Implementing PeopleSoft Enterprise Services Procurement Workflow

This chapter provides an overview of the workflow process and discusses how to:

• Configure the workflow system.

• Set up work order workflow.

• Use requisition approval workflow.

• Use work order approval workflow.

• Reassign tasks.

Understanding Workflow

PeopleSoft Enterprise Services Procurement provides an easy-to-use workflow implementation process. All of the steps in PeopleSoft Enterprise Services Procurement workflow are performed using PeopleSoft Internet Architecture pages rather than underlying PeopleCode. Consequently, functional users can design and maintain workflow.

PeopleSoft Enterprise Services Procurement leverages the PeopleSoft eProcurement workflow engine. Services requisitions use the same workflow rules as the PeopleSoft eProcurement requisition, so if you are using both applications, you only have to set up workflow for requisitions once. PeopleSoft Enterprise Services Procurement lines have a category of services, and they route differently than the PeopleSoft eProcurement lines.

You can also approve at the line level for requisitions rather than just the requisition header level. Approvals can be role-based or driven by views. For work order approvals, the system looks at the work order requestor's supervisor ID on the User Profile - Workflow page to send the approval.

Also, PeopleSoft Enterprise Services Procurement workflow provides email notifications and worklists for all activities in the requisition fulfillment process.

With workflow notifications, you can:

• Enable or disable notifications on the Workflow Notifications page.

• Define email notifications that are sent as part of workflow in the requisition fulfillment process.

• Automate parts of the sourcing process by defining sourcing rules on the Automatic Sourcing page.

Note. Since PeopleSoft Enterprise Services Procurement leverages the PeopleSoft Enterprise eProcurement workflow engine process, the same workflow rules apply for both applications.

See Using Approval Workflow Within PeopleSoft eProcurement.

Understanding Approval Management

Approval management is the process of taking a transaction through the organization until it is accomplished or stopped. Using the Manage Approvals feature, approvers and reviewers join the business analysts, and requesters to complete the approval workflow process. When the process is complete, the transaction is promoted to its next stage. In the case of a requisition, for example, it's sourced as a purchase order.

After a transaction, such as a service order or requisition, is created, the system routes it to the Manage Approval component. A message is also sent to the Worklist along with the transaction for which you must take action. You can take action from the Worklist or, when using PeopleSoft eProcurement, by using the Manage Approval feature. In either case, you can preview, in a graphical format, the path a transaction approval will take and who has already approved the transaction, and see any comments previous approvers have entered.

Note. The worklist item is not removed from the approver or reviewers worklist until it is marked as worked.

While the system awaits approval action, the approval workflow engine maintains the overall state of the transactions approval status, invokes routings, and interacts with the application classes.

During the approval process these actions take place:

• The system notifies approvers and reviewers that there is a pending transaction that needs their attention.

• Approvers and reviewers access the transaction details, provide comments, and take action (approve, deny, or push back) for the transaction.

• The system checks for additional routings in the same routing path.

  If all routing paths have been completed for the stage then the next routing path is started in the next stage. If there are multiple routing paths, the system routes them in parallel.

• Once all approvers on a transaction have approved, the engine notifies the eProcurement application. The requisition is then prepared for sourcing.

See Using the Approval Monitor.

Mass Approval

The approver may select multiple requisitions, and complete the approval with out being routed to a secondary page. The approver must participate in a role that is associated to the new eProcurement role action of MASS_APPROVER.

See Setting Up Roles for Role Actions.

See Using Approval Workflow Within PeopleSoft eProcurement.

See Also

PeopleSoft Enterprise Services Procurement Preface

PeopleTools 8.44 PeopleBook: Workflow Technology

Configuring the Workflow System

To set up workflow notifications, use the Workflow Notification (SPB_WF_NOTIFY) component.

This section discuss how to:

• Use the Maintain Workflow page.

• Set up workflow notifications.

• Set up sourcing emails.

• Specify automatic sourcing rules.

