Approvals in Workflows

This article is part of Workflows training. Click here for more information on Workflows.

AP invoices and journal entries that meet certain criteria must be approved by an approval hierarchy when workflows are enabled. This article demonstrates how to recognize when a transaction falls within the requirements of a workflow and how to approve or deny an approval request.

Example Workflow Rule-Set

Recognizing Transactions that are Subject to a Workflow

Workflows are highly customizable and differ from organization to organization. Workflows can be set up for AP invoices and journal entries, with specific workflow rules pertaining to the following record groupings:

• Location or Location Reporting Category

• Vendor (takes precedence over Location or Location Reporting Category settings)

Workflows supersede existing approval security privileges

Users with Approve AP Invoice or Approve Journal Entries permissions enabled cannot approve a transaction that is subject to a workflow rule.

When workflows are enabled, the Approve menu does not appear on AP invoices or journal entries until after the transaction is saved.

• Unsaved - No Approve menu present.
   

• Saved with No Applicable Workflow (Dollar value is less than lowest Workflow threshold) - Approve menu present to all users with Approve permissions.
   

• Saved with an Applicable Workflow - Approve menu is present only for the authorized approver.
   

Workflows assigned to Workflow Groups

If a workflow group is assigned to a workflow level, any user in that group can approve or deny transactions below or equal to the assigned level.

Imported Transactions and Workflows

AP invoices and journal entries can be imported into R365 using various methods. In instances where the transaction is imported As Approved but is subject to a workflow, the approval status is Unapproved, and the appropriate workflow rules apply. Transactions imported as Unapproved likewise follow any established workflows as expected.

Workflow Transaction Approval Methods

Workflows can be approved on the My Workflows page or on the transaction record.

My Workflows

My Workflows contains all current and future approvals in your assigned workflows. This page is described in detail in the My Workflows article.

To open My Workflows, hover over your username and select My Workflows, as shown below:

The screen opens on the My List tab, where you can view your current workflows. If the Access Upcoming Tab permission is enabled, the Upcoming tab displays all workflows that are awaiting approval before they arrive in My List. 

Approve or Deny Individual Transactions

Transactions can be individually approved by:

1. Select the transaction row.
   The Document Previewer sidesheet opens.

2. In the Document Previewer sidesheet, select either Approve or Deny.

   • Approve - If the workflow is approved, the task is complete, and the next workflow in the list appears.

   • Deny - If the workflow is denied, enter a reason for the denial. Once confirmed, the workflow is denied, and the next workflow in the list appears.
      

Approve or Deny Multiple Transactions

1. Select the checkbox for all transactions to approve or deny.

2. At the top of the tab, above the table, select either Approve or Deny.

   • Approve - If the workflows are approved, the task is complete, and the first workflow in the list appears.

   • Deny - If the workflows are denied, enter a reason for the denial. Once confirmed, the workflows are denied, and the first workflow in the list appears.
     

Approve in Mobile App

• AP invoices assigned to the user can be approved or denied from the Actions menu in the R365 Mobile App.
   

Approve on the Transaction Record

Workflow transactions are approved in exactly the same way a non-workflow transaction is approved. The current approver opens the transaction, hovers over the Approve menu, and selects an approve option.

• Approve Options - Approves the transaction. If there are subsequent approvers in the workflow, the transaction is locked to edits and remains Unapproved - Pending Approval until the final approval is secured. If an edit needs to be made, then the transaction must be denied and the edits performed prior to starting the new workflow.

• Deny - Stops the approval chain, provide a reason for the denial, and return the approval to the initial approver / transaction creator. Denying an approval changes the workflow status to Work Needed.
   

Approval Alerts on Transactions

Transactions that are subject to a workflow rule allow all users (not just Approvers) to use the Alert Me action to receive an email when the transaction has received its final approval. If the transaction has multiple levels of approvals in a workflow, the email alert is sent only after the final approval.

• To enable email alerts, hover over the Action menu on the transaction and select Alert Me When Approved.
  A success message confirms that you will receive final approval alerts.

• To disable email alerts, hover over the Action menu and select Don't Alert Me When Approved.
  A success message confirms that you will no longer receive final approval alerts.

View Current Approvers

Keep better tabs on users who are next in line to approve AP transactions by adding the Current Approver column to AP Transactions. This will list either individual approvers or the name of the workflow group, if assigned.

When a transaction is approved, however, the Approved By column displays the name of the user who approved the transaction, regardless of whether they were a part of a workflow group.

Workflows Audit Tab

Each transaction that is subject to a workflow includes a Workflow tab on the transaction record. Each relevant event in the life of the workflow is logged on this tab.

In addition to the Audit Log, a workflow status is listed, as well as log entry options. The status updates automatically as the transaction is approved or denied, but can be set manually by the current approver.

For additional follow-up, users can add tasks, notes and send text or email alerts from this tab using the Log buttons. Each Log Entry is listed based on the Entry Date and are visible in the Manager Log Module.

Workflow Tab View

Manager Log View