How to Configure Stage Gate Approvals

Direct Answer: How to Configure Stage Gate Approvals in OnePlan

To configure stage gate approvals in OnePlan, open a process step in the Plan Details configuration, go to the Stages tab, and add an approval from the Approval tab. Configure who must approve, select an Approval Method, and define notifications and field updates that occur on approval or rejection. For example, you can require the Executive Sponsor to approve a plan before it moves forward, update the State field to Active on approval, and automatically set the Estimated Start date. Once configured, stage gate approvals enforce governance and control plan progression.

What This Article Covers: Configuring Stage Gate Approvals

This article explains how to configure stage gate approvals in OnePlan, focusing on defining approvers, approval behavior, notifications, and automated field updates.

What you will accomplish
By the end of this article, you will be able to configure approval workflows that require stakeholder approval, notify reviewers, and automatically update plan fields based on approval outcomes.

Before You Begin: Configuring Stage Gate Approvals

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A OnePlan account with Administrator or Owner permissions
• Access to the Plan Details App
• A process step configured with Standard Stage Gate enabled
• A defined approval scenario (for example, requiring an Executive Sponsor approval)

Step-by-Step: Configuring Stage Gate Approvals

Task: Add a Stage Gate Approval

Starting from the Stages tab for your process step in OnePlan:

1. Select the Approval tab.
2. Click Add Approval to open the Add Approval screen.
   

Task: Define Who Must Approve

Starting from the Add Approval screen:

1. Choose who the approval is assigned to:
   • Select Users and Teams to choose specific users or teams. Users and Teams allows you to select specific users or teams to receive the approval. You may select multiple users.
   • Selecting Field allows you to select a user field from the plan. The user or team selected for that field will receive the approval.

NOTE
When setting up team-wide approvals, each team member receives individual approval tasks and email notifications, ensuring comprehensive team communication.

Task: Configure Approval Behavior

Starting from the Add Approval screen:

1. In the Approval Method field, select:
   • First User means the plan will be approved once the first user approves (if there are multiple approvers set).
   • All Users means that the plan will be approved once all users set up as approvers approve the plan.
2. In Number of Days, enter how long approvers have to respond (for example, 30 days).

NOTE
This settings does not enforce any approvals or timelines. It functions simply to set expectations for the approvers to get their reviews complete in a timely manner.

Task: Configure Approval Notifications

Starting from the Add Approval screen:

1. Enter a subject for the approval notification that will be sent to all approvers. (for example, Project Submitted for Approval). The notification will be sent as an email, as well as a OnePlan notification that appears in the Notification Center.
2. Select relevant fields to be included in the notification to provide the approvers additional context to the project that they are approving. (such as Budget, Business Case, and Estimated Start) to include in the notification.
   
3. Enter the notification message body describing what approvers should review. This is the main body text of the notification sent out to approvers.
   

Task: Configure Field Updates on Approval

Starting from the Fields To Update On Approval section:

1. Click Add Field.
2. In the Field field, select State.
3. In the Value field, select Active.

4. Click Save.
   

   NOTE
   You can also set up automatic plan conversions upon approval or rejection. For example, you can have an Idea converted into a Project once approved. You need to have the conversion configured in the Plan Type settings first, and then you can add that conversion into the approval workflow.

To update a date automatically:

1. Click Add Field again.
2. In the Field field, select Estimated Start.
3. In Value, select Today.
4. Click Save. The Field will be added to the list of Fields To Update on Approval.
   
   

Task: Configure Field Updates on Rejection

If you want to configure the State field to update to On Hold upon rejection.:

1. In the Fields to Update On Rejection section, click Add Field.
2. In the Field field, select State.
3. In the Value field, select On Hold.
4. Click Save. The Field will be added to the list of Fields to Update on Rejection.
   
   

Task: Save the Approval Configuration

Starting from the Add Approval screen:

1. Click Save to add the approval.
   
2. Click Save again to return to the Stages tab. You can set up additional stage gate workflows if desired.
3. Click Save in the Edit Step form.
   
4. Click Save to apply changes to the Plan Details form.
   

Why This Matters: Stage Gate Approvals in OnePlan

Context: Enforcing Approval Requirements

Stage gate approvals in OnePlan ensure that key stakeholders review and approve plans before they progress to the next stage, improving accountability and governance.

Context: Automating Plan Updates

Approval workflows can automatically update plan fields, such as status or dates, ensuring consistency and reducing manual effort after decisions are made.

Context: Standardizing Communication

Approval notifications provide structured communication to approvers, ensuring they receive all relevant information needed to review plans efficiently.

Frequently Asked Questions: Stage Gate Approvals in OnePlan

Q: How do I configure stage gate approvals in OnePlan?
A: In OnePlan, go to the Stages tab of a process step, select the Approval tab, click Add Approval, and configure the approver, Approval Method, notifications, and field updates before saving the workflow.

Q: What is the difference between First User and All Users approval methods?
A: In OnePlan, First User completes approval when the first approver responds, while All Users requires every assigned approver to approve before the plan can proceed.

Q: Can I automatically update fields when a plan is approved?
A: Yes. In OnePlan, you can use the Fields To Update On Approval section to update fields such as State or Estimated Start when approval is completed.

Q: What happens when a plan is rejected?
A: In OnePlan, you can configure the Fields To Update On Rejection section to update fields such as State (for example, setting it to On Hold) when a plan is rejected.

What to Do Next: Stage Gate Approvals

Get started with related tasks:

• Create or Edit Stage Gate Workflows
• How to Configure a Standard Stage Gate
• How to Configure Auto Approval Stage Gates

Learn about related topics:

• Set Up Plan Detail Forms