Use the Approval Routing Criteria window to attach Authorization Routes to various Transaction Types. Different Routes can be applied to different time spans. For example, you can apply one Route to the regular day shift from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on week days. You can apply a different Route for nights and another Route for weekends.
Approval Routing Criteria Details
Both a Transaction Type and an existing Authorization Route are required. The Transaction Types include:
| Change Order | Project Requisition |
| Disposal | Project Task |
| Estimate | Purchase Order |
| Material Request | Purchase Requisition |
| PO Change Order | Request |
| Project | Reservation |
| Work Order |
If you use the optional Capital Planning, Events, or Lease Management modules, other Transaction Types are available for these modules.
Work Orders have an additional requirement to be eligible for routing. The Task selected for the Work Order must also have the # of Signoffs field populated on the Organization > Records > Task / Identity Tab.
You can further refine the Route using a location, such as Repair Center, Department, Building, Facility, or a Type, such as Purchase Order Type, Sales Order Type, and Request Type. The available selections vary based on the Transaction Type. Once established, any Request for that Location Type or Transaction Type must be approved through the assigned Route before it can be accepted.
If Routes for specific time periods exist, WebTMA checks your local computer time to determine the correct Route to apply. A mark in the Time Sensitive check box allows you to enter days and time ranges in the Time Range Section.
Click Records on the Navigation Pane to review existing Routes for the Approval Routing Criteria window.
Different Routes can be used with the same Transaction Type.
Modern Approval Routing
When the Modern Approval Routing Execution Preference is Granted on the Admin > Client Info / Preferences Tab, you have the option to define multiple criteria for each Approval Routing Criteria record. This is different from the other option that allows only one criterion per Approval Routing Criteria record.
For example, a Request could be matched to a rule based on the following three criteria: Department, Repair Center, and Request Type.
WebTMA matches each criterion from the Approval Routing Criteria list to find any match or matches. If several overlapping Approval Routing Criteria exist where a transaction could match any criterion, the most restrictive match is used. If several matches are identified as the most restrictive, WebTMA selects the Approval Routing Criteria that was created first. The term “most restrictive” means the Approval Routing Criteria with the greatest number of criteria on its list.
How to Add Approval Routing Criteria
Leave the Time Sensitive check box blank to set a Route without time/day restrictions. This decision is permanent. If you want to add a Time Range later, create a new Approval Routing Criteria record.
- Open the Approval Routing Criteria window.
- Click Add on the WebTMA toolbar.
- Complete the required Name, Transaction Type, and Approval Route.
- (Optional) Check the Time Sensitive box to specify a Time Range.
- Click the Add Criteria link to add Criteria.
- (Optional) Add a Time Range.
- Click Save on the WebTMA toolbar.
How to Add a Time Sensitive Approval Route
A check in the Time Sensitive box enables the Add Line link in the Time Range Section.
- Follow steps 1-6 in the previous topic.
- Click the Add Line link at the top of the Time Range Section to open the Criterion Entry flyout.
- Click the Clock icon to select Start Time and End Time or manually enter 24-hour time in the format HH:mm. See note below regarding Time Spans that encompass midnight.
- Click the applicable days check boxes.
- Click the Save button on the flyout. Use the different save options if you want to add more Time Range line items.
- Click Save on the WebTMA toolbar to save the Criteria record.
NOTE: When the time period passes midnight, a separate line is needed to indicate the start of a new day.
How to Delete Time Settings from a Route
Time lines must be removed from a Route before you can clear the Time Sensitive check box and remove time restrictions.
If you attempt to clear the Time Sensitive check box with time-span lines present, a message warns you, "Please remove all time range line items before proceeding."
- Locate the Route desired.
- Click Edit on the WebTMA toolbar.
- Click the trash can icon for each line.
- Click the Time Sensitive check box to clear.
- Click Save on the WebTMA toolbar.
Multiple Approval Routes
Eligible transactions can have more than one approval Route. Transactions such as Request Log that include locations fall in this category.
For example, if the ABC Facility has a Carpentry Route, a Plumbing Route, and an Electrical Route, a work Request made for the ABC Facility uses all Routes initially. Notices are sent to the Order 1 person on each Route, regardless of the number of Routes. Click the Approval Routing History Tab on the applicable transaction windows to see Routes.
If multiple Routes are identical, only one Route will be followed. Click the arrow for a Route line item, and view the list of authorizers in the expanded tier. Once a member of a Route approves a Request, the Request is removed from the queue of other authorizers. WebTMA follows these rules to streamline the approval process.
When an authorizer approves a Request, the Request is marked as canceled for other authorizers on that level, and peer authorizers are notified that the Request has been accepted. If the Route includes several approval levels, the next tier is notified that a Request is pending.
Authorizers can click the Approval Routing History Tab to monitor the approval process. This is especially useful when several authorizers must approve a Request.
If more than one person has the same approval level, WebTMA marks Approved in the Action column of the person who approved the Request. Any other approvers on that level show Canceled in the Action column and the Request moves to the next level.
The canceled authorizers receive an email stating that the transaction has been approved by [name of approver] and their authorization is not needed.
Multiple Routes in Use
On the module windows that are eligible for Routes, use caution when you populate other fields that can have their own Routes. These are the fields such as Repair Center, Department, Facility, Building, Floor, and Area.
For example, if Routes exist for a function on the Request record, approval from each attached Route is required. The approval process for multiple Routes is simultaneous, that is, the first level authorizers for each Route are notified of pending authorizations.
If a Request includes several fields that have related Routes, authorizers from each Route must approve the Request before work can be performed.
The illustration above portrays an example where fields that relate to Facility, Department, and Repair Center are selected on the Request Log window.
In this case, each field has related Routes, and all authorizers (Order 1, 2, 3, etc.) for all three Routes must approve the Request before work can be performed. Full Routes for each different type in the Type column must be authorized before work can be approved. Reminder: Pending authorization notices are sent simultaneously to the first level authorizers in each Route.
It is possible to have several authorization Routes required before work commences. This occurs if each authorization type is specified on the transaction record.
NOTE: Plan your Routes carefully. If multiple Routes are required and each has several authorizers, a disaster could occur before every authorizer approved the work.
Reject Process
If any authorizer on any approval Route clicks the Reject button on the Authorization or Pending Authorization windows, the transaction is dead.
No further action is required from other authorizers on this or any other Routes associated with the Transaction.
Approval Changes Caution
When you edit a record that is eligible for Approval Routing and you change any of the following criteria, the pending Routes for the modified field are canceled:
- Repair Center
- Building
- Facility
- Department
- Area
The Approval Routing History Tab on the various transactions windows shows a canceled notation when routing criteria are changed.
If no other Routes apply to a changed record, it reverts to the normal status and is processed as any other record that does not require authorization.
If more than one approval Route applies to a changed record, all other Routes must be approved before it is eligible for action.
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