Send a rejected document back to whoever submitted it
When an approver rejects, the document goes to a corrections work queue and the submitter gets an email with the reason — a Movement on Process trigger set to rejections, plus Work Queue - Assign and Send E-mail actions.
Before you begin
- An approval process exists on the document type
- A group for corrections (for example AP Corrections) exists
- A Workflow Access email template for the rejection message
When you're done, a rejection puts the document in the corrections team's work queue and emails the submitter with the approver's note, so fixes start immediately instead of when someone notices the rejected pile.
- Trigger
- Approval Processes › Movement on ProcessApproval Process: your process · Process Evaluation: All Rejections
- Actions, in this order
- Work Queue - AssignWork-Queue Assignment Evaluation: Selected Group(s) · AP Corrections · Expiration Type: No Expiration
- Send E-mailMessage Template: "Your document was rejected" (Email, Workflow Access)
- Rule
- "Rejected → corrections queue and email", enabled
Which rejection?
The Process Evaluation list has several rejection flavors. Pick deliberately:
| Option | Fires when |
|---|---|
All Rejections | Any member rejects, at any stage — the safe default |
Rejection by First Member | Only the first stage rejects (a rejection at stage one is usually "fix the paperwork") |
All Rejections Except First Member | Later-stage rejections only (often "policy problem," which may need a different audience) |
Single Rejection (Source) / (Destination) | A rejection out of, or into, a specific stage you choose |
Build the trigger
Go to Administration > Catalogs & Document Types, pick the Catalog and Document Type, click the Workflow tile, then Triggers > New Trigger.
Type:
Approval ProcessesandMovement on Process. Trigger Name:Rejected by an approver.
Approval-Process Evaluation:
Single Approval Process; Approval Process: pick it. Process Evaluation:All Rejections.
Click Save.
Build the actions
Click Actions > New Action. Type:
Work Queue - Assign. Action Name:Send to corrections queue. Work-Queue Assignment Evaluation:Selected Group(s); under Selected Groups, pick the corrections group. Expiration Type:No Expiration— a rejected document must not silently age out. Save.
New Action. Type:
Send E-mail. Action Name:Email submitter — rejected. Pick the template under Message Template:. Rejections in Content Central always prompt the approver for a reason, so build the template's body around the insert codes for the document name and the latest approval note, and its To around the submitter's address field. Save.
Wire the rule
Click Rules > New Rule. Rule Name:
Rejected → corrections queue and email.
Add Trigger:
Rejected by an approver. Add Action:Send to corrections queue, thenEmail submitter — rejected. Apply.
Test it
Start the approval on a test document and have the first approver Reject it with a note.
Check the corrections group's Work Queue and the submitter's inbox.
What you should see: the item in the corrections queue, the email with the note, and both actions in View History. Fix the document and restart the approval; the recipe fires again only if it's rejected again.
Variations
| Want this instead | Change this |
|---|---|
| Route to the original submitter's own queue | Work queues are assigned to chosen users or groups; for per-person routing, give each submitter's team its own group and its own rule, or notify by email only |
| Restart the approval automatically after a fix | A Content Field Values trigger on a "Corrected" field (field-change recipe) with Approval Process - Start Process |
| Different handling for late-stage rejections | Two triggers: Rejection by First Member and All Rejections Except First Member, two rules |
| Stamp a "Rejected" status | Add Content - Update Field with the status field and value |
| Move it to a Rejected folder | Add Content - Move to Folder |