---
title: "2. Adding An Approval Group"
slug: "2-adding-an-approval-group-2"
updated: 2026-10-29T17:01:15Z
published: 2026-10-29T17:01:15Z
canonical: "wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/2-adding-an-approval-group-2"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# 2. Adding An Approval Group

**COBBLESTONE SOFTWARE**

Contract Insight — User Guide

**2. Adding An Approval Group**

*Document Templates Management › E-Approval Flow/Groups › 2. Adding An Approval Group*

**Note:** Each procedure in this guide begins at the Contract Insight homepage, so any section can be followed on its own. Custom fields are configurable, so the exact field list on a contract category record may vary between environments.

# 1. Overview

An approval group is one step in a template's approval flow. Groups are managed on the template's **Approvals & signing** step (step 3), **E-Approvals** tab, under **Who approves, and in what order**: "Approvers are invited group by group - within a group they act in parallel, across groups sequentially." Each group has a name (for example, Vendor Review or Final Document Clean Up), a sequence number, and one or more participants. Each participant has a title (the approval placeholder), a source, an approver, and whether their approval is required. Adding a group adds another step to the flow; the document cannot move past that step until its approvers have acted.

# 2. Key Elements

- **Approvals & signing step → E-Approvals tab:** where a template's approval groups are listed, numbered in the order they run.
- **Add group:** opens a form with **Group name** (required), **Description**, **Sequence**, **For version**, **Accept tracked changes on complete**, and **Set record status on complete**.
- **Group buttons:** **Edit**, **Participant**, **Rules**, **Copy**, and **Delete** on each group's header.
- **Participants:** added with the **Participant** button. Each needs a source (**Employees**, **Roles & Groups**, or **Vendor/Customer Contacts**), an approver, and a unique **Title**.
- **Participant row tools:** **When this approval is required** (filter icon), **Content controls this approver may edit** (shield icon), and **Remove this approver** (trash icon).

# 3. Navigating to a Template's Approval Groups

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click the **Administration** icon at the bottom of the left navigation bar.
2. Search for or click **Document Templates**.
3. Click **Open** on the template you want to work with (see Template Overview).
4. In the wizard at the top of the template editor, click step **3 Approvals & signing**.
5. Make sure the **E-Approvals** tab is selected. Existing groups are listed under **Who approves, and in what order**.

![Approvals and signing step, E-Approvals tab, with Add group and group buttons highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/01-approvals-step-add-group.jpg)

**Note:** Approval groups only route a generated document when **Use E-Approvals** is enabled at the top of the tab and the settings are saved with **Save approval settings**.

# 4. Adding an Approval Group

1. On the **E-Approvals** tab, click **Add group**.
2. In the **Add group** form at the bottom of the list, enter a **Group name** (required), for example Legal Review.
3. Optionally enter a **Description**.
4. Review the **Sequence**. It defaults to the next number after the existing groups; groups run in sequence order.
5. Select **For version**: **All Versions**, **Initial Version Only**, or **Additional/Modified Versions**.
6. Leave **Accept tracked changes on complete** selected to accept the document's tracked changes when this group finishes, or clear it to keep them.
7. Optionally choose a **Set record status on complete** value (for example, Legal Review or Prepare for Signature). Leave **-- No Status Change --** to keep the record's current status.
8. Click **Save approval group** to add the group, or **Cancel** to close the form without saving.

![Add group form](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/02-add-group-form.jpg)

# 5. Adding Participants to a Group

A new group needs at least one participant before it can route an approval.

1. On the group's header, click **Participant**.
2. In the **Add participant to "[group]" group** form, choose where the **Participant is from**: **Employees**, **Roles & Groups**, or **Vendor/Customer Contacts**.
3. Select the approver (for example, **Select employee** → a named employee or **Assigned Employee/User**).
4. Enter a **Title**. It must be unique on the template and is used as the approval placeholder.
5. Optionally enter a **Reason**.
6. Select or clear **Required** and **Locked** as needed.
7. Click **Save participant**, or **Cancel** to close the form without saving.

![Add participant form](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/03-add-participant-form.jpg)

# 6. Reviewing the Approval Flow

After saving, each group appears as a numbered step with its participants listed underneath. The grid shows each participant's **Title (Approval Placeholder)**, **Source**, **Approver**, and whether the approval is **Required** or optional. Use the icons in the **Actions** column to set when the approval is required, choose which content controls the approver may edit, or remove the approver.

![Approval groups with participants and row actions highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/04-group-flow-participants.jpg)

| Group button | Use it to |
| --- | --- |
| **Edit** | Change the group's name, description, sequence, version, and on-complete settings. |
| **Participant** | Add another approver to the group. |
| **Rules** | Set conditions for when the group applies. |
| **Copy** | Duplicate the group. |
| **Delete** | Remove the group from the flow. |

# 7. Quick Reference Summary

| Task | Where / How |
| --- | --- |
| Open a template's approval groups | Administration → Document Templates → **Open** → step **3 Approvals & signing** → **E-Approvals** |
| Add a group | **Add group** → Group name, Sequence, For version, on-complete options → **Save approval group** |
| Add an approver to a group | **Participant** → source, approver, Title → **Save participant** |
| Change a group | **Edit** on the group header |
| Set when a group applies | **Rules** on the group header |
| Set when one approver is required | Filter icon on the participant's row |
| Remove an approver | Trash icon on the participant's row |