Step 2: Add a manager approval step

Phase 5: Adding loops, notifications, SLAs

  1. Add approval and revision loops
  2. Add manager approval
  3. Look up participants through SharePoint
  4. Assign tasks through SharePoint
  5. Customize email notifications
  6. Customize SLA's
  7. Publish and test

More information

In this step we'll add a step to the workflow that looks up a manager from a SharePoint profile.

  1. In Designer, in the Properties pane, click Swimlanes.
  2. Click the the options button [...].
  3. Add the Manager Swimlane.

Adding the form query

Now we'll add a Workflow participant control to set the manager swimlane. (Note: This only works if you are running an Enterprise version of SharePoint.)

Assign the Workflow Participant properties as follows (see example at right)

Note: To use this feature you must be using the Enterprise version of SharePoint.

  • Portal Root Field – the URL to SharePoint Enterprise Site
  • User Profile field – the login name of the current user of the form
  • Set Fields – This sets Requestor Manager to Manager. Requestor Manager is a form field. The Query returns multiple fields, but we only need one (the Manager field).

Adding and assigning the workflow participant

Here we'll add the Workflow participant control to our InfoPath form, and set it to the Manager Swimlane.

Configure the WorkflowParticipant properties and then assign it to the Manager Swimlane as illustrated below.

The final result in our workflow is shown below. (Note that the illustration also shows the cancelation option to end the workflow that was developed in the previous step.)