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.

The template is the blueprint. The flow is what actually happens when you use that blueprint on a real job profile: who needs to approve it, what stage it's in right now, and whether the draft can still be edited.

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

Who can do what

The table below describes approval-specific permissions.

Editors can start 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. Someone starts a 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 begins. 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 a flow is Pending, the draft can't be edited.

Starting a flow

You'll find this inside the draft you want to submit for review.

1. Open the draft job profile in the editor.
2. Click the approvals icon in the right panel.
3. Choose an approval template. You'll only see published, non-archived templates here.
4. 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.
5. Click Start Approval Flow.

You can't start a new flow on a draft that already has one pending.

Once it starts, 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.

Managing a flow while it's pending

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

1. Add approvers. You can add people to slots that are still Pending or Queued. You can't remove or swap out someone already assigned.
2. Cancel the flow. This stops the approval process permanently and can't be undone. You'll be asked to confirm before it's final.

Everyone working on the draft will also see past and current flows listed below the create section, so you can check history without leaving the page.:

Approving or rejecting

If you're an approver, here's where requests show up:

• Your Home screen has an Approve tab listing everything waiting on you. If your queue is empty, you'll see "You're all caught up!"
• Each request tells you who asked and for which job profile.
• Approval request emails link straight to the review page.

On the review page: the left side shows the draft content as it stood when the review started, title, job code, level, department, location, and the profile fields themselves. The right side is where you act.

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

You can only act on a slot if you're an assigned approver and it's currently in the active stage.

Approvals Dashboard

Operators and Admins can find this under Job Profiles > Workflows > Approvals Dashboard. It's the org-wide view of every flow in progress or completed.

Summary cards at the top (Approved, Pending, Rejected, Cancelled) let you filter the list with one click. The table below shows each flow's job profile, status, stage progress (like 1 / 3), who created it, and how many days it's been running.

From here 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.

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? 

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.