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Budget Approval Process(Workflow)

former_member282774
Participant
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Hi Experts,

Our requirement demands using 'Appropriation request ' for budget approval process.

Problem 1:

CAPEX projects will be created across the different plants.Each plant has approves at 'Plant Level'.

Example:Projects created at Plant 'X' are required approvals from 'Plant X' approvals for that particular Projects.(Max of 5) Approvers)

So ,overall there are 50 approves across the 10 plants where 5 app-rovers per Plant,

Problem 2: When any one of the approver is on vacation,the requirement is to 'route the approval Email to "AR" Administrator so that he can approve in his behalf.

Please provide me inputs for the above issues:

1.How categorize the 'Plant Level" approvals in-order to design the func Spec?

2.How to route the 'Approvals' to Administrator when one of the approver was on vacation?

Thanks,

Srini.

P.S Feasibility to send the Approvals to Approvers External Inbox also ability to Approve through Phone.

Accepted Solutions (0)

Answers (5)

Answers (5)

former_member282774
Participant
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HI Tushar,

Thanks for correcting me about asking Func Spec. Apologies!

Let me ask you a dumb question:

Do I have to define Partner function(partner determination procedure) and roles in SAP AR even If we go for development like workflow design and creating custom table and screen enhancements to automatically pop up the approves basing on scale?

Former Member
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Hi Srini,

Yes, you are right !!!

You need to define Partner Determination procedure and roles in SAP AR.

As suggested already , take help of Workflow and Security consultant.

Regards

Tushar

former_member282774
Participant
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Thanks for the response friends.

Users are coming up with different scenarios and making the Workflow process complicated

-Can we attach an Excel file(Business Specific) when creating the AR so that approves will be Open the attachment before they approve it?

-Ability to provide up to 200 words description when creating the AR?

-Ability to automatically pop up the 'Approvers' when the 'Scale'(Ex: <200K) is entered in the AR?

-Employee data will Maintained in HR mini?(Data mapping is required from HR mini for Approvers)

Paulo_Vitoriano
Active Contributor
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1. Yes, it is possible to attach Excel file(s) and it can be opened before any approval step within workflow.

2. It is possible to maintain Long text, not limited to any number of words.

3. No, standard system will not popup anything, but specific approvers can be validated with ABAP exit when AR is saved.

4. Approvers are identified as SAP users and not as HR mini-master records.  Not every HR record is created as SAP user, and standard workflow operates in terms of SAP users.  Anyway the mapping is normally maintained in the Info Type 0105 (Communication) SubType 0001.

former_member282774
Participant
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Hi Paulo,

Thanks for the response.

-How can we attach an Excel File in AR?

I am assuming that In Variants tab in AR we can attach documents in documents tab.(Please correct me if I am wrong)

-Problem is Approvers are at plant level(Example:60 Approvers are across the 20 plants)

-Plant X will have 5 Approvers but not sure defining the Roles

-Is there any mapping towards SAP USers

Please advise

Paulo_Vitoriano
Active Contributor
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Hi Srini,

The tab you mentioned is for DMS integration, instead you can use simple attachment management by selecting the menu System > Services for Object.

For your second requirement you are likely to go for enhancement option. Standard SAP allows you to select SAP users as approvers.  At the time of Saving AR you can validate if selected approvers are allowed for selected Plant.

Regards,

Former Member
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Hi Srini,

I completely agree with Paulo here... We have almost similar type of design set up in our project where different approvers can be put in AR depending upon what is the limit or type of AR that is designed for.

So user need to enter those approvers SAP id and if that specific SAP id is not having Role to approve the AR, his id will not be allowed by the system to be entered as valid approver.

Once all valid approves are entered in the system , user need to click on For approval button in front of System status. That should ensure that Workflow will get routed to respective approvers maintained in AR. Once approver receive AR in their SAP inbox, they need to either approve it or reject it.

If all approves approve, it finally goes for Budget distribution.
If any one of the approver reject the AR, AR will be removed from Pending Approval List.

You need to involve Workflow Consultant to design workflow accordingly.


Regards

Tushar

former_member282774
Participant
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Hi Tushar,

Thanks for the response.

My business is complicating the process

1.The requirement is to automatically reflect the Approvers list in AR as per the 'Scale".

Example:If the Project cost is less than 300K(Scale) ,as soon as User selects Scale <300K system should show up the List of Approvers automatically.(Advise needed)

2.we have a total of 4 level with the approves at every level of Approvers from Plant level to CEO level i.e from level 1 to level 4.

Problem:

If the project cost is more than 20 Mill USD ,Approvals are required from Every level including Level 4(CEO) to level 1(Plant Level) that would be a total of 30 Approvers.

Please Advise

sammar81
Employee
Employee
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Hi Srini,

You can  maintain a Z table with Scale and Approver list combination and your technical team can populate the list of approvers which needs to be displayed based on the scale..

Here the complexity would be how to differentiate between various approvers for  different projects?

Give it a try..

regards

Sammar

MTerence
Active Contributor
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Hi Srini,

I dont think your requirement can be covered in standard functionality, it requires custom development to look for the person with the delegation limit.

As i have mentioned earlier, you can maintain delegation limit against personal number and built a custom logic to pick the approvers. Check for enhancements.

Regards

Terence

Former Member
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Hi Srini,

Your requirement can not be achieved in SAP standard. Would suggest you to go for development.

Discuss with ABAP and Workflow resource.

Regards

Tushar

former_member282774
Participant
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Thanks for your valuable responses guys.

I just talked to ABAPER regarding the workflow design.

Can you anyone please send me the Functional Spec for Budget Approval process?

Thanks!

