Enabling Global Workflows

Once your workflow templates are configured, you can activate them for various key events across the Calibo Accelerate platform. By assigning these workflows at the global level, all products developed within Lazsa adhere to structured approval processes, eliminating manual inconsistencies and improving process efficiency.

Organizations can implement these workflows across multiple functional areas such as product portfolio creation, product development, budget approvals, policy enforcement, and idea validation, ensuring every significant decision follows a transparent and governed approval path.

Enabling Workflows for Global Events and Their Impact

The following table outlines key events where approval workflows can be applied and their impact:

Event What Happens When Workflow is Enabled
Product Portfolio Creation When a Portfolio Owner creates a new product portfolio, an approval workflow is automatically triggered. The request is sent to the designated reviewer for validation. Only after the approval is granted can the Portfolio Owner add products to the portfolio, ensuring that all portfolios align with business strategy and financial feasibility.
Product Creation When a Portfolio Owner submits a new product request, the approval workflow is initiated. The designated reviewer evaluates whether the product aligns with strategic goals and resource availability. Only upon approval can the Portfolio Owner link the product to a release, create and manage product features, define product dependencies, and create product teams.
Idea Creation When a new idea is submitted, it remains in the Draft state. The creator must send it for review, where the designated approver assesses its feasibility and alignment with business objectives. The approver can approve, reject, or request modifications. An idea can be converted into a product only after it is approved.
User Feedback Creation When a new user feedback entry is created, it remains in the Draft state until reviewed. The creator must send it for review. The designated approver can approve or reject the idea or send it for rework. You can convert an idea into an actionable business requirement only after it is approved.
Policy Templates

After a policy template is published, it shows the In Review status and must be approved by the designated reviewer. A policy template cannot be applied to products or portfolios until it has been reviewed and approved.

If the template is modified in the future, it must go through the same approval process before being re-enforced.

Product Portfolio Budget When a product portfolio budget is created, it must be submitted for approval before allocation. Depending on the workflow structure, designated reviewers can approve or reject the budget or suggest changes and send it for rework. Only after all approvals are obtained can the budget be allocated and utilized for product development.

 

Steps to Enable a Workflow Template

To enable workflows and associate templates to various global events across the platform, do the following:

  1. Sign in to the Calibo Accelerate platform and then, from the left navigation pane, click Configuration.

  2. On the Platform Setup screen, on the Standards tile, click Configure.

    Click Configuration > Standards

  3. On the Standards screen, click Workflow Usage.

  4. Turn on the toggle for the event where you want to enable an approval workflow. In the following example screenshot, a global workflow for portfolio creation is enabled.

  5. Select the desired workflow template you want to attach to the event. In the following screenshot, the template Cross_Functional_Approval_NST_05123 is being attached to the workflow for portfolio creation.

    Attach workflow template to an event

  6. Click Save to apply the changes.

    How Does the Workflow Work?

    To understand the workflow execution process, let us continue with the same example. After you enable a workflow for the Portfolio Creation event and attach a workflow template to it, the following actions take place:

    1. Approval workflow triggered
      When a Portfolio Owner submits a request to create a new product portfolio, the assigned workflow template is automatically applied.

    2. Approval routing begins
      The request is sent to the designated approvers as per the workflow template, following a sequential, parallel, or hybrid approval flow. All the reviewers receive notification about the pending approval.

    3. Portfolio status: In Review
      Until approvals are received, the portfolio shows the "In Review" status. Approvers can approve or reject the request. No products can be added to the portfolio until the request is approved. However, you can delete the portfolio before approval.

      Portfolio status: In Review

    4. Reviewers' approval
      After all reviewers approve the request, the portfolio is approved, and then the Portfolio Owner can proceed with adding products to the portfolio.

      If your attached workflow template contains an approval stage with the type Service Provider - ServiceNow, as soon as the approval request is submitted, a ServiceNow ticket is automatically created. The portfolio shows the "Approved" status. Click this status link to view the workflow history where you can view the ServiceNow ticket ID.

      ServiceNow ticket created from Lazsa Platform

      Click the ticket ID link, sign in to ServiceNow and view the ticket created in ServiceNow.

      ServiceNow change request created from Lazsa Plaform

      Your organization must handle further management of this ticket outside the Calibo Accelerate platform.

    5. Audit and tracking
      The approval process is logged for compliance, ensuring that all approvals and decision-making steps are tracked. Click the portfolio status to view the approval history of the request.

Related Topics Link IconRelated Topics What's next? Product-Specific Workflows in Calibo Accelerate Platform