Requirements approval workflow

In a requirements approval workflow, you can define the approvers and the criteria for approving requirements items. The criteria are always checked before the requirements items are transferred to another object.

You can create a new requirement approval workflow under Configuration → Workflows → Requirement Approval via the New button.

Basic data tab in the requirements approval workflow

Workflow area

• No.: Number for the requirements approval workflow. The number is automatically generated in Onventis.
• Title: Title of the requirements approval workflow. This field is mandatory and must be filled in.
• Description: here you can store a short description for the approval workflow.
• Currency: the drop-down menu allows you to select the currency that will apply to the requirements approval workflow.

Step tab in the requirements approval workflow

By defining several approval steps that are checked one after the other, you can define a multi-level approval procedure.

In the Step tab, you can see all approval steps of an approval workflow, if available.

You can create a new approval step using the New approval step button.

You can make configuration changes to an approval step that has already been created by selecting the approval step.

Hinweis For profound changes, especially deleting or adding steps, in workflows we recommend to create a copy of the existing workflow first. Via the copy icon you can create a backup copy of the existing workflow, afterwards the workflow can be adapted without any risk.

Configure requirements approval steps

You have the following configuration options in the approval step:

Area Approval step

• Step: you can use the drop-down menu to define the order in which the approval steps are checked. The approval steps should be structured in the same order as a requisition runs through the approval logic.

  Example:
  Step 1: Requirement value 0.00 – 1000.00 Euro
  Step 2: Need value 1001,00 – 2000,00 Euro
  Step 3: Need value 2001,00 – 3000,00 Euro
  etc.
  By activating the parallel option and selecting an existing numbering step, you can have two approval steps checked simultaneously. The option of parallel approval steps enables you to accelerate the approval process within your organization.

• Type: two types of approval steps are available via the drop-down menu:
  • Release: if you define the approval step as a release type, the requisition must be approved.
  • Information: if you define the approval step as type Information, the approver is informed of the requisition by e-mail, but does not have to approve it.
• Enable release via direct link: this option is only available in conjunction with the approval step type Release . By enabling this feature, requisitions can be approved via direct link without logging into Onventis first.
  The approver receives a notification by e-mail and can immediately approve the requisition to be approved by calling up the direct link.
• Allow return: the function allows you to return a requisition to any approval step within a multi-step approval workflow.
  To do this, the current user rejects the requirement request and selects one of the previous approvers. For this to be possible, the return function must be activated in each approval step.
  This option is only visible in connection with a dynamic workflow.

Please note that you do not configure the following settings in parallel to a workflow with return steps:

• 1. Deactivation of the right “Resume requirement item” of the requisitioners
  2. Activation of the setting “Requirement requester may not approve own requirements” in Organizational settings ➔ Requirement items tab

This configuration, which is not recommended, can result in the respective document no longer being able to be processed by the requester if a requirement approval is rejected and sent back to the requester.

• Allow forwarding approval to another user: you can enable this option to allow users to forward approvals to another user.
  The user who is the current approver can use the Pass approval to other approver button to pass the approval to any user from the user list.
  By forwarding, the selected user receives the “approval right for the respective document”.

  This transfer is only valid once for the relevant requirement request and only for the relevant workflow step. The new approver thus takes over all the options from the respective approval step that were available to the original approver, for example, return, forward, approval via direct link, and can execute the approval in his or her place.
  After forwarding, the document is visible in the release list of the newly selected approver and can be processed as usual.
  The new approver will be notified by email of the pending approval. Forwarding is possible several times.

Forwarding does not change the sequence of the workflow steps – it only replaces the approver from the step in which the forwarding was performed with the selected user.

• Approver (User): the radio button allows you to select the user who will approve the requisitions. The following options are available to you for this purpose:
  • User: by activating the radio button and selecting the user, you can specify an approver by name.
  • Person responsible for the account assignment object: by activating the radio button for Person responsible for the account assignment object, the approval for the requirement requests is sent to the person responsible for the account assignment object, e.g. Person responsible for cost center 4711.
• Approver (hierarchy level): by activating the radio button and selecting the hierarchy level, you can specify an approver from your organizational hierarchy, e.g. managing director.
• Approver (user group): by activating the radio button and selecting the user groups, you can set a user group as approver.
  With this option, all users in the user group are informed by e-mail. As soon as one of the users from the user group processes the requirement request, the remaining users can no longer process this requirement request.
  Further restriction and configuration options are available within the user group:
  • Setting “Exclude all users who have already approved in a previous approval step from the current step.”
    This setting only applies to the configured user groups of an approval workflow. This means that if a user group is activated in the approval step, all those users who have already approved in a previous step are excluded from the user group as approvers when the setting is activated. This setting does not apply in all other configuration scenarios in which the approver is not a user group.
  • Selection of the approver: if you activate the selection of the approver in addition to the user group, the orderer can specifically select the desired approver of the user group via drop-down menu.
    Thus, the approval can be transferred to a specific group member.

