Using PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface Self-Service Approval Transactions

Mobile Approvals provides a convenient option to review and approve pending transactions.

In order to use the mobile Approvals feature, applications must utilize the Approval Framework, also known as Approval Workflow Engine (AWE). All transactions must be created in the database, and adhere to the Approval Framework logic and configuration within each application.

Currently PeopleSoft HCM uses two technologies to support approval processing through the use of the fluid pages:

• Enterprise Components - Fluid Approval Framework technology

  This technology consists of; Enterprise Objects Approval Workflow (EOAW), Application Workflow Engine (AWE), and Enterprise Objects Page Composer (EOPC). A minimum tools release of 8.54 is required for Fluid Approvals.

  Requires Tools Release: PeopleTools 8.54.27 and higher OR PeopleTools 8.55.10 and higher.

• PeopleTools - Mobile Approval Platform (MAP) technology

  This framework uses a template-layout approach for building mobile applications.

For more information on Enterprise Components - Fluid Approval Framework technology, see Using the PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface to Work with Approvals.

For more information on the Mobile Application Platform, see PeopleSoft PeopleTools, “Mobile Application Platform.”

When using a mobile device, you can access the approvals pages by tapping the Approvals tile from the Manager Self Service home page. In the PeopleSoft Classic User Interface, access the Approvals tile by selecting the Fluid Home menu option, then access the Manager Self Service home page. You can also select the Notification flag icon at the top of either the fluid or classic PeopleSoft pages to view alerts in a notification window.

When you access the approvals pages by tapping the Approvals tile, the page defaults to the Pending Approvals page. The application enables you to switch between these approval views (by tapping the Action Menu drop-down icon to access either of these pages):

• Pending Approvals

  An approver can view transactions pending their approval under one interface, thus eliminating the need to go to several different components to look for pending approvals. The Pending Approvals page groups pending approvals by type, date received, from (last sender), and person; filter pending approvals by type, date, and from; display details of each approval request, including the approval chain; and provide AWE actions like Approve and Deny.

• Approvals History

  An approver can also view approval requests that they already worked on. This functionality enables the user to view the status of the approval request in the approval chain and also view any comments by individuals within the chain. The administrator can define how far in the past historical approvals can be retrieved and viewed.

Image: (Tablet) Actions List from the Approvals Pages

This example illustrates how to select approval pages from the actions list within the Approvals pages for the tablet.

Image: (Smartphone) Actions List from the Approvals Pages

This example illustrates how to select approval pages from the actions list within the Approvals pages for the smartphone. The actions list contains additional options when viewed with a smartphone. These options are available as action buttons that appear on the page banner when viewed with a medium or large form factor (tablet or laptop).

Use the Approvals tile to review pending and historical approval requests that are associated with the logged-in manager using Fluid Approvals technology.

Image: Approvals tile

This example illustrates the Approvals tile.

The tile shows the total number of pending approvals. If no pending approvals are available, the tile does not display a number count.

Tap the tile to access the Pending Approvals and Approvals History pages without using traditional menu navigation to review and approve different transactions.

The Approvals pages support approvals that use AWE.

Use the Approvals tile (HMAP_APPR_TILE_FL) to review pending and historical approval requests that are associated with the logged-in manager using MAP technology.

Image: Approvals tile

This example illustrates the Approvals tile.

The tile shows the total number of pending approvals. If no pending approvals are available, the tile does not display a number count.

Tap the tile to access the Pending Approvals and Approvals History pages without using traditional menu navigation to review and approve different transactions.

The Approvals pages support approvals that use AWE.

Use the Pending Approvals page to review and act on pending approval requests requiring the attention of the logged-in manager.

Image: (Tablet) Pending Approvals Page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Pending Approvals page for the tablet.

Image: (Smartphone) Showing approval requests by selected category on the Pending Approvals page

This example illustrates the relevant approval requests that appear after a view-by category is selected on the Pending Approvals page for the smartphone.

