An Independent Approval is a standalone approval you raise directly from the Approval Register. Unlike a Hold Point, Witness Point, NCR or Purchase Order approval, it is not tied to an inspection point or another register item – you choose the workflow, address it to your approver, and send. It replaces the pre-V11 Authority to Proceed.
You can optionally pre-fill an Independent Approval from a reusable Independent Approval Template, covered in Part 1. If you don’t need one, skip straight to Part 2.
Note – Independent Approvals are created first and sent second. When you click Create Approval the approval is saved at Not started and nothing is emailed yet. The notification only goes out when you click Start Workflow, so you always get a chance to review and edit the wording first.
Before you start
- Your project needs at least one approval workflow set up. See Create Basic Workflows for Approvals. If no approval workflows exist, the Workflow dropdown will be empty and you cannot create the approval.
- Setting up Independent Approval Templates (Part 1) is done under Other Setup, which your CivilPro Administrator manages. Creating and sending the approval itself (Part 2) is done from the Approval Register.
Part 1 – Set up an Independent Approval Template (optional)
A template saves you re-typing the same wording each time. An Independent Approval Template is just a subject and a body of rich text – there are no merge fields to fill in.
1. Open the template editor
Go to Other Setup > Approval & Notification Templates, then click New Notification Template (or open an existing template to edit it).
2. Fill in the template
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Template Name | The name you will see in the template list and in the Independent Approval Template dropdown. |
| Default Type | Marks this as the default template for its type. Leave on No unless you want it treated as the default. |
| Template Type | Choose Approval Independent. This is what makes the template appear in the Independent Approval dropdown. Other types are used elsewhere in CivilPro. |
| Inactive Template | Set to Yes to hide a template from the dropdowns without deleting it. Leave on No for a live template. |
| Subject | Pre-fills the Subject Text of any approval that uses this template. |
| Body | The content the approver reads. Use the formatting toolbar as needed. This pre-fills the Approval Text of the approval. |
3. Save
Click Save. The template is now available to select when you create an Independent Approval.
Part 2 – Create the Independent Approval
1. Open the Approval Register
Under Spec and Conformance, select Approvals.
2. Start a new Independent Approval
Click New Independent Approval (top-left). The New Independent Approval window opens.
3. Fill in the approval
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Workflow | The approval workflow that controls the steps and the actions your approver can take. Pick the one that suits, for example an Independent Approval or Document Approval workflow. This is required. |
| Days until 1st step due | How many days the approver has for the first step. Defaults to 1. This sets the Due Days on the approval. |
| Independent Approval Template | Optional. Pick a template to pre-fill the Subject and Approval Text. Leave it blank to start from an empty approval. Use the × to clear a template you have selected. |
| Show only users that can approve | Ticked by default. Keeps the Addressees list to users who are allowed to approve. Untick it if you need to address someone who is not in that list. |
| Addressees | The person or people you are sending the approval to. They become the Approvers on the approval. |
| Add Group (under Addressees) | Adds everyone in a user group to the Addressees in one go. |
| CC | Anyone you want copied in, without being an approver. |
| Add Group (under CC) | Adds a group to the CC list. |
| Attachments | Attach supporting files from your computer or Filestore. |
4. Create the approval
Click Create Approval. The approval is saved and opens on its own page at status Not started. No email has gone out yet.
5. Review and edit
On the approval, check the Subject Text and the Approval Text (the large rich-text box). If you used a template these are already filled in – edit them as needed. Add any further attachments here too.
6. Send it
When you are happy, click Start Workflow. The approval is now sent to your Approvers and the workflow begins. You can follow it with View Progress.
Note – Independent Approval workflows typically let the approver Approve, Conditionally Approve (comments required) or Reject (comments required). If the approval is rejected, you can amend it and assign Resubmit for Approval to send it back. The exact actions depend on the workflow you chose.
Common questions
Do I have to use a template?
No. The template just saves typing. Leave the Independent Approval Template field blank and write the Subject and Approval Text directly on the approval.
Why isn’t my workflow in the dropdown?
The dropdown lists the approval workflows configured on your project. If it is empty, no approval workflows have been set up yet. See Create Basic Workflows for Approvals.
I created the approval but nobody was notified.
That is expected. Creating the approval saves it at Not started. The notification only goes out when you click Start Workflow.
Someone I need to address isn’t in the Addressees list.
Untick Show only users that can approve. The list is filtered to approvers by default, so a user that appears after this is unticked may not have sufficient permissions to approve the Independent Approval.
Can I attach photos or documents?
Yes, both on the New Independent Approval window and on the approval itself, from your computer or Filestore.