When you update an approval workflow in ApprovalMax, those changes only affect new requests by default.
However, you can also apply the updated workflow to requests that are still pending approval by restarting the workflow. This helps ensure that approval routing stays accurate and reflects your latest rules, even for requests that were created before the update.
Please note: Without a restart, any request that was already created but not yet approved will continue with the “historic” Approvers, those originally selected based on the old workflow rules.
How to apply updated workflows to pending requests
You can restart the approval workflow from either the request itself or from the workflow settings. Restarting a request will discard the current approval progress and reassign Approvers based on the latest workflow setup.
Option 1: from the request
Open a request that’s not yet fully approved.
Click on START OVER THE WORKFLOW
Confirm that you want to restart the approval process by clicking on RESTART. You can add an optional comment to explain the reason for the restart:
The approval workflow for that request will then start again using your updated rules. The audit trail at the bottom of the request will keep a record that the workflow was restarted.:
Here's a quick video overview:
Please Note: Approvers who have already made a decision will need to approve again.
Option 2: from the workflow settings
In ApprovalMax, go to Workflows and settings > Approval workflows.
Select the approval workflow you want to update.
Click on the three-dot icon (︙) in the top right-hand corner and select "Restart" from the drop-down menu:
In the pop-up window, review the list of requests that are still pending under the previous workflow version:
Tick the checkbox next to each request you want to update.
Optionally, add a comment to let Approvers know why the workflow is being restarted.
Click on RESTART to apply the updated workflow to the selected requests.
Once restarted, the requests will follow the new approval process. The audit trail will show who triggered the restart and when:
Here's a quick video overview:
Please note: Approvers who have already made a decision will need to approve again.