Plan Approval - User roles, Initiators vs. Reviewers definition

Collaborators are users who can work with approval projects. There are two types of collaborators:

• Initiators - users who initiate new approval workflow by uploading or creating new material
• Reviewers - users who review and approve material requested by initiators

Both initiators and reviewers are set in the approval User settings. The User settings are separate from the Project settings, but both follow each other. The Project settings focus on specific project-related information, while User settings deal with how initiators and reviewers interact with the project.

Project Settings

Accessible from the left side panel under the project title, Project settings cover all project-specific information, including:

• Project Name
• Response Time
• Country
• Place Archive (for Place approval projects)
• Produce Template (for Produce approval projects)

These settings are only related to the project itself and not user permissions or roles.

User Settings

User settings, previously used only for reviewer management, are now available in the top-right corner of the project interface. These settings allow configuration of both initiators and reviewers.

Initiator Settings

Initiator settings define how initiators interact with the project. Options include:

1. Initiators Approving Their Own Material: Controls whether initiators can approve documents or assets they have created or uploaded.
2. Initiators Updating Each Other's Material: Allows initiators to collaborate by editing documents or assets initiated by others.
3. Project with a Limited Initiators Pool: Only selected initiators can access the project.

Reviewer Settings

Reviewers' settings are divided into three sections:

1. Users Selection: Assign individual users with 'Collaboration Reviewer' privilege as reviewers.
2. User Groups Selection: Assign entire user groups with 'Collaboration Reviewer' privilege. If a user is part of the group but excluded from individual selection, they remain a reviewer.
3. Excluded Users: Manually exclude specific users from the reviewer list, overriding any prior inclusion in individual or group selections.

Advanced Settings

There are three advanced options for initiators within the user settings:

1. Initiators Approving Their Own Material:
   • If enabled, initiators with reviewer privileges can approve their own submissions.
   • If disabled, they cannot approve documents or assets they created/uploaded.
2. Initiators Updating Each Other’s Material:
   • If enabled, all initiators can update documents or assets created by others.
   • This option facilitates collaboration, allowing multiple initiators to work on the same material.
3. Project with a Limited Initiator’s Pool:
   • Only selected users with 'Collaboration Initiator' privileges can initiate approvals. If a user is not selected, they cannot start approval flows.

How to Setup

1. Accessing Project Settings:
   • Navigate to the left-side panel and click on the project title.
   • Adjust project-specific details like the name, response time, and templates.
2. Configuring User Settings:
   • Click on the settings icon in the top-right corner of the project interface.
   • Under Initiator Settings, define who can initiate, approve, and edit materials.
   • Under Reviewer Settings, assign individual users or user groups, and exclude users as needed.