• Allow forwarding the approval to another group member: with this option the current approver has the possibility to forward the approval to another user from the user group.
  In addition to the Reject and Approve buttons, the Transfer approval to other approver button is visible in the requisition. This button allows the approver to select another user from the user group and forward the approval to that user.
• Substitute (user) – after X minutes / hours / days: here you have the possibility to select a user from the dropdown menu who will get the requirement request forwarded for approval after the selected period (in minutes/hours/days).
  Forwarding is automatic if the first user has not processed the requisition.
  Users who are assigned as deputies in the purchase order processing workflow receive a direct link by e-mail for the release/rejection of requirement approvals.
  The selection of days takes into account the workday configuration of your organization.
• Substitute (user group): – after X minutes / hours / days: here you have the possibility to select a user group from the dropdown menu, which will get the requirement request forwarded for approval after the selected period (in minutes/hours/days).
  Forwarding is automatic if the first user has not processed the requisition.
  The selection of days takes into account the workday configuration of your organization.
• Substitute from the user administration: – after X minutes / hours / days: here, the substitute of the user who is stored in the user administration with the approver is always determined automatically. The permit is forwarded to the representative for approval after the selected time period (in minutes/hours/days).

Hinweis If a release request is forwarded to another approver and the new approver has a permanent substitute who is valid for approvals, the substitute automatically receives a release request by e-mail after the time defined in the workflow step.

Example 1:
For the material group “Office supplies”, the approver is a user from the user group “Purchasing”, for example, Max Mustermann.
Max Mustermann has entered Heike Mustermann as a substitute for his vacation period.
The demand approval must be carried out by Heike Mustermann in the selected period.

Example 2:
For cost center 4711, the approver is the cost center manager Peter Mustermann.
Peter Mustermann has entered Katja Mustermann as a substitute for his holiday period.
The requisition must be approved by Katja Mustermann in the selected period.

• Substitute (higher-ranking person responsible for the account assignment object): – after X minutes / hours / days: with this option you can activate the dynamic determination of substitutes of approvers within the persons responsible for an account assignment object. If a requirement item is to be approved by a person responsible for the account assignment object and the cost center manager with the defined rank has not yet approved the requirement item, it is forwarded to the substitute with the next higher rank for approval after the set time period (minutes/hours/days).
  The determination of the higher-ranking representatives is carried out, automatically, on the basis of the rank of the current approver. The cost center managers with the next highest rank are notified step by step.

  The substitute option ensures that the selected account assignment object is approved even in the case of absences. Through the multi-level “escalation” you can achieve an acceleration of the processes.
  A prerequisite for the dynamic determination of substitutes for a cost center manager is the activation of the option Allow assignment of multiple managers to an account assignment object in the organizational settings, as well as the definition of at least two managers of the account assignment object in the master data.

  • Example
    In step 1, user A is to approve with rank 1. If there is no response within one day, the higher-ranking person responsible for the account assignment object should be notified. On the 3rd day after the demand item is sent, User B with rank 2 and User C with rank 3 are notified. The approver and the two identified representatives may approve the requirement item at the same time. If the three users do not react, the next higher cost center manager is notified after a further day. If no higher-ranking user is found, the approval goes to the Super Admin as the final stage of the representative escalation. The Super Admin can approve, reject, or transfer approval of the demand item to any other user:
• In the requirements item list, only the initial approver is listed with name and rank. All other representatives who have already been notified are visible via the link “Representative informed s. Track status” visible
• If an approver with a higher rank has approved by proxy, all directly subsequent workflow steps with a lower rank are skipped. These steps are listed with a status of “Not Used” (approved by rank {RangNr} ) in the approval history:
• The new substitute option is only available for non-parallel steps with account assignment object owner as approver. If a user has already approved the requirements item as a substitute, the subsequent approval steps are not activated with this user as the account assignment object owner because he or she has already approved the document.

It is recommended that you always set up a substitute, since an approver may be unavailable due to vacation or illness and the requisition is waiting for approval in his or her release list and is not processed.

• Criteria: here you can define whether ALL criteria (criterion = AND) or at least ONE criterion (criterion = OR) must be fulfilled for the approval workflow to take effect for a requisition.

  Example 1:
  You want a requisition with a requirement value of 0.00 to 1,000.00 euros AND the material group “Electronics” to go to a specific approver for approval.
  To do this, you must make the following settings in the requirements approval workflow:
  Selection of criteria: AND
  Activate from total requirement value: from 0,00 to 1.000,00 Euro
  Selection of the material group: Electronics
  Results:
  The approval step is activated if a requirement requisition with a requirement value between 0.00 and 1,000.00 euros AND the material group “Electronics” is to be sent.
  For the requirements approval step to apply, both criteria must be met.

