Overview of Notifications and Approval Workflows

Workflow involves passing a task from one user to another, usually for approvals. You get in-app and email notifications, for example, when a workflow task is assigned to you for approval. After all assignees approve, whatever got approved takes effect.

Some tasks are just for your information (FYI), and assignees don't need to do anything. Also, you might get notifications for things that are not part of a workflow.

Where You Get Notifications

Whether for workflow or not, here are the ways you can get notifications:

E-mail notifications
Notifications list in the global header
Things to Finish section on your home page

Where You Find Workflow Tasks

You can open workflow tasks from notifications, or use your worklist or Approvals work area to find all the tasks relevant to you. So other than notifications, here's where you can find your tasks:

Worklist: Notifications and Approvals work area (Navigator > Tools > Worklist)
Approvals work area (Navigator > Tools > Approvals), if your administrator has set up the work area to replace the Worklist: Notifications and Approvals work area
Worklist: Notifications and Approvals region on My Dashboard, if your administrator has added the region to the dashboard

Workflow Examples

Let's take a look at examples of how you might interact with workflow tasks:

Say you submit a transaction for approval, which creates a workflow task that gets routed to your approvers. An approver sends the task back to you for more information about your transaction, so you provide the requested information and send the task back. When the transaction is ultimately approved or rejected, you simply get a notification that requires no action from you.
If you're a manager and your employee submits a transaction that requires approval up the management chain, you would approve or reject the transaction. Other options might be available. For example, you can delegate the task so that someone else does the approval for you.