Pages Used to Configure the PeopleSoft Enterprise Services Procurement Workflow System

Using the Maintain Workflow Page

Access the Maintain Workflow page.

You begin configuring PeopleSoft Service Procurement workflow options on the Maintain Workflow page. The Maintain Workflow page is the focal point for configuring your PeopleSoft Enterprise Services Procurement workflow system.

Setting Up Workflow Notifications

To set up workflow notifications, use the Workflow Notification component.

Access the Workflow Notifications page.

Note. You cannot configure source notification on this page. The system obtains the notification method for sourcing activity from the Sourcing Selection page when a requisition is sourced.

Note. You cannot configure Client Bid Response notification on this page. The notification method for client bid response is the same as the method chosen during sourcing.

A warning appears if both the email and worklist options are disabled for an activity.

See Also

Defining Notification Templates for Approval Workflow

Setting Up Sourcing Emails

The following steps details the process for scheduling sourcing emails.

1. Enable the Schedule Sourcing Emails option on the Services Procurement Installation Options page.

2. Add APPLICATION_ENGINE Component Permissions to EPSP4000 Permission List.

   Give Full Access to AE_REQUEST page only.

3. Create a new URL identifier named as SP_SRC_EM.

   Use the URL Maintenance page to create the identifier.

4. Create a generic email template named as SP_SRC_EM.

   Use the Generic Template Definition page to create the template.

   Use the following values to create the template:

   • Instructional Text: Type names or email addresses in the To, CC, or BCC fields using semi-colons as separators.

   • Sender: User

   • Subject: %5 requisition %2 has been approved and is ready to be filled.

   • Message Text: %5 requisition %2 has been approved and is ready to be filled. To review the requisition and submit candidates click %10.

     Requisition/Line: %2/%3.

     Project: %4.

     Job Title: %5.

     Service Type: %6.

     Role: %7.

     Location: %8.

     Start Date: %9.

   • Set up the Process Scheduler Job.

     Use the Process Scheduler page to schedule a job and source the email notifications.

Specifying Automatic Sourcing Rules

Access the Automatic Sourcing page.

Enter a value into the Service Type field to define sourcing rules for specific service types (per business unit), or leave the Service Type field blank to define sourcing rules for all service types.

If you specify a number in the Notify Days field, you postpone automatic sourcing until the specified numbers of days have passed since the approval date. In this case, the PeopleSoft Application Engine process (SP_WF_SRC) checks requisitions that are approved but not yet filled within the notification days. Once the notification days are reached, the system automatically sources the requisition.

If you leave the Notify Days field blank, requisitions are sourced after approval, and you do not need to run the SP_WF_SRC application engine.

After the requisition is approved, the system automatically sources it based on the selections on this page. If you select a source type of Primary and a region code of Bay Area, when the requisition is approved, the system automatically sources the requisition to whichever supplier is listed as a primary source type and from the Bay Area region.

This prevents you from having to source each requisition manually.

• If service type and region code have values, the system looks for suppliers by service type and region and matches the source type.

• If only the service type has a value, the system looks for supplies by service type and source type.

• If only region code has a value, the system looks for supplies by region that also match the source type and requisition business unit.

The system searches for the business unit, then service type, then region, and then finds a supplier with a primary source code to match it; where it looks depends on how much information you included.

Note. If a requisition was sourced in the preceding 24 hours, the Application Engine process does not source it again. If a vendor already submitted a candidate for the requisition, that vendor is excluded from automatic sourcing.

Setting Up Work Order Workflow

This section discusses how to use workflow approval setup.

Pages Used to Set Up Work Order Workflow

Using Workflow Approval Setup

This section discusses workflow approval setup.

PeopleSoft Service Procurement delivers work order workflow preconfigured. Use the delivered workflow configuration as is or you can make minor adjustments for the business practices. You should understand the workflow technology before making any changes.

Changing Approval Criteria

To change workflow approval criteria:

1. Access the Approval Process Definition using the SP_WORKORDER value.

2. Click Criteria to access the Criteria Definition page.

   For each path and step, you can set up criteria that the system uses to determine whether you go down that path or perform that step.

