In SAP Ariba's approval workflow engine, when a simple approval rule directs a task to a system or project group, the task is assigned to all members of that group simultaneously. However, the system is designed to proceed once any single member of that group takes action (approves or denies). This "first responder" behavior is a fundamental characteristic and a limitation if the business requirement is for multiple or all members of the group to provide their approval. For such scenarios, more complex approval rules or multiple approval nodes would be necessary.

A. Only one user can be added as an approver in a simple approval rule.

This is incorrect. A simple approval rule can be configured to include a single user, a specific role, or a group, which by definition contains multiple users.

C. Project group members must be assigned using a team member rules file.

This is incorrect. While a team member rules file is one method for populating project groups, members can also be added manually or defined directly within the project template.

D. System groups CANNOT contain users.

This is fundamentally incorrect. The primary purpose of system groups (e.g., Purchasing Manager, Supplier Manager) is to aggregate users with common roles and permissions for assignments.

1. SAP Ariba Help Portal: Approval Process Management Overview

Reference: In the section "Common approval rule actions and concepts," the documentation explains that when a group is designated as an approver, the action of one group member completes the task for the entire group. It states, "When an approval request is sent to a group, any member of that group can approve or deny the request. Once one member acts, the approval task is considered complete..." This directly supports the "first responder" behavior described in option B.

2. SAP Ariba Sourcing: Project and Event Management Guide

Reference: Chapter on "Project and Document Approval." This guide details the configuration of approval flows. It clarifies that an approver can be a user, a group, or a project attribute. It implicitly supports that a group is a valid entry (disproving A) and that its behavior is serial within the flow but parallel among its members until one acts (supporting B).

3. SAP Ariba Supplier Management Solutions: Administration Guide

Reference: Section on "Managing Users and Groups." This guide explicitly defines system groups as collections of users who share a common set of permissions (e.g., Commodity Manager, Sourcing Agent). This directly contradicts option D. It also describes how project groups are formed, noting multiple methods beyond just team member rules files, which invalidates the assertion in option C.