Multi-approval expense status framework
Time and Expenses supports a multi-approval expense status framework which is both configurable to the needs of your organisation and subject to user privileges.
Any expense status configuration must conform to the following rules:
- The first status in sequence must be a draft status which cannot be submitted, WIP approved, claim approved, or have a rejection. This is the status to which all newly posted expenses is set.
- The second status in sequence must be a submitted status that indicates that the expense is to pass through the approval process. For this status: Submitted must be set; WIP and Claim Approved must not be set. A rejection is not mandatory, but would usually be expected to set an expense back to draft.
- The final status must indicate the finished state of an expense once it has passed through the approval process. Both Submitted and WIP Approved must be set. Whether the Claim Approved flag must or must not be set is determined by whether or not Claim Approval is active. No rejection is permitted from this status.
The first, second and final statuses define a single expense approval life-cycle. The addition of each extra status between the second and final statuses adds one level of approval, each of which must conform to the following rules:
- Each successive status must not reverse any state set by a preceding status (e.g. reverse either Submitted or WIP Approved).
- Rejection to an earlier status must not reverse something that is irreversible (e.g. WIP Approval).
When setting a rejection status, it is permissible for a status to reject to itself. This will effectively leave an expense on the same status, but held until the rejection is removed. This allows an expense to be held on a status that would otherwise have performed an irreversible action.
The editing of existing expense statuses in Star PDM is restricted to the insertion of new statuses, and to changes of Description, Reject To status, and Approval privileges.