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RE_Documents/RE_CRITICAL_FLOW_QUESTIONS_KICKOFF.md

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RE Workflow - CRITICAL Flow Questions for Kickoff

Must Be Answered Before Development Starts

🔴 SECTION 1: REQUEST SUBMISSION FLOW

Q1. What happens IMMEDIATELY after "Submit Request" button is clicked?

From SRS: "Once submitted, the request enters the Approval Workflow and notifies the first approver."

CRITICAL QUESTIONS:

  • Does request go DIRECTLY to Level 1 approver, or is there a review/validation step?
  • Can initiator cancel/recall request after submission but before any approver acts?
  • Is request immediately visible to ALL approvers, or ONLY Level 1?
  • Can initiator edit request after submission? (Before any approvals)

Why Critical: Affects database state, notification triggers, and user expectations.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 2: APPROVAL REJECTION FLOW

Q2. When approver REJECTS - what EXACTLY happens to the request?

From SRS: "Reject Request – Sends remarks to the initiator and marks as closed."

CRITICAL QUESTIONS:

  • Option A: Request permanently CLOSED (cannot be reopened)?
  • Option B: Request goes back to initiator as DRAFT (can modify and resubmit)?
  • Option C: Request goes back to PREVIOUS level for reconsideration?
  • Option D: Request CANCELLED (like it never existed)?

If rejected at Level 3 (out of 5 levels):

  • Do Level 4 and 5 approvers see it was rejected?
  • Or does it just disappear from their pending list?

Why Critical: Affects entire workflow state machine and database design.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 3: FINAL APPROVAL & CLOSURE SEQUENCE

Q3. After FINAL approver approves - what is the exact closure sequence?

From SRS: "After final approval, the request returns to the Initiator with AI-generated conclusion remarks."

CRITICAL SEQUENCE QUESTIONS:

Step 1: Final approver clicks "Approve" → What happens?

  • Request status changes to "Approved" immediately?
  • Or status is "Pending Closure" until initiator acts?

Step 2: AI generates conclusion remarks → When?

  • Immediately after final approval?
  • Or when initiator opens the request?

Step 3: Request "returns to initiator" → How?

  • Initiator gets notification to "close" the request?
  • Or it just appears in their "Approved" list?

Step 4: Initiator must act → Required or optional?

  • Option A: Initiator MUST review and click "Close" (workflow not complete until then)?
  • Option B: Auto-closed, initiator can OPTIONALLY edit conclusion?

Why Critical: Affects workflow completion logic and user responsibilities.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 4: TAT CALCULATION ACROSS LEVELS

Q4. How does TAT work when request moves between levels?

From SRS: "TAT starts only when a request reaches that approver's level."

CRITICAL SCENARIO:

Request Flow:
- Level 1: 2 days TAT → Takes 3 days (1 day overdue)
- Level 2: 1 day TAT → Takes 1 day (on time)
- Level 3: 2 days TAT → Takes 2 days (on time)

QUESTIONS:

  • Total TAT: Is it 5 days (2+1+2) or 6 days (3+1+2 actual)?
  • Reporting: Does Level 1 delay affect overall TAT status?
  • Visibility: Does Level 2 approver see that Level 1 was late?
  • Level 1 TAT breach: Who gets notified? (Initiator, Manager, Admin?)

Why Critical: Affects TAT calculation logic, database schema, and reporting.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 5: WORK NOTES vs APPROVAL COMMENTS

Q5. What's the difference between Work Notes and Approval Comments?

From SRS:

  • "Each action requires comments and remarks (mandatory)" - Approval Comments
  • "Participants communicate via the Work Notes (Chat View)" - Work Notes

CRITICAL QUESTIONS:

Approval Comments (when clicking Approve/Reject):

  • Visible to everyone or only certain roles?
  • Can be edited after posting?
  • Part of official audit trail?

Work Notes (ongoing discussion):

  • Can be added ANYTIME during workflow (before approvals)?
  • Visible to all participants immediately?
  • Are Work Notes considered when approver makes decision?

Scenario: Approver wants clarification before approving

  • Should they use Work Notes to ask questions?
  • Or use "Send Back" action (if it exists)?
  • Or reject with comment "need more info"?

Why Critical: Affects UI design and user behavior expectations.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 6: SPECTATOR ROLE & PERMISSIONS

Q6. What EXACTLY can spectators do vs not do?

From SRS: "Spectators (view-only participants) who can comment but not approve."

CRITICAL PERMISSION QUESTIONS:

Can Spectators:

  • Add Work Notes / Comments? (SRS says YES "can comment")
  • Upload documents/files?
  • @mention other users?
  • Add more spectators?
  • See approval comments from approvers?
  • See Activity log (all actions)?
  • Download documents?