The approvals pages display vertical tabs that group approval transaction types into categories that are defined by the View By type value you select. The All category type appears at the top of the list for all view types when there are pending transactions. Transaction categories within a View By type display a badge identifying the number of pending approvals for that transaction category. If you do not have any pending approvals for a transaction category the tab will not appear in the list.

Tap a transaction category tab to display the pending approvals that apply to that category. When you tap a transaction category, the page will display pending approvals sorted by the date on which the approval request was received, with the oldest pending approval displaying first.

Field or Control	Definition
View By	Select how you want the page to display approval requests. You can group pending approvals by these view options: Type (default view when you access the Approvals tile) Groups approval requests by transaction type. For example, you can display all transaction types in one list, or select a specific transaction type, such as a list of absence requests or location changes needing your attention. Date Routed Provides a weekly grouping of pending approvals based on the date the approval was sent to you. Category tabs may include: All (shows all pending approvals) Older (anything before the start of the week before last) 2 Weeks Ago (start of the week before last to the end of the week before last) Last Week (start of last week to the end of last week) This Week (start of the current week until the current day) Note: Define the first day of the week by using the classic PeopleSoft pages to navigate to My Personalizations > Personalize Regional Settings, and selecting the First day of week value. From Groups pending approvals by the last sender. The last sender could be either the requestor of the transaction or the last approver in the approval chain. If the last approver step in the approval chain has multiple approvers, the name of the last person who approved the request is displayed. Person Shows a list of all persons for which there are pending approvals. The transaction category tabs will also list a No Person Associated category when there are pending approvals that are not related to a person.
Filter or Filters applied icons	Tap this icon to access the Filter Page and select from one or more criteria to narrow the pending approval list. The Filter icon appears green when filters have been applied to your search.

The transaction list displays the:

1. Transaction name and the person or job posting with which it is associated.

2. A short description about the approval request.

3. The date upon which the request was routed to you.

Transaction Icons

These icons may be associated with a transaction:

Field or Control	Definition
Pushed back by icon	Displays if you have approved a request and the person next in the approval chain pushes back the approval. The name of the person who pushed back the request appears after this icon. Note: Requests that have been pushed back are not forwarded to the next person in the approval chain. Rather, the request is sent back to the previous person in the approval chain, or to the requestor if the push back occurred with the first approver, and will be pending that person’s action.
Delegated by icon	Displays if you have been delegated to work on approval requests on behalf of another person. The name of the person who delegated the request appears after this icon.

Selecting a Transaction Type Category that Permits Mass Approvals

When you tap a transaction type category, the application will display the pending approval items associated with that category. The page will appear differently when a transaction type has been set up to allow mass approvals. When the transaction type category is not set up to allow mass approvals, the page lists the approval request transactions and no action can be take from the page. For these types of transactions, you must tap the desired approval request row to access the Pending Approvals - <Transaction Details> Page, where you can review and complete the approval request.

Image: (Tablet) Pending Approvals Page when Mass Approvals is Enabled for a Transaction Category

This example illustrates the Pending Approvals page (for the tablet) when a transaction category has been set up to have mass approvals enable on the Mobile Approval Options - Transactions Page.

Image: (Smartphone) Pending Approvals Page when Mass Approvals is Enabled for a Transaction Category

This example illustrates mass approvals for the selected transaction on the Pending Approvals page for the smartphone.

When the administrator has configured the transaction to allow mass approvals, you can take action (e.g.-approve, deny, or push back) on several approval requests within the same category at the same time. Perform mass approvals by selecting the check box before each item then tapping the appropriate action button on the page. Select or deselect all check boxes at once by tapping the top check box in the gray header.

If you do not wish to apply the same response to all transaction requests, or want to view individual details for each request, tap a row to access the Pending Approvals - <Transaction Details> Page.

Use the Filter page to apply one or more filters to narrow your pending approvals list to those requests that meet your criteria.

Image: Filter Page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Filter page.