  Example 2:
  You want a requisition with a requirement value of 0.00 to 1,000.00 euros OR the material group “Electronics” to go to a specific approver for approval.
  Selection of criteria: OR
  Activate from requirement value: from 0.00 to 1,000.00 Euro
  Selection of the material group: Electronics
  Results:
  The approval step is activated if a requirement requisition with a requirement value between 0.00 and 1,000.00 euros OR of the material group “Electronics” is to be sent.
  Only one of the two criteria must be met for the requirements approval step to apply.

• Description: in the Description field, you can describe this approval step in more detail.

Budgets/Limit area

In the Budgets/Limit area, you can define the approval step for certain budget or limit overruns for requisitions. The following selection options are available (multiple selection is possible):

• Limit individual order: if you select this option, the system checks whether the requirement value exceeds the stored individual limit of the ordering user when a requirement is requested.
  You can define the individual limit under Master Data Management → User Management → Users in the Advanced tab.
• User budget: if you select this option, when a requirement request is made, the system checks whether the requirement value exceeds the stored budget of the ordering user.
  You can define the budget under Master Data Management → User Management → Users in the Advanced tab.
• Cost center budget: if you select this option, a requisition will check if the demand value exceeds the saved cost center budget of the cost center selected in the requisition.
  You can define the cost center budget under Master Data Management → Cost Assignment → Account Assignment Objects.
• Order Budget: if you select this option, a requisition will check if the demand value exceeds the saved order budget of the cost center selected in the requisition.
  You can define the cost center budget under Master Data Management → Cost Assignment → Account Assignment Objects.

The new budgets “Order budget”, “Project budget”, “WBS element budget”, “Job (chargeable) budget”, “Job (non-chargeable) budget”, “Additional account assignment budget”, “CAPEX budget”, “Customer budget” and “Asset budget” behave exactly like the cost center budget and are also maintained in the same way.

Range Value limits

In the Value Limits area, you can define certain value limits for requisitions:

• Total requirement value: by activating this option, the approval step is activated if the total requirement value of the requirement request lies in the defined value range from X Euro – to Y Euro.

  Example:
  Activate total requirements value is active.
  Registered value limit: from 0,00 EUR – to 1000,00 EUR
  Result: Requisitions with a requirement value between 0.00 and 1000.00 Euro activate this approval step.

• Item value: by activating this option, the approval step is activated if the item value of the requisition lies in the defined value range from X Euro – to Y Euro.

  Example:
  Activate position value is active.
  Registered value limit: from 0,00 EUR – to 1000,00 EUR
  Result: Requisitions with an item value between 0.00 and 1000.00 Euro activate this approval step.

• Article value: by activating this option, the approval step is activated if the article value of the requisition lies in the defined value range from X Euro – to Y Euro.

  Example:
  Activate article value is active.
  Registered value limit: from 0,00 EUR – to 1000,00 EUR
  Result: Requisitions with an article value between 0.00 and 1000.00 euros activate this approval step.

Area Other criteria

In the Other criteria area, you can select other criteria relevant to the approval step.

Depending on the selection of the AND / OR link under Criteria, either ALL (AND link) or only ONE (OR link) of the selected criteria must be fulfilled for the approval step to take effect.

The following additional criteria are available:

• Free text items: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated if there are free text items in a requisition.
• Dangerous goods items: If this criterion is active, the approval step is activated if dangerous goods items are in a requirement request.
• Service item: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated if there are service items in a requisition.
• Cross-border delivery: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated if there are cross-border deliveries in a requirements item.
• Vendors: the approval step is activated via the selection of the vendor if a specific vendor has been selected in the purchase order item.
  You can select the suppliers via the selection button.
• Vendor categories: the approval step is activated via the selection of vendor categories if a vendor from a certain vendor category has been selected in the requisition items.
  You can select the supplier categories via the selection button.
• Cost elements: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated when one of the selected cost elements has been assigned in a requirements item.
  You can select the cost types via the selection button.
• Cost centers: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated if one of the selected cost centers has been assigned in a requirements item.
  You can select the cost centers via the selection button.
• Business areas: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated if one of the selected business areas has been assigned in a requirements item.
  You can select the business areas via the selection button.
• WBS elements: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated if one of the selected WBS elements has been assigned in a requirements item.
  You can select the PSP elements using the Select button.
• Account assignment categories: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated if one of the selected account assignment categories has been assigned in a requirements item.
  You can select the account assignment categories via the selection button.
• Orders: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated when one of the selected orders has been assigned in a requirements item.
  You can select the orders via the selection button.
• Projects: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated if one of the selected projects has been assigned in a requirements item.
  You can select the projects via the selection button.
• Material groups: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated if one of the selected material groups has been assigned in a requirements item.
  You can select the material groups via the selection button.
• Purchasing groups: if this criterion is active, the approval step is activated if one of the selected purchasing groups has been assigned in a requirements item.
  You can select the purchasing groups via the selection button.