What Are Approvals in Jira Service Management?

In many organizations, certain types of requests need to be approved before any further action can be taken. Approvals act as a checkpoint in the workflow, ensuring that the right people give their consent before moving forward. But what exactly does an approval step do, and why is it important for your project?

Understanding Approvals

Think of approvals as a digital sign-off. In some cases, it could be as simple as a manager clicking "approve" to allow their employee to take time off. In other situations, approvals may involve multiple people from different departments. For example:

• New system access requests: Before someone can gain access to a secure system, an IT manager may need to review and approve the request to ensure the person has the right permissions.
• Large purchases: Buying something like a high-value cell phone might require sign-off from several departments—Information Security, IT, and Finance—to make sure the purchase aligns with security policies and budget constraints.
• Leave requests: Employees might need approval from their direct manager before their time off is finalized.

Why Are Approvals Important?

Approvals play a critical role in any structured workflow because they provide accountability. By requiring approval, you're ensuring that:

1. Proper oversight: The right stakeholders review requests before important actions take place. This ensures that nothing slips through the cracks, reducing the risk of mistakes.
2. Cross-departmental collaboration: Approvals can be configured to require input from multiple departments or teams, ensuring that different perspectives are considered before making decisions.
3. Compliance and policy adherence: For sensitive requests, approvals ensure that the organization follows security protocols and financial policies. For example, requiring approval for high-value purchases ensures they meet budget guidelines.
4. Transparency and tracking: When approvals are built into a workflow, you can track who approved or declined a request and add any necessary comments. This gives the process more visibility and can help when reviewing decisions later.

How Approvals Work in Jira

Adding an approval step to a workflow is quite simple. Once the step is in place, here’s what happens:

1. A person submits a request – This could be for access to a system, a purchase, or a leave request, depending on your project.
2. The request reaches a status that requires approval – It’s essentially paused here until the approvers give the go-ahead.
3. Designated approvers are notified – Those responsible for approving or declining the request will receive an email (or even a message in Slack or Microsoft Teams, depending on your setup) informing them they need to act.
4. Approvers take action – They can approve or decline the request from the email, the help center, or in communication tools like Slack or Teams.
5. The request transitions – Once approved, the request moves to the next stage of the workflow, and the person who submitted it is notified of the outcome, including any comments from the approvers.

How Can Approvals Help Your Project?

Approvals add structure and security to your workflow. Whether you're managing IT systems, budgets, or HR tasks, using approvals ensures that the right people are informed and decisions are made collectively. This can lead to smoother processes, better accountability, and ultimately, a more organized project management experience.

Ready to integrate approvals into your Jira workflows? Learn how to add an approval to a workflow, and start enhancing your project management today!