---
title: "E-Approvals Flow/Groups"
slug: "e-approvals-flow-groups"
updated: 2026-10-29T17:01:15Z
published: 2026-10-29T17:01:15Z
canonical: "wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/e-approvals-flow-groups"
---

> ## 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.

# E-Approvals Flow/Groups

**COBBLESTONE SOFTWARE**

Contract Insight — User Guide

**E-Approvals Flow/Groups**

*Document Templates Management › Managing Generated Document E-Approvals & E-Signatures › E-Approvals Flow/Groups*

**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 flow is configured as part of a document template, so documents generated from that template are routed for approval automatically. The **Administration → Document Templates** grid has an **Approvals** column that shows whether a template's approvals are **On** or **Off** and how many steps it carries (for example, "On · 2 steps").

The flow is set up on the template's **Approvals & signing** step, on the **E-Approvals** tab. The tab explains: "When enabled, generating a document from this template copies the selected approval process's flow onto it, dormant until someone starts it." Under **Who approves, and in what order**, the flow is made of numbered approval groups: "Approvers are invited group by group - within a group they act in parallel, across groups sequentially."

# 2. Key Elements

- The **Document Templates** grid's **Approvals** column shows On/Off and a step count for each template.
- The template's **Approvals & signatures** card shows whether **E-Approvals** and **E-Signatures** are on (for example, "approvals only").
- On the **E-Approvals** tab, **Use E-Approvals** turns approval routing on, and **Approval process** selects a shared process when one exists for the record type and template type.
- Each approval group has a sequence number, a name, optional tags such as **accept on complete**, and **Edit**, **Participant**, **Rules**, **Copy**, and **Delete** buttons.
- Each group lists its approvers with a **Title (approval placeholder)**, **Source**, **Approver**, and **Required** (required or optional) setting.

# 3. Navigating to a Template's E-Approvals Tab

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click the **Administration** icon (sliders) at the bottom of the left navigation bar.
2. Under **Templates & Presentation**, click **Document Templates**.

![Administration page with Document Templates highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/01-admin-document-templates.png)

1. Use the **Approvals** column to see which templates have approvals on and how many steps they have. Click **Open** on the template's row.

![Document Templates grid with the Approvals column and Open highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/ea-01-templates-approvals-column.png)

1. On the template's **Template overview**, the **Approvals & signatures** card summarizes whether E-Approvals and E-Signatures are on. Click **Manage** on the card, or click step **3 Approvals & signing**.

![Approvals and signatures card with approvals only tag, Manage and E-Approvals on highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/ea-02-approvals-card.png)

1. On the **E-Approvals** tab, confirm **Use E-Approvals** is checked (**Enabled**), choose an **Approval process** if one is available, and click **Save approval settings**.

![E-Approvals tab with Approvals and signing step, E-Approvals tab, Enabled, Approval process, Save approval settings, Add group and group actions highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/ea-03-eapprovals-tab.png)

**Note:** If no approval process is available, the tab shows "No active approval process is configured for this record type and template type," and notes that "generated documents will carry no approval flow."

# 4. Reviewing the Approval Flow

![Approval groups with sequence numbers, accept on complete tag, approver actions, required settings, Edit, Participant, Rules and Add group highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/ea-04-approval-groups.png)

1. **Group number and name** — groups run in sequence order (for example, 1 Vendor Review, then 2 Final Document Clean Up).
2. **accept on complete** — shown when the group is set to accept tracked changes when it completes.
3. **Approver rows** — each shows the **Title (approval placeholder)**, the **Source** (for example, Employees or Vendor/Customer Contacts), the **Approver**, and whether the approval is **required** or **optional**.
4. **Approver actions** — **When this approval is required** (filter icon), **Content controls this approver may edit** (shield icon), and **Remove this approver** (trash icon).
5. **Group actions** — **Edit**, **Participant**, **Rules**, **Copy**, and **Delete**.

# 5. Adding an Approval Group

1. On the **E-Approvals** tab, click **Add group**. The **Add group** form opens below the existing groups.
2. Enter a **Group name** (required), for example "Finance Approval".
3. Optionally enter a **Description**.
4. Confirm the **Sequence**. It defaults to the next number.
5. Choose **For version**: **Initial Version Only**, **Additional/Modified Versions**, or **All Versions**.
6. Check or clear **Accept tracked changes on complete**.
7. Optionally choose **Set record status on complete**, or leave **-- No Status Change --**.
8. Click **Save approval group**, or click **Cancel** to discard.

![Add group form with Group name, Description, Sequence, For version, Accept tracked changes, Set record status, Cancel and Save approval group highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/ea-05-add-group.png)

# 6. Adding Approvers to a Group

1. On the group's header, click **Participant**. The **Add participant to** form opens.
2. Choose where the **Participant is from**: **Employees**, **Roles & Groups**, or **Vendor/Customer Contacts**.
3. Select the approver (for example, **Assigned Employee/User**).
4. Enter a **Title**. It must be unique per template.
5. Optionally enter a **Reason**.
6. Check **Required** if this approval must be completed, and **Locked** to keep the approver from being removed.
7. Click **Save participant**, or click **Cancel** to discard.

![Add participant form with Participant is from, Select employee, Title, Reason, Required, Locked, Cancel and Save participant highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/ea-06-add-participant.png)

# 7. Quick Reference Summary

| Task | How to Complete It |
| --- | --- |
| See which templates have approvals | Administration → Document Templates → Approvals column. |
| Open a template's approval flow | Open → Approvals & signatures card → Manage (or step 3 Approvals & signing) → E-Approvals tab. |
| Turn on E-Approvals | E-Approvals tab → Use E-Approvals: Enabled → Save approval settings. |
| Add an approval group | Add group → Group name, Sequence, For version → Save approval group. |
| Add an approver to a group | Group → Participant → source, approver, Title → Save participant. |
| Change, copy, or remove a group | Group → Edit, Copy, or Delete. |
| Remove an approver | Approver row → Remove this approver (trash icon). |