Financial Workflow Best Practices

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1 [MU-FN-4-E] Financial Workflow Best Practices Munis Financials - Workflow CLASS DESCRIPTION This class will be a demonstration of tips and best practices for setting up and managing workflow in financial processes. We will explore how to create workflow business rules with the flexibility necessary in an ever-changing work environment. New options in workflow can be used to streamline the process and make it more efficient. Upon completion of this class, you will know best practices that we recommend in setting up and maintaining Financial Workflow. INTRODUCTION In recent versions of Munis, there are several new workflow options available, some module-specific, which you can use to streamline and simplify your workflow process. In addition, there are steps you can take to be able to easily adapt to changes in staffing situations. We will take a look at user setup options, rule setup options, and module-specific options that can be used to make workflow as efficient as possible. USER SETUP Users workflow options are set up in User Attributes. Here, you can determine the user s workflow delivery method, view their business rules and pending actions, and start or stop workflow forwarding.

2 User Attributes Workflow delivery method This indicates the way in which the current user receives workflow items. This can be set to , Dashboard My Work, or All. If set to , the user will receive s when workflow notifications are generated or they have an item to approve. If this is set to , the user would not be able to view their workflow items in Dashboard. Setting this to Dashboard My Work will cause workflow items (both notifications and items needing approval) to be viewable in workflow web parts, but will not generate notices. Setting this to All will send s when workflow is generated as well as making them viewable via Dashboard. Business rules/pending actions These fields show the number of business rules set up for the user as well as pending actions. Clicking the folder icon next to each number will list the applicable items. Forwarding If a user is going to be out of the office or otherwise unable to take action on their workflow items, you can choose to forward these workflow items to another user in their absence. In order to be selected for forwarding, the user must also be a workflow approver. BUSINESS RULE SETUP Once users are properly set up as workflow approvers, it s time to set up business rules. You have the option to define business rules for a department or an entire organization. For example, creating rules can ensure that the manager of a project approves any item charged to that project, or that a department manager approves transactions for their department, or any transaction in excess of a user-defined dollar amount. As the screen below shows, there are many options available in the setup of a business rule. Certain options will be hidden or shown depending on the workflow process you are working with. Financial Workflow Best Practices 2

3 Default appearance of the Business Rules program. This display will change as different rules are displayed. RULE SETUP OPTIONS 1. Process This indicates which type of workflow business rule is being created or modified. a. There are several types of business rules for nearly every process in Munis 2. Department The department code entered here will indicate which departments transactions are being included in the scope of the rule. 3. Location This is an additional way to specify a code for which processes need approval. This is not displayed for all rule types a. For GLJ (GL Journal) workflow rules, this becomes the user defined box. This box allows you to enter a user-defined value that has been created in the User Defined Fields and User Defined Codes programs for the GL Journal Header application. b. For the API (AP Invoice Entry) process code, this list becomes the Liquidations list with the options Neither a PO Nor a Contract option, which causes the business rule to activate when the invoice is not associated with a contract or purchase order, or Selecting the PO or Contract Liquidation option, which causes the business rule to activate when the invoice is associated with a contract, an invoice, or both. c. For the VIA, VEA, VIU, and VEU (Vendor Workflow) process codes, the Location list refreshes to Vendor Type list, from you can select an available vendor type to which the rule applies. 4. Group/BU - indicates the group or business unit code for the action. a. For the API process code, this list becomes the Pay Method list that provides the following options: Normal, Direct Disbursement, Wire Transfer, EFT, Active Card Integration, and P-Card Transaction. Financial Workflow Best Practices 3

4 5. Reason Lists the reason codes for the transaction 6. Approver(s) - These lists indicate the user IDs and names of the approvers for the business rule. You can apply one or more individual approvers or roles to a single business rule. a. If an approver has been removed from the system but remains active within Workflow records due to current pending actions, the approver ID and description are displayed as UNKNOWN. 7. Role(s) Shows the Munis roles associated with the particular business rule. This is useful when multiple users, who would need to be a part of the approval process, are associated with the same role(s). Also, if staffing needs change, all that is needed is to attach the new user to the role. Changes to business rules are not needed. 8. Step This dictates the order in which approvers take action on an item a. Higher steps indicate a later point in the process b. There can be up to 99 steps for each business rule 9. Type This indicates the approval type a. The Location Ranges option allows you to create a business rule for a process for a range of locations, rather than separate business rules for each location for the process. b. The Checklist Tasks option causes Business Rule Checklist fields to be accessible. These fields allow you to assign checklist task codes to multiple user IDs as part of the same Workflow business rule. For example, when a new employee is hired, he or she needs a computer, a desk, and a parking pass. You can set up a new hire Workflow business rule that prompts the program to send separate notifications to the person responsible for each of these tasks. Checklist task codes are established in System Miscellaneous Codes program. c. For the process codes VIA, VEA, VIU, and VEU, the Type list is set to WFG - Work Flow Groups and you must enter a rule range from established workflow groups. 10. Min/Max Amount - These boxes allow you to define the range of dollar amounts required for the pending action to be delivered. The default value for the Min Amount box is 0.00 and the default value for the Max Amount box is a. If the value of the Type list is Budget Level, these boxes contain the minimum (1) and maximum (5) budget level values 11. Rule Type This indicates whether the approver needs to approve/reject an item or simply receives a notification that it occurred. OTHER IMPORTANT OPTIONS 1. Catchall Rule - If selected, this check box indicates that this rule is the default when there are no other business rules applicable to the process. a. This ensures that a person actually authorizes an item and there is no automatic approval. Financial Workflow Best Practices 4

