Overview The Customer Manager Approvals mapp is a complete collection of objects that extend Approvals to Customer Managers. It provides an easy way to preselect individual Service Requests types that will require manager approvals. This includes managers that are not daily CMS system users. In order to enable manager approvals from end to end, several areas have to be configured starting with the Incident object, the Approvals object, the email monitor, a new Automation Process and several new one steps. The overall Customer Email Approval process is illustrated in the diagram below.
Installation Apply the mapp CustomerManagerApprovalsv2.0.mApp and then perform these follow up steps to fully enable all the new features. Follow up steps Begin with making blueprint changes as shown below 1. Blueprint and publish changes 2. Configure Monitors 3. Add Portal Menu Searches and adjust Security Groups Incident Subcategory Form (Blueprint) Copy the fields in the Manager Approvals form and place them somewhere on the Default Form Email Links (Blueprint) Edit the One Step named Create Customer Mgr Approval.
Update the three links in the Email to Manager sub step: 1. Click Here to Approve 2. Click Here to Deny 3. Click Here to Abstain
In each link, replace the mailto: email address with your monitored email address
Add Manager Approval (Blueprint) Name the new approval Customer Manager Approval
Add Trigger Condition using the stored Expression named Customer Manager Approval Set Behavior when condition is no longer true as Leave Approvals
Use the default setting for Approvers as shown below (or optionally add more if needed) Add the One Steps that will be excuted when Approval actions occur (Use the One Step Action Manager to select the one steps shown below)
Monitors (E-mail and Event Monitoring Manager) After publishing the above changes, update the Change Approved, Change Denied and Change Abstained monitors to capture the email of the approver on the approval record.
Portal Menu Approvals (optional) Add the following searches to the Portal Menu to enable Approvers to execute approvals from the portal. Use Site Manager to edit your portal site s Menu Properties. Add Search actions: Managers Pending Approvals (Association Incident, Global folder) My Approvals To Do List (Association Approvals, Global folder) Note you must enable the Approvals Business Object, Show Search Manager in order to reveal this Search Query. Then you must enable Security Group rights for Portal Workgroup Manager and Portal Customer for Business Object Approval object to allow View and Edit permissions in both Approval and New Field Other Considerations Add labels on the Incident forms and grids that show the Approval Status. Add process controls to prevent users from proceeding with fulfillment until Approval is granted. Use Instructions Identify Service Request types that need Manager approvals. Use table management to set the Incident Subcategories that require Manager Approval. Also, identify Service Request types that you want to automatically set the Owned by and/or Owned by Team when approval is granted. Use table management to set the Incident - Subcategories that will assign an Owned by Team and optionally an Owned by person (Cherwell Users only) This is useful when you only want the teams to respond after Manager approval is granted. Create new Service Request and that require manager approval. After 1-2 minutes the Automation Processor will generate an approval and send an email to the manager. You can also check the ticket Approval Status in the rich client (add column to grid). Initial status is Approval Required, then after the approval is created and email sent it changes to Manager Approval Pending. The manager may Approve, Deny or Abstain using the links in the Approval Email. Once the manager reply email is received and processed (about 1-2 minutes) the Automation Process will update the Approval record, apply any comments and mark it with the email address that approved. Also, if defined it will assign the ticket to the Team and or User. At that point the system will follow the normal notification rules and email the Team or User alerting them to the new request.
Troubleshooting The process relies on three independent actions to execute. Troubleshoot them in the order shown below. Note the Automation Processer and Monitor Service require 30 120 seconds to complete their actions. Add to this mail server delays which occasionally add several minutes of delay sending or receiving. No approval record created 1. Verify the Service Request Manager Approval process completed without error. (See menu Tools/Current Record Automation Processes) 2. Confirm Requester s record has a valid Manager value. That Manager entry must also be a valid Customer Internal record. 3. Check the Subcategory record to ensure the classification is set as Service Request and the Manager Approval Required checkbox is checked. 4. Verify the Service Request Manager Approval automation process is Enabled. 5. Verify the Cherwell Automation Process Server is running. No Approval Request Email Received (other emails are okay) 1. Check for an Incident Journal Mail History record. 2. The Manager s Customer record must have a valid email address. 3. Verify the Service Request Manager Approval automation process is Enabled. 4. If testing in DEV mode, verify the Current System DEV E-Mail Recipient is configured correctly. Approval Reply fails to set approval 1. Verify the Reply s Mailto value is correct. 2. Check the Cherwell mail account mailbox for evidence of a reply received. 3. Confirm Monitor process is Enabled and configured with the correct Account. 4. Verify the E-mail and Event Monitor Server is running.