Lesson XVI: Astra Schedule Event Workflow

Astra Schedule workflow. Approval and notification groups. A notification list. What does it all mean and how do they work together? In this lesson, we’ll answer both of those questions and look at examples along the way. Ready?

Astra Schedule Event Workflow

Event request forms can be used to allow users that don’t have schedule rights to request events, rooms, and resources. The Astra Schedule workflow allows approvals at each of those levels. The workflow moves in one direction: event approval first, followed by room and resource approval. This is setup through roles and approver groups. Let’s walk through a few examples.

There are 3 statuses that are only triggered by the workflow that we need to understand first: Incomplete, Requested, and Declined.

• Incomplete: This status indicates that there is a required field missing, there is an approval needed at the room or resource level, or the event is double booked by a user that does not have double book permissions. Once the issue is resolved and saved, the event status will switch to "Scheduled".
• Requested: This status is only for events for that have been submitted through the event request form. The event can be updated from the event list or approved from the notification list. It is best practice to approve or decline the event from the notification list when it has a status of "Requested". You cannot delete an event with the status of "Requested".
• Declined: This status indicates that the event was submitted through the event request form and declined via the notification list.

Below are the workflow examples.

First example: a requester submits the request form. Astra Schedule sends the approval notification to the notification list of the user or users associated to that request form via the approval group. If the user that approves the event has permissions to schedule all pieces of the event – specifically the rooms and, if added, resources – the event will be in a scheduled status and the workflow is complete. An approval email is sent. If the user declines the event, the decline email will be sent.

Let’s try another example: a requester submits the request form. Astra Schedule sends the approval notification to the event request form approver. However, that approver doesn't have permission to schedule the room that was requested. The event will be in an incomplete status with the room in a requested status. This triggers the second workflow, sending a room approval notification to the user or users associated to that room via an approval group. Once the room is approved, the event will be in a scheduled status and workflow is complete. An approval email is sent. If the user declines the room, the room is dropped from the event, and the event stays in an incomplete status. No email is triggered automatically.

Here’s another example: a requester submits the request form. Astra Schedule sends the approval notification to the event request form approver. That user has permission to schedule the event and the room, but that approver doesn't have permission to schedule the resource that was requested. The event will be in an incomplete status with the resource in a requested status. This triggers the third workflow, sending a resource approval notification to the user or users associated to that resource via an approval group. Once the resource is approved, the event will be in a scheduled status and workflow is complete. An approval email is sent. If the user declines the resource, the resource is dropped from the event, and the event is scheduled. An approval email will be sent and will reflect the resource is not associated to the event.

The final thing to note is that examples 2 and 3 can happen hand in hand, as after an event has been approved, the room and resource approvals are triggered at the same time. The room and resource must both be approved before the end user receives the email that their event is scheduled.

Create an Approver Group

Create a Notification Group

Notification Email Examples

The notification emails for room or resource status changes are triggered by the setup of the notification group we discussed. Below you will see an example of each!

In this example, you’ll see the room ADAMS 103 has been scheduled. The status changes are highlighted in red. If this room was the be canceled, the user would receive a second email, notifying them of that change.

In this example, two of the Extension Cord – Indoor (10 feet) resources have been scheduled. The status changes are highlighted in red. As Catering is not highlighted, we can infer that this person is in a notification group for IT Equipment and not for Catering resources.

Now that the roles and approver groups have been configured, a user can start approving events, rooms, and resources. For an approver, the notification list can be seen as their “to-do list”. This is the list that shows all events, rooms, and resources that need to be approved. However, once the approve or decline has been made, it is best practice to all other work from the event list.

Navigating the Notification List

Approving Requests

My Preferences - Notification List Emails

We hope this walkthrough was helpful in understanding the ins and outs of the Astra Schedule workflow. Now that you have everything setup, you can configure your event request forms to gather all the information you need, which we’ll cover in our next lesson!