Published at: 2026-09-17

02-handle-approval-processes.md

Handle approval, rejection, transfer, assignment, recall, and retrieval on the approval details page.

Overview

After an approval task is generated, approvers can view and process it from the To-Do Center or the object details page. The buttons that each role sees can differ. Node configuration and permissions determine the actual buttons.
Approval details usually include object information, approval content, approval circulation records, approval comments, Related Teams, and activity information. Approvers can view the current node status in the approval panel on the right. They can Approve, Reject, urge processing, reply, Change Handler, retrieve, recall, or complete the task.

Core business content

When you handle an Approval Process, you mainly perform the following tasks:
  • View the to-do entry: Go to To-Do Center > My To-Dos and open the Approval Process category. View pending approvals by business category, such as contract document, work order, Account, or Sales Contract.
  • View the Approval Process: On the data details page, view the approval panel on the right. It shows the process title, start information, current approval status, passed nodes, nodes in approval, and processing comments.
  • View approval comments and circulation records: View who submitted the data, which nodes have passed, who the Current Handler is, and historical approval comments.
  • Process the current Approval Node: The Current Handler can click buttons such as Approve or Reject.
  • Urge processing: If a downstream node remains unprocessed for a long time, click Urge in the approval panel to remind the current handler.
  • Change Handler: If you have permission, change the handler for the current Approval Node.
  • Pre-assign, retrieve, and Recall Approval: Depending on node configuration and permissions, More Actions might include Pre-assign, retrieval, and Recall Approval.
  • View more nodes: If the process has many nodes, click Load More Nodes to view the complete approval circulation process.
  • View Approval Configuration: If you have permission, click View Approval Configuration to review the current approval flow configuration.
  • Reply and discuss: Click Reply in an approval node to add information to approval comments or the node. You can also start a discussion from More Actions.

Before you begin

  • You are the Current Handler, Initiator, data Owner, or you have the required business function permissions.
  • You can access the data record for the approval.
  • An administrator has enabled the related Approval Process.

View an Approval Process

  1. On CRM To-Dos > Pending Approval Processes, view the approval flow.
  2. Or, view the Approval Process and View Approval Comments on the object data details page.
  3. View the current node, historical comments, and process configuration.
Users who are not approvers can also reply under a node and mention related people with @.
Approval Process to-do page Approval Process processing page

Process an Approval Node

  1. On the Approval Process Details page, review the approval content.
  2. Enter approval comments.
  3. Click Approve or Reject.
  4. Confirm the operation in the confirmation window.
Button rules:
Operation Rule
Approve The node is configured to show the Approve button, and the current user is the node handler.
Reject The node is configured to show the Reject button, and the current user is the node handler.
Read The node is configured to show the Read button, and the current user is copied on the node.

Process a Collab Node

  1. On the Approval Process Details page, open the Collab Node.
  2. View the task content.
  3. Complete the task requirements.
  4. Click Completed.
A Collab Node supports completion, Change Handler, Reply, Recall Approval, discussion, and assignment. The actual buttons depend on the page.

Process a Wait Node

  1. In the Wait Node, view the wait time or wait conditions.
  2. To continue early, click Execute Now.
  3. If a post-action function fails, follow the page prompt and select Ignore or Retry.
[!WARNING] If the Execute Approval Flow Wait Node Immediately permission is Not Assigned, you cannot click Execute Now.

Change Handler

  1. On the Approval Process Details page, click Change Handler.
  2. Select a new handler.
  3. Enter the change reason.
  4. Click Confirm.
By default, CRM administrators, data owners, and node handlers can change handlers. Data owners and node handlers must also have the Change Approval Flow Handler permission on the Trigger Object.

Add approval assignment

Assignment adds temporary approvers before or after the current Approval Node. Depending on node configuration and permissions, the page might support Pre-assign or post-assignment.

Pre-assign

Pre-assign adds a temporary approver before the current approver processes the node. After the Current Approver starts Pre-assign, the process goes to the pre-assigned approver first. After that approver completes processing, the process returns to the original current node.
Steps:
  1. On the Approval Process Details page, click Pre-assign in More Actions.
  2. Select an Assignment Mode. Common modes include single-person assignment and multi-person assignment. The actual options depend on the page.
  3. Select the assigned approver.
  4. Enter assignment comments and explain what the assigned approver must confirm.
  5. Click Confirm.
  6. After the pre-assigned approver completes the task, continue processing the current Approval Node.
When you use Pre-assign, note the following points:
  • Usually, only the Current Handler can start Pre-assign.
  • The node must be configured to allow and show the Pre-assign button.
  • Before the pre-assigned approver processes the task, the original current approver usually cannot complete the current node directly.
  • Pre-assign comments are recorded in approval circulation records for later tracing.

Recall approval

  1. On the Approval Process Details page, click Recall.
  2. Enter the Recall Reason.
  3. Click Confirm.
The Initiator, data Owner, Data Submitter, or CRM administrator can recall an approval if the node is configured to show the recall button.
After the Approval Process is completed, it cannot be recalled again.
If approved data still needs changes, contact an administrator to configure an approval process triggered by editing. After a user edits the data, the system triggers a matching approval according to the configuration.

Retrieve approval

  1. On the Approval Process Details page, click Retrieve.
  2. Enter a retrieval note for reapproval.
  3. Select whether to delete the original approval comments.
  4. Click Confirm.
Common cases where retrieval is unavailable include:
  • The administrator has Not Enabled retrieval for reapproval.
  • The next node has already been processed.
  • The previous task is an assignment, co-signature, step-by-step, Wait Node, or Sub-process Node.
  • The current Task Status is not in progress.
  • The current task has been processed or replied to.
  • The current task has a Form and has been edited.
  • The current task is a parallel node.
  • Retrieval to a node inside a parallel node is not allowed.
[!NOTE] Legacy opportunities, free-process tasks, Sub-process Node tasks, Wait Node tasks, and other special tasks might not support retrieval. Follow the page prompt.

Other operations

In More Actions on the approval details page, you can send email, forward, set reminders, add to schedule, or print when the page supports these actions.

Expected result and verification

  • Approval history shows the processing comments.
  • The process moves to the next node or ends.
  • The to-do list no longer shows processed tasks.
  • Related post-actions run according to the configuration.

Related topics

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