About LazyApproval

This topic describes the LazyApproval feature available with Nintex Workflow.

LazyApproval allows reviewers to approve and reject items by replying to email with a recognized phrase. With Enterprise Edition, LazyApproval can also be enabled for OCS/Lync conversation replies.

By default, LazyApproval is disabled upon installation of Nintex Workflow. To enable LazyApproval, customize email footer text, and edit recognized and ignored phrases, see Managing LazyApproval settings (farm level).

Following is the LazyApproval process from workflow design to task completion.

1. The workflow designer configures a task action to use LazyApproval by selecting the check box Allow LazyApproval.

   LazyApproval is available with the following actions: Assign Flexi task, Request approval, Request Data ( OCS/Lync not available), and Request review.

   Note: LazyApproval must be enabled for the farm. For more information, see Managing LazyApproval settings (farm level).

2. The workflow sends a notification email message to the email account for the assigned reviewer.

   The sender is identified as lazyapproval@yoursiteURL.com. The subject line contains an identification code for tracing the email thread and updating task status.

   The footer of the email message describes how to use LazyApproval.

3. The reviewer sends an email reply to the sender, typing a recognized phrase on the first line, by itself.

   While additional recipients for the email message can be specified, best practice is to model any needed notifications in the workflow. The original sender must remain in the To line for the LazyApproval reply to be interpreted by the system.

   Note: The reviewer should not edit or remove the identification code in the subject line, as it is used for tracing the email thread and updating task status. In this situation, the reviewer will find it necessary to manually update task status for the item. For more information on manual task updates, see Approving, rejecting, and viewing tasks.

4. The system interprets the reply, determining if the email message contains a recognized phrase.

   The system scans the first 20 lines of the email message from the top down, selecting the first recognized phrase that appears on a line by itself. Lines combining recognized phrases with unrecognized text are skipped.

   1. If a recognized phrase is found, then the task is updated to the corresponding status.
   2. If no recognized phrase is found, then an email reply is sent to the reviewer noting that the reviewer's reply could not be interpreted. The reviewer can then reply to that email with a recognized phrase.