Creating an Approval Chain (Timesheets)

1.    Go to the Personnel >>> Setup >>> Approval Chains >>>List screen

2.    Click the Add Approval Chain button.  This brings up the "Add Approval Chain" dialog

3.    Code field:  Enter a code (unique code that will identify this Approval Chain to the system internally).  This will not be able to be changed later.  Codes are typically all in upper case.

4.    Name field:  Enter a descriptive name for the Approval Chain (e.g. "Custodial Timesheet Approvals").  This will be able to be updated later.

5.    Used On These Screens field:  Select which function this Approval Chain is for.

6.    Click Add to create the Approval Chain.  This brings up the Modify Approval Chain screen

7.    To add an Approver, click the button. This brings up the Add Approver dialog. Compete all the information and click the Add button to save.

• In this example, we are doing Timesheets, relationships can be District-wide (Blue or Grey), School-wide Relationships (Green) or Department-wide Relationships (Brown)

8.    To add additional levels of Approval, repeat steps 7

• For this example, I have added 3 levels of approval.  
  • The first approver will be the Supervisor of the Department of the Position that the employee choose when the timesheet was created.  
  • The second approver will be the Principal.  There are two options for the School-wide relationships:
    • School Location of the Position:  if this option is selected, the Relationship will be for the School of the Position that the employee choose when the timesheet was created.  
    • School Location of the Timesheet:  if this option is selected, the Relationship will be for the School of the Location that the employee choose when the timesheet was created.  To utilize this "Green" relationship the timesheet MUST require the staff member completing the timesheet to select a Location when the timesheet is completed.   
  • The third, and final approver, will be the Business Administrator.  The Business Administrator is a District-wide relationship (because there is only one Business Administrator in the District and the Department / Location choice is not applicable to District-wide relationships).  
  • The approval chain is as follows:

Approval Chain Options:

• Approvers can be required or optional.  Checking / unchecking the Required box is where this setting is activated.  If an approver is not required they will be able to review the timesheet, but, once the next required approver in the chain approves the timesheet, it will continue through the approval chain.  
   
• Link Groups:  if you have an "either / or" level of approval, you can use the Link Group.  Lowest sequence number must approve/sign first. If in a Link Group, one approver in the first group must approve/sign before the next group.  You cannot use Required and Link Groups together, Link Groups will replace Required.  The following video will illustrate how to set up a Link Group: