Set Up Approval Workflows

Project administrators can create custom approval workflows for:

• Contracts
• Cost and budget payment applications
• Expenses
• Change orders

The same steps apply when creating any type of approval workflow.

By creating custom approval workflows, project administrators and members with full control permission can automate the routing of documents for internal review, providing consistency and transparency across projects. For example, an approval workflow for a change order might involve routing the document to the project manager, the accounting department, and the owner or supplier for approval. By automating this process, you can:

• Reduce the time and effort required for approvals
• Avoid bottlenecks in the approval process
• Make sure that all necessary parties are involved in the review

In this article, you'll learn how to:

• Create approval workflows
• Edit and Modify existing approval workflows
• Use them in Cost Management workflows

Create Approval Workflows

Project administrators are the only members who have permission to create and edit approval workflows. To do so:

1. Click Module Selector , and then select the Services tab.

2. Select Cost Management in the left panel and then switch to the:

   • Budget tab to create an approval workflow for budget payment applications
   • Cost tab to create an approval workflow for contracts, cost payment applications, or expense
   • Change Order tab to create an approval workflow for OCOs or SCOs

3. Click the relevant drop-down menu depending on the type of approval workflow that you want to create:

   • Budget Payment Application Approval Workflows
   • Contract Approval Workflows
   • Cost Payment Application Approval Workflows
   • Expense Approval Workflow
   • OCO Approval Workflows
   • SCO Approval Workflows

4. Select Create approval workflow.

5. Use the drop-down list to select the number of approval steps and click Next.

6. Enter a name for the approval workflow.

7. Set conditions using the drop-down lists to activate the workflow automatically. For example, a workflow can be activated when the approved value of an item is greater than $10,000.

   

   Note: The conditions available vary depending on the type of approval workflow created.

8. Choose which individuals, roles, or companies are designated reviewers for each step. Within each step of the approval workflow, you can:

   • Add a step name, for example, Internal Review

   • Add a reviewer type (single or multiple). You can choose if each member must review. You can also set a minimum number of reviewers.

     Note: When an approval workflow template is selected, the Reviewer Type field is filled in by default. For reviews with more than one step, this can be customized as required. For example, if a three-step approval template is selected, one of the single review steps should be changed to a group review step.

   • Determine the time until the response is due. You can choose between Calendar day(s) and Workday(s).

   • Choose the reviewer. Reviewers can be a member, role, or company. The reviewer must have Full Control or Admin permissions to the component (for example, SCO tab) to participate in the review.

     • Decide whether a reviewer has the ability to edit items under review, including SOVs and amounts.

       Note: To edit, the reviewer must hold either Full Control or Admin permissions.

     

9. If applicable, choose to change the status upon completion to Submitted, Accepted, or Approved.

10. Click Save.

Edit and Modify Approval Workflows

As a project administrator, you can modify an approval workflow. Navigate to the desired tab and approval section as described in steps 1-3 of the previous section, and then:

1. Expand the desired approval workflow drop-down list.

2. Select the More menu and choose one of the following:

   • Configure: To edit the selected approval workflow.
   • Duplicate: To create a copy to edit from. Tip: This is useful when creating a workflow using settings similar to an existing one. Configure the duplicated workflow to give it a unique name, and change other settings as required.
   • Deactivate: To prevent the approval workflow from automatically starting when the conditions are met.
   • Move up: To change the order up one position.
   • Move down: To change the order down one position.
   • Delete: To permanently remove the workflow.

Example of Using Approval Workflows - Reviewer Notifications and Submission for Signature

Approval workflow is an extra step in the budget, cost, and change order workflows. When an item satisfies the conditions of an approval workflow, a dialog box will appear, detailing the approval workflow it will be progressing through and enabling you to add a comment.

As an item progresses through each step in a workflow, the designated reviewer for that step will be alerted through email.

The reviewer can click Open in Cost Management to be directed to the item for review in the email. Then, they can select:

• Proceed to allow the approval workflow to continue. The reviewed item will be submitted for the next review step when the approval workflow has multiple steps. If there is only one reviewer, it will be set as Approved.
• Revise to request revisions. The item will be sent back with the Revise and Resubmit status.
• Reject to reject the revised item. The item will be sent back with the Rejected status.

When approved, the final reviewer submits the item to the external parties for their approval and signature. If using the SignNow integration for e-signature, documents will be sent to signers defined in the signature template. The workflow bar in the details flyout panel displays the item’s status, ball-in-court, and expected due date as it moves through the workflow. Activity is captured in the item’s activity log.

More Resources

Check out our video courses on how to facilitate, control, and automate the review, distribution and approval of project drawings, models, and other documents.