An Approval Process routes a record through one or more approval steps before something happens (typically a status change). It has a precise structure:
Entry Criteria — a filter or formula evaluated when the process starts. If the record doesn't match, you can choose to reject the submission or fall through to a default. Without entry criteria, every submitted record runs through.
Initial Submitters — the users, profiles, public groups, or roles allowed to submit a record into the process. By default this is the record owner.
Initial Submission Actions — actions that fire when the record is first submitted. Typical: lock the record, set a status field to "Pending Approval", send a notification.
Approval Steps — the actual approval ladder. Each step has:
- Step Criteria — when does this step apply (formula or filter). Skips can be conditional.
- Approver(s) — a specific user, the submitter's manager, a queue (yes, queues can approve), a public group, or auto-approve. Multiple approvers can be combined as approve unanimously (every one must approve) or first response (any one approves).
- Step Approval/Rejection Actions — actions when this specific step approves or rejects.
- Reject behaviour — go to previous step, restart, or final rejection.
Final Approval Actions — when the last step approves: typical actions include unlocking, setting the status to Approved, and creating downstream records.
Final Rejection Actions — when any step rejects (and reject behaviour is final rejection): set status to Rejected, optionally notify, optionally unlock.
Recall Actions — when the submitter pulls the request back: usually unlock and reset status.
A few gotchas:
- An approval process locks the record during pending state — only system administrators and approvers can edit. Common confusion: "why can't I edit this opportunity?" Answer: it's pending approval.
- The Manager field on User must be set, or "Manager" approver routing fails silently.
- You can't deactivate an approval process while there are pending requests — you have to drain or recall them first.