Basic vs Advanced Approval Workflows

Short Description Hive9 supports two flavors of approval workflows — Basic (built-in, fast to set up) and Advanced (highly configurable). This article helps you pick the right one.

What this article answers

The capabilities of each workflow type.
When to use Basic vs Advanced.
How to switch between them.

Basic workflows

Basic workflows are Hive9's built-in approval flows. They:

Are pre-defined per object type (tactic, PR).
Use a fixed approver routing (typically the team's Can Approve members).
Support single-stage or simple multi-stage approval.
Require minimal setup — usually just team membership and Can Approve permissions.

Basic workflows are sufficient for most organizations that want approval gating without complex routing logic.

[SCREENSHOT NEEDED — Settings → Approval Workflows with Basic option visible]

Advanced workflows

Advanced workflows are Hive9's configurable approval framework. They support:

Multiple stages — serial, parallel, or hybrid.
Approver types — User, Role, Record Owner, Custom Attribute.
Conditional routing — workflows can route based on attribute values (e.g., cost over $50K goes to senior leadership).
Per-stage rules — number of required approvers per stage, all-vs-any logic.
Custom Attribute Group (CAG) workflows — approval flows triggered by changes to specific attribute groups.

Advanced workflows require more setup but give you the flexibility most enterprise approval policies need.

When to use which

Basic workflows are right when…

Your approval policy is simple — one approver, one team.
All approvers can act on any tactic for their team.
You want minimal admin overhead.
You're new to Hive9 and want to start fast.

Advanced workflows are right when…

You have multi-stage approvals (manager → director → CFO).
Approval routing depends on attribute values (cost, region, business unit).
Different tactic types or business contexts need different approval paths.
You need parallel approvals (e.g., legal and finance both sign off).
You want custom attribute changes (e.g., budget reallocations) to trigger their own approval flows.

Switching from Basic to Advanced

You can migrate workflows over time:

Build the Advanced workflow alongside the existing Basic one.
Test on a small set of tactics or in a sandbox.
Once confident, reassign tactics' Approval Workflow attribute to the new Advanced workflow.
Deactivate the Basic workflow when no tactics reference it.

Take care during the switch — tactics with the old workflow assigned will keep their reference even after the workflow is deactivated. See Error: "Selected Approval Workflow is either marked as inactive or deleted" for handling.

Common questions

Can I use both at once? Yes — different tactics, PRs, and CAG objects can use different workflows simultaneously.

Is Advanced harder to maintain? It's more flexible, which can mean more places to make changes. Document your Advanced workflows clearly so future admins understand the routing logic.

Can a custom attribute trigger a workflow? That's what CAG (Custom Attribute Group) workflows are for — they specifically fire when designated attribute changes happen. See Custom Attribute Group approval flow.

How do I see which workflow a tactic is using? Open the tactic's Inspection Window — the Approval Workflow attribute shows the assigned workflow.