Approver assignment options
Key Takeaway
Each approval step's "Select Approver" setting decides who receives the approval request, but the person who actually approves can differ from the person who was assigned.
In a classic approval process, the admin can let the submitter pick the approver or assign the approver automatically. Automatic assignment can follow a hierarchy field such as Manager, go to a queue, or name specific users, queues, or related users. Delegates and users with "Modify All Data" or "Modify All Records" can also respond to approval requests.
The four Select Approver options
Each approval step must say who receives the approval request, so each step has a Select Approver setting with four options.
| Select Approver option | Who receives the approval request |
|---|---|
| Let the submitter choose the approver manually | The user or queue that the submitter picks. |
| Automatically assign an approver using a standard or custom hierarchy field | The user in a hierarchy field on the submitter's user record. That can be the standard Manager field or a custom hierarchy field. |
| Automatically assign to a queue | A queue. Any member of that queue can approve or reject the request. |
| Automatically assign to approver(s) | Specific users, specific queues, or related users. Related users are users listed in a standard or custom field on the submitted record. |
"Let the submitter choose the approver manually" is the default. When a record is submitted, the submitter is asked to pick the next approver. The submitter can also choose themselves.