Understanding Sign Off Workflows in Pinpoint is essential for implementing an effective approval process for job postings, offers to candidates, and creating new requisitions. This article will guide you through the core concepts of the Sign Off Workflow system, the steps to create a new Sign Off workflow, and what signatories will see when approvers are notified. With this system, you can set up a robust approval hierarchy, ensuring that all necessary approvals are obtained before proceeding.
What are the Core Concepts of Sign Off Workflows?
Pinpoint's Sign Off Workflow system comprises several key concepts that are fundamental to effectively using the system: Signatories, Stages, and Triggers.
Signatories
These are Pinpoint users who can approve the details of an offer or a job requisition. Signatories will be notified by email when they need to approve or reject a requisition, job, or offer.
Stages
A sign-off workflow can have multiple stages. For example, the first stage might involve getting approval from the Head of Department to hire someone, followed by someone from the Finance department agreeing to the salary details. Stages follow a sequential order, so the Finance team cannot sign off until the Head of Department has first approved.
Stages can have any number of signatories assigned to them, meaning the Finance team stage may consist of several people who can approve the job or offer details.
You can set a minimum number of signatories required for each stage. For instance, if any member of the Finance team can give approval, you can require that only one gives their approval for the stage to be marked complete, automatically moving to the next stage. This is done by adjusting the Minimum Signatories number.
Stages can also have conditions. If a stage's condition is not met then it will be skipped. This allows you to loop in escalation points when certain criteria are met, like requiring the head of a department to sign off when the offer is over a specific amount.
Triggers
To initiate a sign-off workflow when a new requisition, job, or offer is created, you need to specify the details that will trigger the workflow, which can be quite flexible.
For instance, you may want any vacancies with a salary above $50,000 to require approval.
Alternatively, you may want vacancies in specific departments to receive sign-off from the department head. In this situation, you could establish different workflows for each department, assign the heads as signatories, and use the appropriate departmental field in the new job postings to trigger the correct workflow.
It may also be desirable to have a specific detail from your Custom Fields act as the trigger, such as differentiating between new headcount hires and replacements for departing employees.
How do I create a new Sign-Off workflow?
To create a new Sign Off workflow, start by navigating to the Templates page found under the Settings heading in the main left-hand navigation bar in Pinpoint. You can follow the steps below to create a new workflow.
Template
Click on the Sign Off Workflows tab. This will show you a list of existing sign off workflows.
Create
Click on Create New, and assign a name for the workflow.
When to use
From this page, you can rename the workflow and determine when it should be used. You can pick where it should appear (requisitions, jobs, or offers) and when it should fire based on triggers. Add a new trigger condition by clicking the "Add Condition" button.
Add Stage
By dragging the "New Stage" down into the workflow, you can add new stages. If you ever need to reposition the order of the stages, use the six dots to the right of each stage to drag and drop it into the correct order.
Signtatories
For each stage, you will need to provide details of the users who will act as signatories, and the minimum number of signatories required for the stages to be considered "signed off", as well as what kind of sign-off it should be. If you pick "Fixed" as the assignment, then you will need to enter the users who can approve this stage. For "Variable" and "Assigned by previous approver" the signatories will be picked when the workflow is used.
Save
Don't forget to save the step (you might have to scroll down) and the workflow once you are done.
It's always a good idea to test your workflow by creating a new offer, requisition, or job to make sure it works as expected.
What Do the Signatories See?
Signatories will receive an email listing the job they need to approve, along with a link to view the details within Pinpoint. They can approve from the email, or within Pinpoint.
You can configure what is sent in the email using the settings button on the approval workflow template page.
Additionally, signatories can enable dashboard widgets that will display all their outstanding approvals on their Pinpoint dashboard, which they can set up by following this guide.
Signatories can also view what needs approval from the Approval dashboard.
FAQs and Troubleshooting
What should I do if a signatory is not receiving emails?
Ensure that the signatories' email addresses are entered correctly in User Management. Also, please check that they have accepted their invitation to join Pinpoint. If the emails are correct, check if they have been moved to their spam or junk folders.
Can I change a signatory after a workflow has been created?
Yes, you can modify the workflow at any time to add or remove signatories as necessary. However any approvals already created will use the previous signatories.
What happens if a signatory declines approval?
If a signatory declines approval, they can provide commentary, which will be added to the history of the item, allowing for revision or changes as necessary.
Can we create a "Catch All" workflow?
Yes, you can create a workflow that will trigger if no other workflow is used. This can be helpful for organizations that have a large number of workflows and want to ensure that everything goes through an approval process. This feature must be enabled for your deployment by either your CSM or the Support Team.