Understanding the Approval Framework Process Flow

Approval Frameworks are triggered when requesters originate a transaction, such as a purchase requisition or a job change request, and a set of approvers carry out tasks related to the transaction. The PeopleSoft Approval Framework process is a framework that enables three levels of users to develop, configure, and use transaction approvals that meet their organizational requirements. For example, the process of submitting a job change request and getting it approved requires defining who will approve the request, the order in which they will approve it, and how it will be routed to approvers.

In contrast to the standard PeopleSoft workflow, which requires advanced technical skills in PeopleSoft PeopleTools to create and maintain, the Approval Framework provides an alternative workflow that is much easier to create and maintain. For example, all of the steps in Approval Framework are defined using PeopleSoft pages rather than underlying PeopleSoft PeopleCode, so functional users can design and maintain workflow using these online PeopleSoft pages instead of requiring technical developers to create workflow rules.

Many PeopleSoft products are delivered with integrated Approval Frameworks, consult your application documentation.

To implement the Approval Framework process, the framework for building and interpreting workflow approvals brings together these users:

• Application developers

  Application developers adapt applications for approval with minimal coding, using a defined setup process. Making this possible is the Approval Framework, which provides a common implementation that other applications can use. Application developers integrate their applications with the Approval Framework using the Register Transactions page, where they register an application and describe its components, event handler, and records. The register stores the approval process IDs that developers create for applications.

  Note: The PeopleSoft product delivers the transaction registry for delivered Approval Framework processes.

  After an end user creates an application transaction and submits it for approval, the application hands the transaction over to the Approval Framework, which finds the appropriate approval process definition and launches the Approval Framework.

• Functional business analysts

  Functional business analysts design Approval Framework for use with an application. This includes setting up stages, paths, steps, recipients, and notifications for each approval process ID. Analysts identify the application-supplied transaction definition on which to base approval process definitions. They use the Approval Process Definition page to define processes for approving transactions. These processes can be used repeatedly to guide transactions through their approval process.

  Many businesses need different approval routings for different types of transactions. To support such variations, you can configure multiple approval process definitions for each transaction within an application. In addition to process IDs, approval process definitions are effective-dated.

• End users

  End users create transactions and then use an approval process with approvers and reviewers within an approval flow. Using this process, the different end users can approve or deny requests, monitor transaction statuses, and audit approvals.