Approval Workflows

An approval flow is a live review process on a draft job profile. It's created by applying an approval template, which defines the stages, approver slots, and structure, to one specific version of a draft.

Approval flows only apply to draft job profiles. They don't apply to profiles already linked to your HRIS, or to job profile templates.

Approvals are not a required step of draft job profiles, but are available for teams who want to include

Who can do what

The table below describes approval-specific permissions.

Editors can start approval flows and manage the ones they created, but can't see the org-wide Approvals Dashboard. Operators and Admins can manage any flow in the org.

For full role details, see the JobNav Permissions article.

How an approval flow works, step by step

1. A user starts an approval flow on a draft profile, using an approval template.
2. They assign at least one approver to every slot in the flow.
3. Stage 1 becomes open. All slots in that stage run at the same time. A slot is complete as soon as any one of its assigned approvers approves it.
4. Once every slot in a stage is complete, the next stage begins automatically.
5. When every stage is approved, the flow's status changes to Approved.
6. If any approver rejects at any point, the whole flow is cancelled, not just that one slot.

While an approval flow is in process, the draft can't be edited.

Starting an approval flow

1. Open the draft job profile in the editor.
2. Click the clipboard icon in the right panel.

3. Choose an approval template. You'll only see published, non-archived templates here.

3. Click Start Approval Workflow. While an approval flow is in process, the draft can't be edited.

4. If the approvers in each slot are not pre-assigned, assign at least one approver to every slot, for every stage. If the template has a role hint for a slot, you'll see it as a tooltip. The hint will show when you hover over the i icon.

5. Click Start Approval Flow.

Once the approval flow is started, you'll see a confirmation message and a banner letting you know reviewers have been notified. The sidebar will show your current flow's progress by stage and slot.

Note: the flow is tied to the exact version of the draft as it existed the moment you started the flow. While an approval flow is in process, the draft can't be edited.

Managing a flow while it's pending

If you started the approval flow or you're an Operator or Admin, you can:

• Edit the approval flow (add approvers). You can add people to slots that are still Pending or Queued.

• Cancel the flow. This stops the approval process permanently and can't be undone. You'll be asked to confirm before it's final.

Approving or rejecting a draft job profile

Once an approval workflow is started, assigned approvers will be notified via:

• The home screen: the Approve tab lists everything waiting on you. If your queue is empty, you'll see "You're all caught up!"

• Their email inbox: They will receive an email with a link that will bring them directly to the approval review page.

On the review page, the left side shows the draft content as it stood when the approval flow was started The right side give the approver two options:

• Approve records their decision and moves the flow to the next stage.
• Reject cancels the entire flow, not just their part of it. They'll be asked to confirm, since this affects everyone in the flow, and the person who started the flow it will be notified.

An approver can only act on a slot if they're an assigned approver and their slow of the flow is currently in the active stage.

Viewing approval history

All users with access to the draft can also see past and current flows listed below the create section, when selecting the clipboard icon on the right.

Clicking the View button for an approval flow opens the details of that flow.

Approvals Dashboard

Who can access: Operators and Admins

Where can I find it: Job Profiles > Workflows > Approvals Dashboard.

The Approvals Dashboard is an org-wide view of every approval flow created.

Summary cards at the top (Approved, Pending, Rejected, Cancelled) let you filter the list with one click.

The table below shows a row for each job profile that has at least one approval flow created for it. Each row will show information for the most recent approval flow opened for that job profile. Each row shows the job profile's flow status, stage progress (like 1 / 3), who created the flow, and how many days it's been running.

You can search, filter by status or "My Jobs," and click into any flow to see full detail, including per-slot status. For pending flows, you can also send a reminder to a specific approver or cancel the whole flow directly from this view.

Status glossary

Flow status

Slot status

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I edit my draft? 

A Pending approval flow is active on it. Cancel the flow, or wait for it to finish to edit again. Edits can't be made while the job profile has an active approval flow open to avoid approvers signing off on changes they don't know occurred.

Why don't I see the Approvals Dashboard? 

Only Operators and Admins have access to it. As an Editor, you can still start and manage your own flows from inside the draft editor.

Can I change who's assigned after a flow starts?

You can add approvers to slots that are still Pending or Queued. You can't remove or replace someone already assigned.

What happens when I reject a flow? 

The entire flow is cancelled, and the person who started it is notified.

Can more than one person be assigned to a slot? 

Yes. Only one of them needs to approve for that slot to be complete.

Does approving a flow publish the profile to my HRIS? 

No. Approval only tracks internal review. Publishing to your HRIS is a separate step in your organization's process.

Where do templates come from?

See Approval Templates. Only JobNav Admins can create and publish templates.