Former Member
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Functional spec documents are confidential informations and can not be shared

You need to develop your own functional specs that can cater your Business requirement.

If you want more help, please go through sap help .

Regards

Tushar

former_member282774
Participant
0 Kudos

HI Tushar,

Thanks for correcting me about asking Func Spec. Apologies!

Let me ask you a dumb question:

Do I have to define Partner function(partner determination procedure) and roles in SAP AR even If we go for development like workflow design and creating custom table and screen enhancements to automatically pop up the approves basing on scale?

sammar81
Employee
Employee
0 Kudos

Yes it would be needed..

MTerence
Active Contributor
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Hi Srini,

In appropriation request, you have Persons involved field. You can define partner functions, saying Level 1 to Level 5 approvers.

Create a custom table, where you feed the Plant / approvers personal number / Level 1 (also threshold limit can be made)

Email Ids can be selected using Personal number where the emails will be maintained in infotype 105.

You can also maintain delegation limit for the approvers. Level 1 - 10000USD , Level 2 - 20000 USD etc. check if this feasibility is required for your client.

When the appropriation request is created, this need to populate approvers or manually they need to added manually.

On save you can trigger the email to the first level approver, once approved you can send to Level 2.

For entire process, you need WorkFlow consultant and ABAP consultant, since you will have different scenario to direct workflow is the person on leave etc etc.

Above requirement is a sample. You can also change it where ever required and based on the feasibility of your client

Regards

Terence

Paulo_Vitoriano
Active Contributor
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Hi Srini,

I think all of the above can be covered with standard functionality, so maybe no need for any FD.

When someone is on vacation can set up a substitute function, so the workflow will be forwarded to that substitute (that should have a role to approve too).

Regards,

former_member282774
Participant
0 Kudos

Thanks for the response friends.

Users are coming up with different scenarios and making the Workflow process complicated

-Can we attach an Excel file(Business Specific) when creating the AR so that approves will be Open the attachment before they approve it?

-Ability to provide up to 200 words description when creating the AR?

-Ability to automatically pop up the 'Approvers' when the 'Scale'(Ex: <200K) is entered in the AR?

-Employee data will Maintained in HR mini?(Data mapping is required from HR mini for Approvers)

former_member282774
Participant
0 Kudos

1. Whats the trigger for sending the mail to the approving person within a plant?

-Please help me to understand the triggering point sending Mail to Approver.

-Our requirement is send it to Aprovers External Inbox

2. How would the workflow determine the sequence of sending the mail from one approver to another as you have 5 levels?

-Please through insight on the sequence

3. What happens if at one level a person rejects the proposal?

-They Re create the AR process

4. Whats the amount of time you will wait till the proposal is approved? if the person is not on leave and is not approving as well..

-One day

Please help me if I get it right

Most Importantly,do we have to create roles?

All the employees(Approvers) are maintained in HR mini master.How can we pull up the approvers in Workflow with their name and EMail ID.

sammar81
Employee
Employee
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Hi Srini,

1. Trigger Point: - You have to understand when a AR is created by the end user for a particular CAPEX/OPEX project, does upon saving the AR a  mail should be triggered for the approval Or A person should set some user status which will trigger the mail to the approver?

2. Hierarchy: Now assume that an End User raises an AR and it goes for  L1 approval  which is his immediate manager.. after that it goes to L2 ( which is senior manager) then upto L5.  here you need to define how the workflow detects this hierarchy.

3. This is clear.. so the old rejected AR gets closed.. Do you set a user status as well to point out that this AR is cancelled or rejected..

4.  Point 4 is clear on the duration of the time for sending the mail and waiting for the approval..

yes you need to define roles based on the approving authority and you need to make sure that the people at L1 are not approving for L5. Also you need to keep in mind a scenario where a higher up person doesnt reject the proposal but asks for a rework on the same AR? Is it a possibility??

for checking who's L1 and L5 you can use HR position IDs maintained for the employees..

Good Luck with your development...

Regards

Sammar

former_member282774
Participant
0 Kudos

Thanks for the response friends.

Users are coming up with different scenarios and making the Workflow process complicated

-Can we attach an Excel file(Business Specific) when creating the AR so that approves will be Open the attachment before they approve it?

-Ability to provide up to 200 words description when creating the AR?

-Ability to automatically pop up the 'Approvers' when the 'Scale'(Ex: <200K) is entered in the AR?

-Employee data will Maintained in HR mini?(Data mapping is required from HR mini for Approvers)

sammar81
Employee
Employee
0 Kudos

Hi Srini,

You need a good workflow consultant and a good technical guy to achieve this..

You need to come up with below answers to write the FS

1. Whats the trigger for sending the mail to the approving person within a plant?

2. How would the workflow determine the sequence of sending the mail from one approver to another as you have 5 levels?

3. What happens if at one level a person rejects the proposal?

4. Whats the amount of time you will wait till the proposal is approved? if the person is not on leave and is not approving as well..

Hope this help you in getting started..

Regards

Sammar

former_member282774
Participant
0 Kudos

1. Whats the trigger for sending the mail to the approving person within a plant?

-Please help me to understand the triggering point sending Mail to Approver.

-Our requirement is send it to Aprovers External Inbox

2. How would the workflow determine the sequence of sending the mail from one approver to another as you have 5 levels?

-Please through insight on the sequence

3. What happens if at one level a person rejects the proposal?

-They Re create the AR process

4. Whats the amount of time you will wait till the proposal is approved? if the person is not on leave and is not approving as well..

-One day

Please help me if I get it right

Most Importantly,do we have to create roles?

All the employees(Approvers) are maintained in HR mini master.How can we pull up the approvers in Workflow with their name and EMail ID.