Parallel Approvals in Salesforce represent a powerful feature within the approval process framework that allows multiple approvers to review and act on a record simultaneously rather than sequentially. This capability significantly accelerates business processes where multiple stakeholders need to …Parallel Approvals in Salesforce represent a powerful feature within the approval process framework that allows multiple approvers to review and act on a record simultaneously rather than sequentially. This capability significantly accelerates business processes where multiple stakeholders need to provide their consent or feedback on the same request.
In a standard sequential approval process, each approver must complete their action before the next approver receives the request. However, parallel approvals enable organizations to send approval requests to multiple users or groups at the same time, reducing overall processing time and improving operational efficiency.
When configuring parallel approvals, administrators can define approval steps that include multiple approvers. Salesforce provides flexibility in determining how the approval decision is made when multiple approvers are involved. You can configure the step to require unanimous approval, where all assigned approvers must approve for the record to move forward, or you can set it so that only the first response determines the outcome.
To implement parallel approvals, administrators navigate to Setup, then Process Automation, and select Approval Processes. When creating or editing an approval step, you can specify multiple approvers by adding users, queues, or related users. The system then distributes the approval request to all designated parties concurrently.
Key considerations for parallel approvals include proper notification management to ensure all approvers are aware of pending requests, establishing clear escalation rules for cases where approvers do not respond within expected timeframes, and defining appropriate approval thresholds based on business requirements.
Parallel approvals are particularly valuable in scenarios such as expense approvals requiring sign-off from both a manager and finance department, contract reviews needing legal and sales approval, or any business process where multiple departments must validate a request. This functionality helps organizations maintain compliance while streamlining their operational workflows and reducing bottlenecks in decision-making processes.
Parallel Approvals in Salesforce: A Complete Guide
What are Parallel Approvals?
Parallel approvals are a feature within Salesforce approval processes that allow multiple approvers to receive and act on an approval request at the same time. Instead of routing a request sequentially from one approver to the next, parallel approvals send the request to all designated approvers in a step simultaneously.
Why are Parallel Approvals Important?
Parallel approvals are crucial for several business scenarios:
• Faster Processing: When multiple stakeholders need to approve a record, parallel routing significantly reduces the total approval time compared to sequential routing.
• Cross-Departmental Approvals: When a deal requires sign-off from both Finance and Legal departments, both can review simultaneously.
• Committee Decisions: Board approvals or executive committee decisions where all members need to weigh in at once.
• Compliance Requirements: Some regulatory requirements mandate that specific individuals must all approve certain transactions.
How Parallel Approvals Work
When configuring an approval step, you can choose between two approval behaviors:
1. Unanimous Approval: ALL assigned approvers must approve the request for it to move forward. If any single approver rejects, the entire request is rejected.
2. First Response Approval: Only ONE approver needs to approve or reject. The first response received determines the outcome.
Configuration Steps:
1. Create or edit an approval process 2. Add an approval step 3. Under Select Approver, you can add multiple users or use related user fields 4. Choose the approval behavior: Require Unanimous Approval from All Selected Approvers or Require approval from First Responder
Key Limitations to Remember:
• Maximum of 25 approvers per step • All parallel approvers receive notifications at the same time • You cannot have different approval behaviors within the same step • Delegated approvers can act on behalf of any parallel approver
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Parallel Approvals
Tip 1: Understand the Terminology Know the difference between Unanimous and First Response approval. Questions often present scenarios requiring you to identify which behavior is needed.
Tip 2: Watch for Keywords Look for phrases like: • "All managers must approve" = Unanimous • "Any one of the managers can approve" = First Response • "Both Finance AND Legal must approve" = Unanimous with multiple approvers
Tip 3: Sequential vs Parallel If a question describes a scenario where approvers must act one after another, this is sequential approval using multiple steps. If approvers should act at the same time, this is parallel approval within a single step.
Tip 4: Consider the Business Impact Questions may ask about the outcome when one approver rejects in a parallel scenario. Remember: with unanimous approval, one rejection means the entire request is rejected.
Tip 5: Recall the Limits The 25-approver limit per step is a commonly tested detail. If a scenario requires more than 25 approvers, you would need to restructure the approach.
Tip 6: Delegation Scenarios Remember that delegated approvers can respond on behalf of original approvers in parallel approval scenarios. This is often tested in combination questions.
Common Exam Scenario Example:
"A company requires that both the Sales Director and Finance Manager approve all opportunities over $100,000 before they can be closed. What should the administrator configure?"
The answer would involve creating an approval process with a step that includes both the Sales Director and Finance Manager as parallel approvers with Unanimous Approval required.