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Approvals
A workflow can ask for a decision before things go further. There are two kinds of approval, and they behave differently — which one you get depends on the node the workflow uses.
| Workflow approval | Change approval | |
|---|---|---|
| Node | Approval | Require approval |
| Used by | Manual and ticket workflows | Change workflows |
| Does the run pause? | Yes | No |
| Who decides | The one assigned approver | Any member of the Change Advisory Board, by vote |
| Where | A task, or an emailed link | The change's Approvals card, or the portal |
Workflow approvals
When a workflow reaches an Approval node it pauses and waits.
- In the app — the approval appears as a task assigned to the approver. Opening it shows an Approval required panel with Approve and Reject buttons and an optional comment.
- By email — the approver gets a message with signed links, so they can decide without logging in. The link sets the decision; they can add a comment on the confirmation page.
Only the assigned approver can decide. Approved, and the workflow moves on; rejected, and it stops down that path. The decision and any comment are recorded against the run.
Change approvals
Change workflows use Require approval instead, and it works differently in three ways that matter.
It doesn't pause the run. The node raises an approval against a Change Advisory Board (or a named approver) and the workflow carries on. The approval lives on the change, not on the run.
Any board member can decide, and it's a vote. A board has members — users, groups, departments or job roles — and a rule that says how many of them must agree:
- Any — the first decision settles it.
- Quorum — a set number must agree.
- All — every member must agree.
So "the approver" isn't one person. Whoever on the board gets there first is casting a vote, and the board's rule decides when the vote is resolved.
A rejection rejects the change. Not just a branch of the workflow — the change itself moves to Rejected.
Decisions are cast from the Approvals card on the change, or from the self-service portal, which lets a board member approve or reject without console access.
Every organisation starts with one default board that cannot be deleted, so approvals always have somewhere to route. Boards are set up under Settings → Change Advisory Boards, and a board does nothing until it has members.
Following a run
On the Workflows → Runs tab, open a run to see its timeline: each node with its state, approval decisions and comments, links to any tasks it created, and a link to open a pending approval. The run's overall state shows whether it's running, waiting on an approval, completed, or rejected.
Remember that a change approval won't hold a run in Waiting approval — to see where a change's approvals stand, look at the change.
Notes & tips
- The email approval links are handy for approvers who don't live in JOATOS day-to-day; the portal covers the same need for board members.
- Add a comment with your decision to leave a record of why — it shows in the run timeline.
- If change approvals aren't reaching anyone, check the board has members before checking the workflow.