Can Spectators be added:

  • Only during request creation (Step 4)?
  • Anytime during workflow (by initiator or approver)?
  • Even after request is closed?

Why Critical: Affects access control, UI rendering, and feature availability.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 7: ACTIVITY LOG vs WORK NOTES

Q7. Activity Tab vs Work Notes - what goes where?

From SRS:

  • "Activity Tab" - Every event captured with timestamps
  • "Work Notes" - Chat view for collaboration

CRITICAL QUESTIONS:

Activity Tab shows:

  • System events ONLY (request created, approved, TAT breach)?
  • System events + Work Notes messages?
  • System events + Approval comments?
  • Everything (all-in-one timeline)?

Work Notes shows:

  • Only manual messages from users?
  • Messages + file uploads?
  • Messages + @mentions + reactions?

Scenario: User adds a comment via Work Notes

  • Does it appear in Activity Tab too?
  • Or only in Work Notes section?

Why Critical: Affects data modeling and UI tab content.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 8: DOCUMENT UPLOAD TIMING

Q8. When can documents be uploaded - only during creation or anytime?

From SRS: "Step 5: Documents & Attachments" + "Work Notes supports file sharing"

CRITICAL QUESTIONS:

During Request Creation (Step 5):

  • Initiator uploads supporting documents
  • Are these the ONLY "official" documents?

After Submission:

  • Can initiator add more documents? (If yes, until when?)
  • Can approvers add documents? (E.g., approval memos, signatures?)
  • Can spectators add documents?

Via Work Notes:

  • Files attached in Work Notes - are they "official" documents?
  • Or just "discussion" attachments?
  • Do they appear in Documents Tab or only Work Notes?

Why Critical: Affects document versioning, storage structure, and permissions.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 9: OPEN REQUESTS vs CLOSED REQUESTS

Q9. What determines if request appears in "Open" vs "Closed" lists?

From SRS: Side menu has "Open Requests" and "Closed Requests"

CRITICAL QUESTIONS:

"Open Requests" shows:

  • All In Progress requests (not yet fully approved)?
  • Only requests where I'm the ACTIVE approver?
  • Requests I initiated that are pending?
  • Requests I'm spectating that are in progress?

"Closed Requests" shows:

  • Approved + Rejected requests?
  • Only Approved requests?
  • Requests where I was involved (initiator/approver/spectator)?

Scenario: Level 1 approves, moves to Level 2

  • Does Level 1 still see it in "Open Requests"?
  • Or does it move to "Closed Requests" for Level 1?
  • Or moves to a "Completed Actions" section?

Why Critical: Affects navigation, filtering logic, and user workflow visibility.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 10: MY REQUESTS - STATUS CATEGORIES

Q10. In "My Requests" screen - what are ALL possible statuses?

From SRS: "Categorized as Total, In Progress, Approved, Rejected, and Draft."

CRITICAL QUESTIONS:

"In Progress" means:

  • Submitted, waiting for approvals?
  • Or also includes "Pending Closure" (final approved, waiting for initiator to close)?

"Approved" means:

  • Final approval received + initiator closed it?
  • Or just final approval (even if not closed yet)?

Missing Status?

  • "Pending Closure" - Final approved, waiting for initiator action?
  • "Cancelled" - If initiator recalls request?

Status Transitions:

Draft → In Progress → Approved → Closed?
     ↘ Cancelled
     ↘ Rejected

Why Critical: Affects status state machine and database enum values.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 11: POST-CLOSURE ACTIONS

Q11. After request is "Closed" - what actions are still possible?

From SRS: "Closed requests remain accessible to all participants and spectators."

CRITICAL QUESTIONS:

Can users still:

  • Add Work Notes / Comments? (Continue discussion?)
  • Upload documents?
  • Add new spectators?
  • Edit conclusion remarks?
  • View all history (Activity + Work Notes)?
  • Download documents?

Can Closed request be:

  • Reopened (moved back to In Progress)?
  • Archived (moved to separate storage)?
  • Deleted (by initiator or admin)?

Why Critical: Affects immutability rules and audit compliance.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 12: PARALLEL WORKFLOWS

Q12. Can same approver have multiple roles in one workflow?

From SRS: Up to 10 approval levels can be defined.

CRITICAL SCENARIOS:

Scenario A: Same person at multiple levels

  • Level 1: John Smith
  • Level 3: John Smith
  • Is this ALLOWED or BLOCKED?

