Method and system for managing approval workflow processes in a network system

A computer-based method for coordinating and managing workflows in parallel among a plurality of approval applications executing on machines within an enterprise network, the method comprising:

• providing, in the enterprise network, a parallel approval engine (PAE) system executing computer code using a computer-based processor;
• receiving, at a central location, one or more workflows from at least one initiating application, each workflow including a work object that requires approval through a set of approval applications executing within the enterprise network in order to proceed;
• determining, by the PAE system, a set of approvals for each respective workflow;
• determining, by the PAE system, an approval route for each approval in the set of approvals from the initiating application to the set of approval applications;
• adding, by the PAE system, the approval route for each approval to an approval route table stored within a memory of the PAE system;
• performing, by the PAE system, an initial distribution of the respective workflows from the central location by propagating the workflows across their respective approval routes to respective members of the set of approval applications;
• applying, by the PAE system, at respective approval applications a set of approval rules to the workflow to determine a workflow's approval status as either approved or rejected;
• returning, by the PAE system, the workflow's approval status to the initiating application via the central location;
• canceling at least a subset of rejected workflows in the initial distribution using the PAE system including a recaller unit;
• monitoring the status of each workflow in the initial distribution using the PAE including a monitor unit;
• and
• performing, by the PAE system, one or more follow-up distributions of workflows from the central location, by modifying each approval route of a respective workflow in the approval route table using a modifier unit, to differ from each approval route established in the initial distribution for those workflows in which the approval status is rejected by the approval applications in the initial distribution until either all approval applications indicate a status of approved or a number of follow-up distributions reaches a pre-defined maximum number of follow-up distributions.