Workflows

Using Dynamic Groups in Workflows

Dynamic groups enable workflows to automatically route approval requests to different people based on organizational context. This guide explains how to use dynamic groups within your workflows.

When to Use Dynamic Groups in Workflows

Dynamic groups are particularly valuable in workflows for:

• Large institutions with multiple colleges, schools, or departments that each need their own approvers

• Decentralized approval structures where different programs have different approval chains

• Complex routing needs where the appropriate approver depends on which program or department is involved

• Reducing administrative burden by eliminating the need to create separate workflows for each department

If you don't need this level of routing complexity, stick with regular user groups assigned to approval steps.

Adding Dynamic Groups to Your Workflow

When configuring an approval step in your workflow:

1. Select Dynamic Group as the approver type

2. Choose the routing criterion that matches your dynamic group's structure

3. Select your dynamic group from the dropdown

The routing criterion you select must align with how your dynamic group is organized. For example, if your dynamic group is organized by department, you can use either Requirement's Department or Student's Department as your routing criterion.

Editing Published Workflows

Once a workflow is published and in use:

You CAN edit:

• Dynamic group approver assignments (add/remove approvers for departments)

• Group membership for groups used in dynamic groups

• Default approver settings

You CANNOT edit:

• The workflow's core structure (number of steps, step order)

• Which dynamic group is assigned to an approval step

• The routing criterion type (e.g., can't change from department to program)

Planning tip: Design your dynamic group structure carefully before publishing the workflow. While you can update approver assignments, you cannot change the fundamental routing logic.

Workflow-Specific Considerations

Program-Based Eligibility with Dynamic Groups

If you want advisors to only request exceptions for programs they advise, use program-based eligibility combined with requirement-based routing. This ensures advisors can only submit requests for their programs, while the approval routes based on which requirement is being excepted.

Students with Multiple Programs

When a student has multiple majors, minors, or programs:

• Requirement-based routing: Only considers which program houses the requirement being excepted

• Student-based routing: Uses the student's primary program assignment from your data feed

Common Workflow Use Cases

Large University with Multiple Colleges

Create a dynamic group by department. Exception requests automatically route to the appropriate department chair, then to the college dean, and finally to the registrar's office. A single workflow serves all colleges instead of creating 50+ separate workflows.

Professional Schools with Unique Approval Processes

Use program-based routing to send Business School, Law School, and Medical School exceptions to their respective deans, while routing College of Arts & Sciences requests by department.

Graduate vs. Undergraduate Separation

Create separate workflows using student eligibility criteria (undergraduate vs. graduate), then use student-based dynamic routing within each workflow to route to appropriate program directors.

Troubleshooting Workflow Issues

Problem: Can't find my dynamic group in the workflow dropdown

• Ensure your dynamic group has Workflows selected as a purpose in the group settings

Problem: All requests in my workflow go to the default approver

• Confirm the routing criterion you selected in the workflow step matches your dynamic group type (e.g., if your group is organized by department, use Requirement's Department or Student's Department)

• Check that the departments in your data feed match the department names in your dynamic group

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Create a Dynamic Group

1

Access Dynamic Groups

Navigate to Staff > Groups > Create New Group > Select Dynamic Group

2

Choose Your Organizational Structure

Select how you want to organize routing:

• By School

• By Department

• By Program

• By General Requirements

Stellic automatically pre-populates all available schools, departments, or programs from your institution's data feed based on your selection.

3

Assign Approvers

For each organizational unit (school, department, or program), assign approvers:

Option 1: Specific Users

• Add one or more named individuals

• All assigned users receive notifications; any one can approve

Option 2: Existing Groups (Recommended)

• Add an existing Stellic group

• All group members receive notifications; any one can approve

• The group must have Workflows selected as a purpose

Use existing groups rather than specific users. Groups can be updated easily; specific user assignments in dynamic groups require recreating the routing configuration if someone leaves.

4

Configure Default Approver

Set a default approver (user or group) to handle requests when:

• A department, school, or program has no assigned approver

• The requirement is a general requirement with no department connection

Example: If 60 of 65 departments have assigned approvers, the remaining 5 departments and any general requirements will route to your default (e.g., Registrar's Office group).

Always configure a default approver. Without one, requests may not route properly when they don't match a specific department assignment.

5

Use in Your Workflow

When configuring an approval step in your workflow:

1. Select Dynamic Group as the approver type

2. Choose the routing criterion that matches your dynamic group's structure

3. Select your dynamic group from the dropdown