FMS804 Approvals and Workflow. Revised June 2009

Transcription

1 FMS804 Approvals and Workflow Revised June 2009

2 We will answer these questions: What is workflow and why do we need it? What are responsibilities of an Approver? What are the levels of approval at NU? How does the approval process work? 2

3 What is workflow? Automated process of routing transactions for approval before a payment or release of funds can occur Triggered when a financial transaction has been entered, saved, budget checked, and submitted The transaction s dollar amount, chart string, and commodity type determine the approval path 3

4 Why do we need workflow? Automate the management of security access and controls Standardize roles, rules, and approval threshold amounts Improve business processes Easier collaboration for multi-department purchasing of shared items or services notification sent to initiator if transaction has been pending with an Approver for more than 5 days 4

5 Transactions subject to workflow Expense reports Actuals journals Corrections, transfers, internal sales Budget journals Purchase requisition Cash advance (AP approval only) Travel authorization 5

6 What are common workflow rules at NU? All transactions must have a budget status of Valid before approval can occur Entire transaction must be approved or it should be sent back One level of approval must be completed before transaction moves to next level Workflow applied to each chart string distribution line For transactions charged to multiple departments, all approvers in all departments must approve before transaction workflows to next level Applies to everything except budget journals 6

7 What are responsibilities of the Approver? Evaluate financial transactions for: Correct chart string Compliance with NU financial policies Completeness Accuracy Manage workflow on a timely basis Approve, send back, or hold financial transactions, cannot modify transactions See Approval Process job aids 7

8 What are levels of approval at NU? Departmental Level 1 Approver Level 2 Approver Level 3 Approver Project Office of Research Safety (ORS) Accounting Services for Research and Sponsored Projects (ASRSP) Purchasing Resource Services (PRS) 8

9 Approval level: Departmental Approvals based on transaction dollar amount Level 1 - $0 - $1499 Level 2 - $ $4999 Level 3 - greater than or equal to $5000 For transaction charged to multiple departments, an Approver at each required level within all departments must approve Approval needed to receive and give dollars 9

10 Approval level: PRS (Purchasing Resource Services) PRS approval is required for: Non-catalog purchases for $25,000 or more All blanket requisitions PRS approval is not required for the following: Purchases from ibuynu Purchases charged to subcontract or grants consulting category (ASRSP approves these) 10

11 Approval level: ASRSP (Acct. Services for Research & Sponsored Programs) ASRSP approval required for: Charges to sponsored projects for tangible goods over $2,500 All grant-related travel expense All grant consulting expense All subcontractor related expense 11

12 Approval level: ORS (Office for Research Safety) ORS approval needed for special commodity account codes: Select Agents Radioactive 12

13 Budget journal workflow rules Department approver is required for each department Budget Office approval required for: Transactions exceeding $50,000 Special attention will be paid to the movement between salary and non-salary categories 13

14 Transaction approval notifications notifications Best for Approvers who may only occasionally have transactions to review Portal workflow inbox Best for Approvers with a high number of transactions who will routinely monitor workflow inbox throughout the day 14

15 Sample notification 15

16 Example of workflow inbox on NUPortal 16

17 Approver action: Approve Select Approve if all line items are correct If one line item cannot be approved, the entire transaction must be sent back or held Comments are optional. Comments may be seen by all Approvers in transaction s workflow. 17

18 Approver action: Hold Select Hold if further research is needed by the Approver before deciding to approve or send back Entire transaction is placed on hold indefinitely Transaction stays in approver inbox Transaction is removed from other pooled approver inboxes Transaction is exempted from 5 day timeout Comments are optional Approver is responsible for timely management of transactions placed on Hold 18

19 Approver action: Send Back Select Send Back if transaction needs to be corrected, modified, or canceled If only one line item needs to be sent back, the entire transaction must be sent back Comments are required and should specify: Why transaction is being sent back Recommended action(s) originator should take Comments may be seen by all Approvers in transaction s workflow. 19

20 What happens after approval? Confirmation message displays Transaction is removed from all workflow inboxes at your approval level Transaction is auto-routed to next level approval inboxes; notification is auto-generated When all approvals have been applied, transaction processing begins Requisition is sourced as PO and dispatched to vendor Journals are queued for nightly posting Expense reports are processed for payment 20

21 Reassigning workflow You may reassign a transaction to yourself from a lower approval level You only have to reassign the first line to reassign the entire transaction See Reassign Workflow job aid 21

22 Some Practical Hot Tips! Multi-level approvers: You will get multiple s for each transaction You only need to apply the approval once and ignore the additional s for that specific transaction Pooled approvers: All approvers at a level will get notification of a transaction Only one approver has to apply the approval, then the transaction will be removed from all Inbox work lists If you get a notification, but can t see the transaction; someone else already approved it! Dual roles as Approver and Originator: You can t approve your own transactions, but if you originate a transaction, you will still get the approver 22

23 Some Practical Hot Tips! Make sure you review the chart strings in a transaction Chart string could be incorrect or Chart string could belong to another department and be part of collaborative transaction Travel Authorizations and Cash Advances need to/from dates far enough in future for transaction to route through full approval path. 23

24 Let s see what it looks like in NUFinancials! 24

25 What questions do you have? Contact us at: 25