5 b. Catchall business rules are generally set up with a step of 99, but this isn t required. 2. All Approvers Required This can be used to indicate all approvers at a certain step in workflow need to approve a transaction before it can move to the next step. a. If this is deselected, only one approver at each step needs to approve 3. Group Approvals This is the replacement for All Approvers Required in 10.4 and above a. Additional options to determine who needs to approve an action to move it forward. 4. Business Rule Ranges This is used for workflow rules which are based on GL Segments a. Multiple non-sequential ranges of segments can be defined to specify which accounts need approval from the business rule. b. Use and/or clauses to tie items together. MODULE SPECIFIC OPTIONS In addition to the options described above, there are also module specific workflow options that your site can use to further direct workflow. This is especially helpful in the case of items being entered for certain transactions which have already taken place. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE 1. In Accounts Payable Settings, you can indicate whether keyed-in or imported invoices are subject to workflow with the Default invoice status and Default imported invoice status settings. a. Set this to Approved to skip workflow for imported invoices b. Set this to None-workflow to subject imported invoices to workflow Default invoice status settings in AP Settings NOTE: P-card invoices are considered as imported in terms of this setting. These invoices would be subject to API workflow, if applicable. If P-card workflow (APC business rule) is set up, it will apply regardless of the status of this setting. 2. Also in AP Settings, you can indicate whether direct disbursements and wire transfers are subject to workflow. AP Setting to subject wires/direct disbursements to workflow Financial Workflow Best Practices 5

6 3. When creating API business rules, you can choose to create workflow dependent on whether the invoice liquidated a PO or contract Liquidation options for API business rules 4. Also, specific payment methods can now be selected. This is helpful if pre-paid items such as wire transfers and direct disbursement invoices (or any specific payment method) need to be approved separately from other invoices. Financial Workflow Best Practices 6

7 Payment method options for API business rules 5. Invoice Variance APO business rules apply to invoices where the invoice amount exceeds the PO amount. If set up to include a segment or range of segments, any invoice exceeding the po liquidation amount and containing the associated segments would initiate workflow through this business rule. BUDGET 1. BGA/BGT Business Rules There are two types of budget entry business rules. BGA (Amendment) rules apply to amendment types 1-4, which must be balanced. BGT (Transfer) rules apply to type 3 and 6 (one-sided) entries. PURCHASING a. If no BGT rules exist, the BGA rule will apply to all types. 1. Requisition Conversion Options In PO Settings, you can decide whether an additional approval process is needed for requisitions prior to converting them to purchase orders. The options here are: a. No Workflow- This means that once the requisition is approved through REQ business rules, no additional approval is needed, and any user with permissions to convert Reqs to POs can do so. Financial Workflow Best Practices 7

8 b. No Workflow/Allow final approver to convert to PO/Contract This means that there is no additional workflow beyond REQ business rules, but the final REQ approver would be responsible for converting to a contract/po c. Use Workflow In addition to REQ workflow, an RQC business rule must be set up. Because of this, the approver here would likely be different than the REQ approver. WORK ORDERS Requisition Conversion Options in PO Settings Work Order Approval (WOA) business rules can include a specific work order type Work order type options for WOA business rules WORKFLOW CENTRAL The Workflow Central program monitors and analyzes Munis Workflow transactions. The program also allows you to administer workflow items and manage workflow business rules. Financial Workflow Best Practices 8

9 In the program banner, the Settings button provides the Threshold Settings pane. Use the Day, Hour, and Minute boxes to define the setting for past due workflow activity. Once you set the values, use the Save As Default option to retain these settings. To except a Munis product from the defined threshold settings, use the Add Exception option. Financial Workflow Best Practices 9

10 The Advanced Search option provides specific search criteria for workflow items. From the search lists, select the applicable options and click Search to display only those workflow items matching the defined criteria. Workflow Central provides many of the same options as are already available in Munis, such as viewing Pending Actions and viewing/maintaining business rules, but in a more efficient setting. Here, you can also apply global business rules, which can be used to notify an approver of any type of transaction that is created for a certain department, location etc. Financial Workflow Best Practices 10