Troubleshooting: Approval History Missing or Incorrect

Problem

The approval history displayed in the document viewer or the downloaded Approval History PDF is missing steps, shows incorrect users/statuses, or lacks expected details (like rejection reasons or change reasons).

Common Causes

1. Approval Process Not Triggered: The document never actually entered the expected approval workflow (e.g., Sentence conditions weren't met, trigger didn't fire). Check the main Audit History for status changes.
2. Workflow Configuration Changed: The Sentence or Workflow configuration was changed after the document completed its approval process. The history reflects the state at the time the approval occurred.
3. Steps Skipped:
   • "Remember Response": Steps might have been automatically actioned due to the "Remember Response" setting, which might appear less detailed than manual actions.
   • Force Approve: An administrator used "Force Approve", marking steps as FORCED instead of APPROVED/REJECTED.
4. Incorrect Reason Capture: The user performing an action (Reject, Change Approver, Force Approve) did not enter a reason, or the reason entered was unclear.
5. Data Display Issue (UI Glitch): A temporary issue might prevent the front-end from correctly rendering the full history data stored in the backend.
6. Incomplete Data Logging (Rare): In rare cases, a system error might prevent a specific approval action or reason from being logged correctly in the database.
7. Misunderstanding the Flow: Confusion about which milestone/step was expected versus what was actually configured and executed.

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Compare with Audit History:
   • Open the document and view the main Audit History tab.
   • Look for status changes into and out of APPROVAL type statuses.
   • Look for ApprovalMilestone and ApprovalStep creation and updates. Does the sequence of events in the Audit History align with what's shown (or missing) in the Approval Flow display?
2. Verify Workflow Execution:
   • Check Automation Logs (Admin/Staff) for the document. Did the expected approval Sentence(s) run? Were there any errors?
3. Check Current Workflow Configuration: Review the active Sentence(s) that should have handled the approval. Does the configured flow (milestones, steps, approvers) match what you expected to see in the history? Remember, the history shows what did run, which might differ from the current configuration if it was changed.
4. Review Step/Response Statuses:
   • Carefully examine the statuses shown for each step and user response in the Approval Flow display (APPROVED, REJECTED, FORCED, CHANGED, DELEGATED, ESCALATED, SUBMITTER). Do these statuses explain why certain details might appear different than expected?
   • Hover over statuses like CHANGED or FORCED to see the recorded reason (if entered).
5. Download History PDF: Download the Approval History PDF (Approval History and Audit Trails). Does it contain the same information (or lack thereof) as the UI display?
6. Refresh/Clear Cache: Perform a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R) to rule out UI display issues.

Need Help?

If the approval history seems genuinely incorrect or incomplete after reviewing the Audit History and workflow configuration, contact Zudello support. Provide:

• The Document UUID.
• Specific details about what information is missing or incorrect in the approval history.
• Screenshots of the Approval Flow display and the downloaded PDF (if applicable).
• Relevant details from the main Audit History if they contradict the approval flow.