If you followed our instructions to set up Checkout in a brand new project, the Checkout issue type will be using a system default workflow which cannot be modified. The workflow scheme for the project will need to be modified before an approval process can be set up. The person following this document must have Jira Administration level permissions.
We have made the Order Approval process really simple in Checkout. To turn on the approval process, all you need is an Approval Workflow in your project that is tied to the Checkout issue type. This guide lays out how an administrator can set up two different kinds of approval process - a required approval , or optional approvals.
Setting up a Required Approval Processin a Checkout project.
The screenshot below shows the Approvals workflow which is automatically generated when an IT Service Desk template is used to create a project. Any workflow can be used to set up an approval process, but this one is a great starting point if you aren’t too familiar with constructing workflows.
If the Checkout project was created with the IT Service Desk template, this workflow should be created, but not in use on the Checkout project. It will be named in the form of project-key: Service Request Fulfillment with Approvals workflow for Jira Service Desk. To use it on the Checkout issue type, modify the project Workflow Scheme and assign that workflow to the Checkout issue type.
Any of the statuses can be turned into an approval status by selecting the status and checking the Add approval check box. The key for this workflow is that the create transition leads to the Waiting for Approval status, which we will set up to require an approval.
The Waiting for Approval Status has special configurations that allow you to set the Approver fields. Leave it at the default Approvers field. Checkout adds the Department owner to this field - which in turn turns on the approval process.
Automations
Next, you will want to turn on automations in the project. To do so, navigate to Project Settings > Automation > Legacy automation. In this section, we have added some actions that work with the approval process.
For example, if you want to inhibit further processing of the order until approval process is complete, you can disable all checkout buttons.
Once order is approved, you can enable the buttons via automation.
If approval is declined, then the Checkout order can be declined as shown below.
Setting up an Optional Approval Process
We can also set up an Optional approval process. For example, we may only require an approval on a Checkout order if the total cost is over $500. To configure an Optional approval process is very similar to the approval process outlined above. We will use all the same concepts, but an additional Checkout automation will be introduced to decide whether or not the ticket requires an approval.
Creating the Workflow
The first step would be to create a customized workflow which will be used to facilitate optional collection of approvals. A simple workflow will suffice. In this example I’ve created a workflow called Optional Approval and tied that to the Checkout issue type.
The key to this workflow is that the status which we configure for approval is NOT going to be the first one in the workflow. Instead, we introduce a temporary Open status. The issue will only remain in this status while the automation decides where it will move.
As with the previous example, be sure to configure the approval to use the Approvers custom field if the Department lead is that one who will be approving tickets.
Automations
Next, you will want to turn on automations in the project. To do so, navigate to Project Settings > Automation > Legacy automation. In this section, we have added some actions that work with the approval process.
As detailed above, we can stop further processing of the order until approval process is complete by setting up an automation rule as follows:
If approval is declined, then the Checkout order can be declined as shown below.
Additionally, Checkout provides some special automations which allow us to perform actions based on information found in the Checkout order. To access, navigate to Project Settings > Checkout > Automation.
Click on Create Rule and configure it with the following settings:
This automation will transition a ticket to Waiting to Approval if the total of the order is over $500, otherwise it will move to Waiting for Support. When it does move to Waiting for Approval, the automations we configured in the other section of administration will help us require an approval.