Delegation
Delegation lets one user hand their approvals and tasks to another user for a date range. It exists for coverage — when an approver goes on leave, travels, or is otherwise unavailable, delegation keeps approval chains moving instead of stalling.
How delegation works
- A user (or an admin on their behalf) creates a delegation rule: delegator, delegate, validity period, and optional conditions.
- When a workflow assigns an approval step, the engine checks whether the assigned approver has an active delegation covering the current date.
- If so, the step is routed to the delegate automatically; the original approver is notified.
- Delegation is time-bound — it expires at the end of the date range with no manual cleanup.
Delegation requires the delegation feature toggle in Workflow → Settings.
Create a delegation
Step 1 — Open Delegation
Go to Workflow → Delegation and click New Delegation.
Step 2 — Choose delegator and delegate
Select the person whose approvals will be reassigned (the delegator) and the person who will receive them (the delegate). An admin can create delegations for others; a user can create their own.
Step 3 — Set the date range
Pick the start and end dates. The delegation is only active within this window. For open-ended coverage, use a far-future end date and revoke manually when done.
Step 4 — Add conditions (optional)
Narrow what is delegated. Common conditions:
- Entity/subject type — only delegate purchase order approvals, not everything.
- Amount ceiling — only delegate approvals up to a limit; larger ones still escalate to the delegator.
- Specific workflows — restrict to named approval flows.
Step 5 — Save and confirm
Save the rule. It appears in the delegation list with its window and conditions. When the start date arrives it becomes active automatically.
Interaction with approval chains
- Delegation is resolved per approval step, at the moment the step is assigned. Steps assigned before the delegation window are unaffected.
- In a serial chain, only the delegated approver’s level is redirected; other levels route normally.
- In a parallel chain, if a delegated approver is one of the required parallel approvers, their slot goes to the delegate — the others are untouched.
- If a condition (e.g. amount ceiling) excludes an approval, it stays with the original approver.
Delegation does not change who is required — it changes who acts. A dual-control parallel step still needs two decisions; the delegate simply stands in for one of them.
Revoking a delegation
Step 1 — Find the rule
In Workflow → Delegation, locate the active delegation.
Step 2 — Revoke or shorten
Click Revoke to end it immediately, or edit the end date to shorten the window. New approval steps route to the original approver from that point on.
Revoking does not reverse approvals the delegate already made — those remain valid and are recorded against the delegate in the Audit Trail.
Audit
Every delegated decision is logged: the record, the original approver, the delegate who acted, and the timestamp. Review this in Workflow → Audit Trail filtered by delegation — useful for compliance and for confirming coverage worked as intended.
Common patterns
| Scenario | Setup |
|---|---|
| Annual leave coverage | Delegate all approvals to a peer for the leave dates |
| Business travel | Delegate with an amount ceiling; large items still escalate |
| Standing backup | Long window, single subject type, revoke when role changes |
See Delegation Templates for ready-made patterns.
FAQ
Q: Can I delegate to more than one person? A: Create one delegation per delegate, using conditions (e.g. subject type or amount) to split responsibilities cleanly.
Q: What if both the delegator and delegate are away? A: Chain delegations, or rely on the workflow’s escalation to move stalled steps up the ladder.
Q: Does delegation affect who sees the record? A: It affects who is asked to approve. Visibility follows the record’s normal permissions.