Core concepts
Approvals
Every kind of approval in Srishti, who can decide each one, what each decision does, and where approvals wait for you.
- Approver
- PM
An approval is a decision that work cannot move past without: a new project that runs longer than its template allows, a change to a project's baseline, or an activity that needs a sign-off. Each one waits for specific people, and any one of them can decide it.
Approvals that need you wait on Approvals & Alerts. Every decision is recorded with your name and the time, and with your comment when you give one.
The kinds of approval
| Approval | When it happens | Who decides | Your choices |
|---|---|---|---|
| New project over its template | A PM creates a project whose calculated schedule runs longer than its template's duration. | Any one of the one to three approvers the PM named. The project's PM never approves it, even when named; they may still send it back or reject it. | Round 1: Approve or Request changes. Round 2: Approve or Reject. |
| Re-baseline | A PM submits a new-baseline draft from Actions → Create new baseline. | Any one of the project's baseline approvers. The project's PM never approves it, even when named; they may still reject it. | Approve or Reject, in one round. |
| Activity approval | An activity that needs a sign-off is waiting for it, at one level or several. | The approvers set on that activity, if they have the Approver flag. | Approve or Reject. |
| Document review | A Check / Reject or Approve / Reject task reaches the document it reviews. | The owner of the activity that holds the review task. | Check or Approve, or reject with a comment. |
A new project that fits within its template is created straight away, with no approval. Document reviews are tasks, done in My Activities like any other task; the first three kinds wait on Approvals & Alerts.
Who can approve
- Approver authority is a flag on the person, This person is an approver, set by an admin in User Management. It is separate from page access.
- In step 5 of project creation the PM picks one to three baseline approvers from the active people who have that flag. The same people decide a new project that runs over its template and every later re-baseline of that project.
- Only the named approvers can decide. Anyone else who opens the request sees You can review this request, but only its named approvers can decide.
- Only a named approver other than the project's PM can approve — for a new project that runs over its template and for a re-baseline. A PM who is also a named approver can still turn down their own request when the round offers it: Request changes in round 1 of a new project, Reject otherwise. That only withdraws what they asked for. So when the PM names themselves, they must also name at least one other active approver.
- Deciding an activity approval needs the Approver flag at that moment (or User Management: Action). Removing the flag stops someone deciding activity approvals still addressed to them.
Being able to open a project does not make you its approver. Any one approver's decision settles the request; the others do not need to act.
A new project over its template
When a PM submits a project whose schedule is longer than its template's CPM duration, the project waits as Pending approval and every named approver is told. The review shows how many days the template allows, how many were submitted, the PM's comment and the approvers it went to.
| Decision | What happens |
|---|---|
| Approve | The project becomes active. It starts on the submitted start date if you approve on or before that date, otherwise the day after your approval. The schedule is recalculated from that start and the first baseline is saved. |
| Request changes (round 1) | Needs a comment. The draft goes back to the PM, marked Changes needed on Projects. The PM chooses Make changes, edits it and chooses Resubmit for approval. |
| Reject (round 2) | Needs a comment. The project is cancelled. Round 2 only opens when the resubmitted plan is still over its template. |
If the resubmitted plan now fits within its template, the project is created at once and no second round is needed. The PM is told the outcome, and for a new project the other named approvers are told it has been settled.
Re-baselines
A baseline is the plan everyone agreed to. A PM changes it only by submitting a new-baseline draft with a reason. The review lists every change, old to new, marks the critical-path activities and says what happens to the forecast launch date.
- Approve puts the draft live. Changed durations or predecessors recalculate the schedule and save a new baseline, with the schedule deviation back to zero.
- Reject needs a comment and discards the draft. The PM is told, with your comment.
Activity approvals and document reviews
Pending Approvals lists the activities waiting for your sign-off, oldest due date first. Each row shows the activity, its project, its due date (with Overdue when it has passed) and, when there is more than one level, which level it is at, such as Level 1 of 2. Click the activity's name to see its details and documents before you decide.
Choose Approve or Reject in the row. Reject opens Reject approval and asks for a Reason for rejection. When the decision ends the request, the activity's owners are told the outcome.
Document reviews
A review task names the document it reviews. Its button stays off until the document is ready: a check needs a fresh upload, and an approval needs a checked document (or a fresh one when no check is set up). Rejecting needs a comment and sends the work back: either to the activity the template named, or to the one you choose under Send back to (on reject). The owners of every reopened activity and the PM are told in the app.
The Approvals & Alerts page
Approvals & Alerts is in everyone's left menu. It has up to three parts, in this order.
New projects over their template and re-baselines. Shown only when there is one. Click a row to open its review and decide there.
For a new project, the days it runs over its template, with its round. For a re-baseline, how many activities it changes.
Activity sign-offs addressed to you, oldest due first.
Decide in the row. Reject asks for a reason.
Your notifications. Each links to what it is about.
Clears every unread notification at once.
A PM also sees their own submitted requests under Approvals awaiting you, marked Pending or Changes requested, and can open them to follow progress without deciding.
When an approval waits too long
Srishti checks every morning for activity approvals that have waited more than 24 hours. For each one, the approver's Escalation level 1 is told Approval pending for over 24 hours, once a day and at most three times. Any change to the activity starts the count again. The reminder stays in the app; it is not sent to Slack or email.