In many organizations, Service Catalog workflows require approval from specific roles (e.g., department heads, managers, budget owners, etc.).
Currently, if the designated approver is unavailable (e.g., on leave, travel, or extended absence), the approval process can be delayed, impacting operational efficiency and SLA commitments.
Business Need
There should be a built-in mechanism to delegate approval authority temporarily when the primary approver is unavailable.
Example Scenario
- A service request requires approval from a specific role (e.g., Department Manager).
- The designated approver is on annual leave.
- The workflow becomes blocked until the approver returns or manual intervention is performed.
This creates unnecessary delays and administrative overhead.
Requested Enhancement
Introduce an Approval Delegation feature that allows:
- Temporary delegation of approval authority to another user
- Delegation with start and end dates
- Ability for the primary approver to select their delegate
- Option for administrators to assign or override delegation when needed
- Clear audit logs showing:
- Original approver
- Delegated approver
- Delegation duration
- Automatic reversion to the original approver after the delegation period ends
Optional enhancement:
- Ability within a workflow to dynamically reassign the next approval authority if required.
Expected Benefits
- Prevents workflow bottlenecks
- Maintains SLA compliance
- Reduces manual administrative intervention
- Improves operational continuity
- Enhances governance and audit transparency
This feature would significantly improve workflow reliability in enterprise environments where approval availability can vary.