Scenario B: Initiator as Approver

  • Initiator: John Smith
  • Level 2 Approver: John Smith
  • Should system warn: "You cannot approve your own request"?

Scenario C: Approver as Spectator

  • Level 2 Approver: John Smith
  • Also added as Spectator
  • Is this redundant or okay?

Why Critical: Affects validation rules and conflict detection.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 13: PRIORITY (EXPRESS vs STANDARD)

Q13. Does Priority affect anything OTHER than TAT calculation?

From SRS: "Express (calendar days) vs Standard (working days)"

CRITICAL QUESTIONS:

Does Priority affect:

  • UI display (badge, color, sorting)?
  • Notification urgency (Express gets immediate, Standard batched)?
  • Approver assignment (Express can go to senior approvers only)?
  • Reminder frequency (Express reminded more often)?
  • Search/filter options?

Can Priority be changed:

  • By initiator before submission?
  • By approver during workflow (escalate to Express)?
  • Or fixed once set during creation?

Why Critical: Affects business rules and notification design.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 14: 6-STEP WIZARD NAVIGATION

Q14. In the 6-step wizard - can user go back/forward freely?

From SRS: "The user proceeds through a 6-step wizard"

CRITICAL QUESTIONS:

Navigation Rules:

  • Must complete Step 1 before going to Step 2? (Sequential)
  • Or can jump to any step? (Free navigation)
  • Can go back to Step 2 from Step 5? (With data saved?)

Data Persistence:

  • Data saved only when clicking "Save as Draft"?
  • Or auto-saved when moving between steps?

Mandatory Steps:

  • Must complete ALL 6 steps before "Submit" button appears?
  • Or can skip optional steps (e.g., Documents, Spectators)?

Scenario: User fills Step 1-3, closes browser

  • Data lost or auto-saved as draft?

Why Critical: Affects wizard component logic and draft handling.

Decision: _______________________

🔴 SECTION 15: APPROVAL COMMENTS - MANDATORY RULES

Q15. Comments/Remarks mandatory for BOTH Approve AND Reject?

From SRS: "Each action requires comments and remarks (mandatory)."

CRITICAL CLARIFICATION:

Mandatory Comments for:

  • Approve: YES - Must explain why approving
  • Reject: YES - Must explain why rejecting
  • Both require same min/max character limit?

Comment Field:

  • Plain text only?
  • Rich text (bold, bullets)?
  • File attachments allowed with comments?
  • Character limit: 500 mentioned for Reject, what about Approve?

Scenario: Approver tries to approve without comment

  • Block action with error?
  • Or just show warning (can proceed)?

Why Critical: Affects validation rules and UI behavior.

Decision: _______________________

📋 SUMMARY: TOP 15 CRITICAL FLOW DECISIONS

Blockers (MUST decide before development):

  1. ✅ Rejection behavior - Goes to draft, closed, or previous level?
  2. ✅ Closure sequence - Who closes? Initiator or auto-closed?
  3. ✅ TAT across levels - How to handle delays?
  4. ✅ Request status state machine - All possible statuses and transitions?
  5. ✅ Post-closure actions - Can users add comments after closing?

High Priority (Week 1):

  1. ✅ Spectator permissions - Exactly what can they do?
  2. ✅ Activity vs Work Notes - What goes where?
  3. ✅ Document upload timing - Only at creation or anytime?
  4. ✅ Open vs Closed lists - Filter logic?
  5. ✅ Duplicate roles - Same person in multiple roles?

Medium Priority (Week 2):

  1. ✅ Priority impact - Affects more than TAT?
  2. ✅ Wizard navigation - Sequential or free?
  3. ✅ Comments mandatory - For both approve and reject?
  4. ✅ Work Notes vs Approval Comments - Difference?
  5. ✅ Submit flow - Immediate to approver or validation?

✅ ACTION ITEMS FOR KICKOFF MEETING

Bring this document to the meeting with stakeholders.

Agenda Item: Workflow Flow Decisions (45 minutes)

  1. Rejection Flow (10 mins) - Decide: Draft, Closed, or Back?
  2. Closure Sequence (10 mins) - Decide: Auto or Manual?
  3. TAT Calculation (10 mins) - Decide: How to handle delays?
  4. Status State Machine (10 mins) - Decide: All statuses and transitions?
  5. Spectator Permissions (5 mins) - Decide: What they can/cannot do?

Expected Outcome: Clear decisions on all 15 questions, documented and signed off.

Document Owner: Development Team Lead
Priority: 🔴 CRITICAL - Affects core workflow logic
Status: ⚠️ AWAITING DECISIONS
Impact: Cannot design database schema or state machines without these answers