Article

Eliminating Redundant Approvals in ServiceNow

Author: Agus Budi Harto, 2025-04-25 08:49:06

In a complex organization, it’s not uncommon to have long approval chains for processing a single request. However, this can sometimes lead to a situation where the same approver is asked to approve the same request multiple times. Naturally, this creates unnecessary workload and frustration.

Fortunately, ServiceNow provides a way to handle such cases efficiently using a Business Rule. By setting up a Business Rule, you can ensure that if an approver has already made a decision on a request, that same decision is automatically applied if their approval is required again for the same ticket.

Here’s how to set it up:

Steps to Prevent Redundant Approvals in ServiceNow

  1. Navigate to All ? System Definition ? Business Rules.


  2. Click New, give your rule a name, and select the table: Approval [sysapproval_approver]. Make sure both Active and Advanced are checked.


  3. In the When to run tab:

    • Set When to before.

    • Check both Insert and Update.


  4. Leave the Actions tab unchanged.

  5. In the Advanced tab:

    • Set the Condition to:

      current.state.changesTo('requested')

    • In the Script field, add your logic to detect and apply previous approval decisions for the same ticket and approver.

          if(current.document_id||current.sysapproval){
              var app = new GlideRecord("sysapproval_approver");
              if(!current.document_id.nil()){
                  app.addQuery("document_id",current.document_id);
              } else if(!current.sysapproval.nil()){
                  app.addQuery("sysapproval",current.sysapproval);
              }
              app.addQuery("approver",current.approver);
              app.addQuery("state","approved");
              app.query();
              if(app.next()){
                  current.state = "approved";
                  var cmnt = "Approval marked by system as 'Approved' due to a previous approval on the same record by the same user.";
                  current.comments = cmnt;
              }
          }

Once implemented, this rule will automatically apply the same approval decision made earlier by the same approver to any new approval tasks generated for the same request. This ensures consistency and saves time by avoiding redundant approvals.

Related article:

Choosing the Right IT Service Management (ITSM) Tool for Optimal Efficiency

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