. Multiple steps can run concurrently within a single milestone.

This structure allows you to build sophisticated workflows, such as requiring parallel approvals from different departments within one milestone before moving to a final finance review in the next milestone.

Automatic Milestone and Step Generation from DOA Datasets​

When using specific approval actions that leverage DOA (Delegation of Authority) datasets, milestones and steps are automatically generated based on the DOA dataset configuration. This applies to:

  • Get approval from DOA: Milestones and steps are created automatically based on the financial thresholds and approval tiers defined in the DOA dataset
  • Get approval from a management tree: Steps are generated based on the management hierarchy levels defined in the DOA dataset

How Automatic Generation Works​

  1. DOA-based Approvals: When you configure a "Get approval from DOA" action, Zudello:

    • Evaluates the document value against the DOA dataset thresholds
    • Automatically creates milestones for each approval tier that needs to be satisfied
    • Names milestones based on the approval tier (e.g., "Level 1 Approval", "Level 2 Approval")
    • Creates steps within each milestone for the specific approvers defined at that tier

  2. Management Tree Approvals: When you configure a "Get approval from a management tree" action, Zudello:

    • Uses the DOA dataset to determine the management hierarchy
    • Automatically creates steps for each level of management that needs to approve
    • Groups these steps into logical milestones based on the organizational structure

Important: For these approval types, you cannot manually configure milestone and step names or structure. The configuration comes entirely from the DOA dataset setup.

Configuring in Sentences​

The configuration approach for milestones and steps depends on the type of approval action you're using:

Manual Configuration (User and User Group Approvals)​

For Get approval from User and Get approval from User Group actions, you can manually configure milestones and steps:

  1. Navigate to Automations: Go to Settings > Automations.
  2. Create or Edit Sentence: Start a new Sentence or edit an existing one designed for approvals (e.g., triggered when a document is submitted).
  3. Add "Get Approval" Action: In the Actions section, add either Get approval from User or Get approval from User Group.
  4. Configure Milestone:
    • Milestone Name: Enter a descriptive name for this stage of the approval (e.g., "Department Manager Approval"). This name will be visible to users in the approval flow display on the document.
  5. Configure Step:
    • Step Name: Enter a descriptive name for this specific approval task (e.g., "Marketing Dept Approval", "IT Dept Approval"). This is also visible to users.
    • Configure Approvers: Select the specific User or User Group required for this step.
    • Configure Step Options: Set options like Criteria Pass/Fail, Notify, Apply Previous, Include Submitter as needed for this specific step.
  6. Add More Steps (within the same Milestone): To add another parallel approval step within the same milestone, add another "Get Approval" action immediately following the previous one without adding any other action types in between. Configure its Step Name and approvers.
  7. Add More Milestones: To create a new, subsequent milestone, add a different type of action (e.g., Add Note) after the last "Get Approval" action of the previous milestone. Then, add the new "Get Approval" action(s) for the new milestone.

Automatic Configuration (DOA and Management Tree Approvals)​

For Get approval from DOA and Get approval from a management tree actions:

  1. Navigate to Automations: Go to Settings > Automations.
  2. Create or Edit Sentence: Start a new Sentence or edit an existing one.
  3. Add DOA-based Action: Add either Get approval from DOA or Get approval from a management tree.
  4. Select DOA Dataset: Choose the appropriate DOA dataset that contains your approval hierarchy and thresholds.
  5. Configure Options: Set any additional options like notifications or criteria, but note that:
    • You cannot set Milestone Names - These are automatically generated based on approval tiers
    • You cannot set Step Names - These are automatically created based on the approvers at each tier
    • The entire milestone/step structure is determined by the DOA dataset configuration

Note: Before using DOA-based approvals, ensure your DOA dataset is properly configured with the appropriate approval tiers, thresholds, and approvers. See Configuring DOA Datasets for details.

Example Structures​

Manual Configuration Example (User/Group Approvals):​

  • Action 1: Get Approval from User Group (Milestone: "Dept Review", Step: "Marketing Approval", Approver: Marketing Group)
  • Action 2: Get Approval from User Group (Milestone: "Dept Review", Step: "Sales Approval", Approver: Sales Group)
    • Result: Milestone 1 ("Dept Review") has two parallel steps.
  • Action 3: Add Note (Text: "Department review complete, proceeding to finance.")
  • Action 4: Get Approval from User Group (Milestone: "Finance Review", Step: "Finance Team Approval", Approver: Finance Group)
    • Result: Milestone 2 ("Finance Review") is created with one step.

Automatic Configuration Example (DOA-based Approvals):​

Consider a DOA dataset configured with these tiers:

  • Tier 1: Up to $5,000 - Team Lead approval
  • Tier 2: $5,001 to $25,000 - Department Manager approval
  • Tier 3: Above $25,000 - Director approval

When you add a single Get approval from DOA action for a $30,000 invoice:

  • Automatically Generated Structure:
    • Milestone 1: "Tier 1 Approval"
      • Step: "Team Lead Approval" (assigned to relevant Team Lead)
    • Milestone 2: "Tier 2 Approval"
      • Step: "Department Manager Approval" (assigned to relevant Manager)
    • Milestone 3: "Tier 3 Approval"
      • Step: "Director Approval" (assigned to relevant Director)

The system automatically creates all necessary milestones and steps based on the document value and DOA configuration. You don't need to manually add multiple actions or configure milestone/step names.

User Experience​

Users viewing a document in approval will see the configured milestones and steps clearly laid out at the top of the document viewer, showing the progress and who needs to act next.