Use this page to identify specific categories from one or more view by items. The page displays only those fields and categories that apply to your existing pending approvals.

Use the Pending Approval - <Transaction Details> page to review the approval request details, make a comment, and approve, deny, or push back the request.

Image: (Tablet) Pending Approvals- <Transaction Details> Page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Pending Approvals - <Transaction Details> page for the tablet.

Image: (Smartphone) Pending Approval - <Transaction Details> page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Pending Approvals - <Transaction Details> page for the smartphone.

Tap the arrows on the page to expand a section and view additional details about the person, request, or approval chain. If more than one person is in the approval chain, the page will list all approvers, with the first approver on the top.

When a transaction contains an attachment, tap to open the attachment in a modal window.

The buttons that are available on the page are determined by the Mobile Approval Options - Transactions Page. Buttons may include:

• Approve

• Deny

• Pushback

• Hold

• Request Information

• More (the page displays this button when the other buttons do not all fit on the page)

When you approve, deny, or push back a transaction, the system will present you with a summary page, asking for a confirmation on the action you want to take. You can then submit or cancel your transaction request. If you submit the request, the transaction will be removed from you Pending Approvals queue and moved to your Approvals History Page.

Use the Approvals History page to view approvals you have worked on in the past.

Image: (Tablet) Approvals History Page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Approvals History page for the tablet.

Image: (Smartphone) Showing approval requests by selected category on the Approvals History page

This example illustrates the relevant approval requests that appear after a view-by category is selected on the Approvals History page for the smartphone.

The Approvals History page shows approval transactions you have addressed in the past. How far back you can view historical approval transactions is defined by the administrator on the Mobile Approval Options - General Settings Page. This page then displays a message below the category tabs indicating the time period for which history is displayed.

This page displays vertical tabs that group approval transactions into categories defined by the View By type you select. The All category will appear at the top of the list for all view types when there are historical approval transactions. Categories within a View By type will display a badge identifying the number of historical approvals for that category. If you do not have any historical approvals for a category within the designated time period, the tab will not appear in the list.

Tap a category tab to display the historical approvals that apply to that category. When you tap a category, the page will display historical approvals sorted by the date on which that last person updated or took action on the request, with the most recently updated approvals displaying first.

Field or Control	Definition
View By	Select how you want the page to display historical approval requests. You can group historical approvals by these view options: Type (default view when you access the page) Groups approval requests by transaction type. For example, you can display all transactions types in one list, or select a specific transaction type, such as a list of absence requests or location changes you have addressed. Status Displays a list that may show the following status categories: All (contains all approvals that have been worked on within the historical display days) In Process (contains the approvals that are being worked on but have not gone through the approval chain to completion) Note: If a higher level approver pushes a transaction back, the transaction will show up on the Pending Approvals page for the user that sent him or her the request. However, for the person that pushed back the request, it will show up in his or her Approvals History page with a status of In Process. Approved Denied Terminated Other From Groups historical approvals by the last sender. The last sender could be either the requestor of the transaction or the last approver in the approval chain. Person Shows a list of all persons for which you have worked on an approval within the define historical time frame. The category tabs will also list a No Person Associated category when there are historical approvals that are not related to a person.
Filter or Filters applied icons	Tap this icon to access the Filter Page and select from one or more criteria to narrow the historical approval list. The Filter icon appears green when filters have been applied to your search.

The transaction list displays the:

1. Transaction name and the person or job posting with which it is associated.

2. A short description about the approval request and its status.

3. The date upon which the request was updated.

Tap a specific transaction to access the history transaction details page.

Use the Approvals History - <Transaction Details> page to view details about an approval request you have already worked on.

Image: (Tablet) Approvals History - <Transaction Details> Page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Approvals History - <Transaction Details> page for the tablet.

Image: (Smartphone) Approvals History - <Transaction Details> Page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Approvals History - <Transaction Details> page for the smartphone.

Use the arrows and links on a page to expand sections or access additional pages to view further details about the request.