User Journey

In the content below we'll explore an end-to-end user journey using the business approvals templates kit.

Charlotte is a business user who wants to make approvals with several considerations:

Scenario	Notes
SAP invoices	When SAP invoices are submitted based on data inside the invoice a manual approval is required.
Manager approvals	Manager approval is required for SAP invoices above the line manager approval limits.
Approver availability	Depending on where the approver is in the world there are different holiday schedules or working schedules. Waiting for approvals can cause delays until an approver returns.
Handling holidays	Approvers may be on holiday when a request is submitted. In this case there could be delays in processing the approval request or confusion on who is an alternate approver.
Power Platform permissions	Charlotte has limited permissions to build and deploy approvals solutions to test and production environments.
COE team support	Charlotte works with Gibson as her technical contact and mentor to help install solutions and create low-code Power Platform solutions.

Charlotte evaluates these considerations and chooses to use the business approval kit because it provides support for multi level approvals and handling for different approver scenarios. Working with Gibson from the Center of Excellence team, Charlotte installs the business approvals kit in an environment. Once the kit is installed, Charlotte models the approval process. Because SAP Power Automate is a newer area for Charlotte, she works with Gibson to build the required triggers to obtain the SAP data and trigger the approval workflow. Approvals are generated by using the workflow and Power Automate Cloud flow for approvers to accept and decline requests.

User journey persona summary

Reviewing this user journey example there are three major personas of approver, approvals administrator and Power Platform administrator as part of user journey using the Approvals kit.

Persona	Role	User type	Description
Power Platform administrator	IT Manager	Pro Developer	Creates / assigns environments and import approvals kit solution as system administrator or system customizer.
Approvals administrator	Sales Director	Power User	Configures the kit to match the business requirements. Analyzes the approval processes for improvement opportunities.
Approver	Sales Manager	Business User	Receives approvals to accept or decline.

Example

An example user journey can be illustrated as a summarized diagram in the following series of steps

Role	Actions
Pro Developer/Admin	Gibson creates or nominates an environment to install Business Approvals kit. Requires a role of System Customizer for the approvals kit to be installed
Approvals Administrator	Charlotte configures the kit to match the business requirements within sales dept.
Maker	Gibson or another Power Platform maker creates a flow to trigger approvals integrated with SAP and internal systems.
Approver	Rebecca can use the Microsoft Teams to approve requests without extra training.
Approvals Administrator	Charlotte analyzes the approval processes for improvement opportunities.

Experience

Install

Gibson reviews the Setup Guide to ensure the prerequisites are in place. Using System administrator or System customizer permissions, the approvals kit can be installed into an environment and provide access for Approvals Administrators to access the application.

Configure the business approval process

Charlotte uses the Process Designer to create a new business approval workflow and define approval stages, conditions, and approval steps within each stage that match the business requirements within the Sales department.

More information: Configure preset approvals

Approval triggers

Gibson, another maker, or professional developers within organization can easily integrate their existing solutions and IT systems. Triggers can include connections such as SQL server, Azure Functions. These individuals can start the approvals process by adding a new cloud flow or modifying existing cloud flow actions.

The rest of the approval processes are automatically handled and managed in the approvals kit.

More information: Trigger approvals

Integration with business applications

Common approval scenarios require integrations with business applications such as SAP and Dynamics 365, etc. Native connectors are available to integrate with these services.

Integration with RPA

Use desktop flows to streamline your approval processes with legacy systems, automating your approval experiences in a modern way.

Process approval requests

Rebecca and other configured approvers receive messages as adaptive cards in Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Teams. These approvals include details provided by the business approval designer, Charlotte, to determine if the request should be approved or declined.

More information: Process approval requests, Setup out of office and delegation.