   For example, if you have an approval path that requires approval for work orders over 10,000 USD, the system looks at submitted work order, and compares the amount to the criteria on the Criteria page. If it is under 10,000, the system automatically approves it. If it is over 10,000, the system determines which step to perform.

3. Access the Approval Step Definition - Step page.

   Set the number of approvers needed. This determines how many levels or approval or number of approvers are required for work orders.

   See Defining Approval Workflow Processes.

Changing Approvers

To modify approvers:

1. Access the User List page using the SP_WORKORDER value.

2. The system is set up to use the value for the Supervisor field that appears on the User Profile - Workflow page.

   If you want the workflow to select an approver by role, you change the User List Source to Role, and select a role from the prompt table.

   See Defining User Lists.

   See Setting Up Roles for Role Actions.

   See Defining Approval Workflow Processes.

Changing Templates

To change a delivered workflow template:

1. Access the Generic Templates page.

   You can modify existing templates or create new ones using this page.

2. Add the new or revised template to the appropriate workflow action on the Approval Transaction Registry page using the Template Name field in the Notifications group box.

   See Defining Notification Templates for Approval Workflow.

   See Defining the Approval Transaction Registry.

Using Requisition Approval Workflow

This section discusses how to use the requisition approval process.

See Also

PeopleTools 8.46 PeopleBook: Workflow Technology

Pages Used for Requisition Approval Workflow

Using the Requisition Approval Process

Use the Requisition Approval page to approve, deny, or hold a requisition during the workflow approval process. You can also add approvers and reviewers to the workflow routing. If you are a reviewer, this page is display only.

Note. The user must have a workflow role designed for requisition approval or else the user must be the requester who entered the requisition.

Access the Requisition Approval page.

Deny	Click to deny this requisition. A worklist entry is sent to the original requester with any comments that the approver enters. Note. When approvers click this button, they automatically access the Deny Requisition Confirmation page, where they can enter a reason code and comments for the denied transaction line.
Comment	Enter any comments explaining why you are approving or denying this requisition.
View Line Details	Click to view detailed summary for the request.

Confirmation

Use this section to view the confirmation number that is assigned to the requisition upon approval.

Review/Edit Approvers

Note. Once a requisition is fully approved, it is removed from the reviewer's to do list whether or not it has actually been reviewed. The requisition then appears on the worklist belonging to the service coordinator responsible for sourcing the requisition.

See Also

Creating and Managing Requisitions

Using the Work Order Approval Workflow

This section discusses how to use the work order approval process.

See Also

PeopleTools 8.46 PeopleBook: Workflow Technology

Pages Used for Work Order Approval Workflow

Using the Work Order Approval Process

Use the Work Order Approval page to approve or deny a work order during the workflow approval process. You can also add approvers and reviewers to the workflow routing.

Note. The user must have a workflow role designed for work order approval.

Access the Work Order Approval page.

See Also

Managing Work Orders

Reassigning Tasks

You can reassign tasks along the workflow process to other users, either temporarily or indefinitely. This enables a requester, approver or service coordinator to reassign a single task or all tasks during a specific date range. The system administrator can also assign user tasks either during a specific date range or indefinitely to another user.

This section discusses how to:

• Reassign tasks temporarily.

• Reassign tasks indefinitely.

• Reassign specific tasks.

Note. The user who assigns the task and the user who is assigned the task must have the same user role. For example, if a requester wants to assign worklist entries, then the user to whom the worklist entries are assigned must also be a requester.

Pages Used to Reassign Tasks

Reassigning Tasks Temporarily

Access the General Profile Information page.

Select the alternate user ID for the individual to whom you want to reassign your tasks during a specified duration of time.

Reassigning Tasks Indefinitely

Access the User Profile - Workflow page.

Use this page to reassign tasks to another user for an indefinite period of time.

Reassigning Specific Tasks

Access the Worklist page.

Click the Reassign button.