When it has been enabled, project managers can use the Line Level Approval feature to review, approve, and/or reject specific charge allocations on an expense report, depending on how UDT01/UDT02 is set up. (In addition, the manager's functional role must have the appropriate rights.)
You can enable or disable this feature in the Line Level Approval field in the Miscellaneous tab of the Expense Configuration screen. The options are:
Disabled - The Line Level Approval feature is not used.
Optional - The Line Level Approval feature is turned on. Project managers can approve an expense report, but absence of approval does not prevent the expense report from continuing through the workflow process. However, if a project manager rejects a charge, the expense report workflow will be halted.
Required - The Line Level Approval feature is turned on. The expense report status will not be set to "Approved" until all appropriate line charges are approved. The expense report will NOT continue through workflow without charge approvals.
To have a charge considered in the Line Level Approval process, you must select the Line Level Approve checkbox for the charge in the Basic Information tab of the UDT01 or UDT02 screens.
Multiple functional roles can approve an expense report. These approvals represent approvals of the entire expense report, and can be conditional depending on the following factors:
Expense Report Type
Total Expense Report Amount
Total Over-Ceiling Amount
Total Unallowable Amount
Whether the user with the functional role is assigned to the same group as the expense report employee
Multiple functional roles can approve individual charge allocations. These approvals can be conditional based on factors such as the following:
Expense Report Type
Total Expense Report Amount
Total Over-Ceiling Amount
Total Unallowable Amount
Whether line approval is applicable to specific charge, UDT02, or UDT01.
Whether the user with the Functional Role is assigned to the UDT02 or UDT01.
Approval Options - On the Miscellaneous tab in the Expense Configuration screen, select the Line Level Approval option that best suits your business rules.
Create the appropriate functional roles in the Functional Roles screen in the General Setup menu by making selections in the following fields for the functional role(s):
Type - In this drop-down box on the Basic Information tab of the Functional Roles screen, select "Charge" or "Employee and Charge" to indicate that the functional role has domain.
Approve Charges - Select this checkbox on the Basic Information tab.
Specify which charges need to be approved in the UDT01 or UDT02 screen. Select the Line Level Approve checkbox for those UDT01/UDT02 records that need line approval.
Assign Functional /Project Managers for UDT01/UDT02 records. Open the UDT01and/or UDT02 screens in the General Setup menu. In the Supervisors tab, select the Add Supervisor function to add needed supervisors/project managers with the appropriate functional roles created in the previous step to the appropriate charges.
Configure line level approval as part of Expense Report Types workflow. From the Expense Report Tasks tab, select the Add Task function to access the Add Expense Report Task screen, on which you will need to make selections in the following fields:
Order - In this drop-down box, set the sequence in which line level approval will occur.
Expense Report Task - In this drop-down box, select "Approve Expense."
Primary Role - In this drop-down box, select the functional role that will perform approval.
Email/Alert Notification - Select this checkbox if you want the functional role person to get an e-mail/alert for the task.
Let's say that an employee charges expenses to a charge allocation that is configured for line level approval. If the type of expense report has a task for the "Project Manager" to approve expenses and the charge has a "Project Manager" assigned, the system will create a task for the charge allocation. In the workflow, the system creates tasks for any employees who are defined as project managers over the charge and assigns a due date. In addition, the system may also generate e-mails or alerts. When the project manager launches the task from the desktop, he is taken to the expense report. From there, he can go to the Charge Allocation Schedule by showing the supporting schedule or clicking on the hyperlink in the Expense Report screen header. Within the schedule, under the appropriate charge allocation, he can check the appropriate role and select either the Approve or Reject buttons.