Introduction

PeopleSoft FSCM Update Image 48 (July 2023) introduced the Project Request feature to Project Costing.

The Project Request is a four-step activity guide that allows you to request a new project, activities, and team members. It includes routings to approvers who use the approval workflow engine (AWE) and fluid approvals. Key project information is gathered from a requester, which includes project name, manager, start and end date, project team, location, budget amount, attachments, and customer defined fields. The Project Request feature integrates with Page and Field Configurator, which allows you to adjust the fields displayed based on role, request type, project type, budget amount, and other fields on the request.

Activity IDs, their descriptions, start and end dates, type, location, and customer defined fields display on the request in addition to the project team members, their role, and expected dates of service.

Requesters can provide additional justification for the request by answering questions that are configured in the Questionnaire Framework. Copy capabilities allow you to pre-populate the request with information from an existing project or project template.

This example illustrates the Project Request page. The Basic Information section provides the business unit, project description, manager, copy button, and other key information about the project.

Description of project-request-basic-information.png follows

With proper access, an approver can access and adjust project request information using a link from the Fluid approal page. After approving, the project, activity, and team information is added to Project Costing. Alternatively, you can configure AWE to auto-approve project requests based on criteria, which turns the project request into a quick setup guide for power users.

This example illustrates the Project Request Approval page showing project information, activity detail and project team members:

Description of project-request-header.png follows

Terminology

This table defines some terminology.
Term Definition
System delivered data Should be available after applying the feature to your environment. See PeopleSoft FSCM Update Image 48 (July 2023).
Sample data Needs to be added in your environment.

Prerequisites

To use this tutorial effectively, these assumptions apply to the administrator’s experience with PeopleSoft functionality:

  • Experience adding tiles to homepages.

  • Experience maintaining role security for users.

  • Basic understanding of approval workflow.

  • Basic understanding of the questionnaire framework.

  • Basic understanding of activity guide administration.

Note: Tasks identified as requiring Experience have minimal detail in this document. Tasks identified as needing a basic understanding include more detail. Some page shots for setup configuration are included below. However, this tutorial is not meant to include images for all pages used with this feature. For page images, see PeopleSoft Online documentation.

Task 1: Setting Up Project Costing Data

Follow these high-level steps to set up data in Project Costing:

  1. Use the User Profile page (PeopleTools > Security > User Profiles > User Profiles) to set up security for a project requester and approver.

    The Project Requester role existed prior to this feature. The Project Approver role is new and delivered with this feature.

    See online documentation: PeopleTools, Administration Tools, Security Administration, Administering User Profiles.

  2. Use the Setup Project Request Types page (: Set Up Financials/Supply Chain > Product Related > Project Costing > Project Options > Setup Project Request Types) to add Request Types.

    This organizes your organization’s Project Requests into categories. The Project Request Type is selected by the requester when creating the request and used as criteria in Page and Field Configurator to identify the fields displayed to requesters.

    This example illustrates a sample configuration for a Request Type:

    Description of setup-project-request-types.png follows

    See online documentation: Project Costing, Setting Up PeopleSoft Project Costing Control Data, Setting Up Project-Related Information.

  3. Use the User Preferences - Project Costing page (Set Up Financials/Supply Chain > Common Definitions > User Preferences > Define User Preferences > Project Costing) to update data entry defaults for requesters.

    This example illustrates the User Preferences page for Project Costing showing that the Project Business Unit and Integration field are populated.

    Description of user-preferences-project-costing.png follows                  

    The values in the Project Business Unit and Integration fields should be populated for each project requester as they provide defaults on the Project Request.

    See online documentation: Application Fundamentals, Defining User Preferences, Defining Application-Specific User Preferences, User Preferences – Project Costing page.

  4. Use the Personalize Homepage (Fluid Home > Homepage Actions > Personalize Home Page) to add the Project Request tile to a Homepage.

    This example illustrates the Project Request tile that you can add to any homepage.

    Description of project-request-tile.png follows                  

    See online documentation: Application Fundamentals, Setting Up and Using PeopleSoft Fluid for Financials and Supply Chain Management, Adding Homepages and Tiles.

Task 2: Setting Up Search

Follow these high-level steps to set up Search options:

  1. Use the Build Search Index page (PeopleTools > Search Framework > Designer > Search Definition) to schedule and build search indexes and real-time indexing.

    The default launch of the project request uses Keyword Search, which requires search indexes and real-time Indexing.  The search definition for the Project Request is EP_PC_PROJ_REQUEST_FL

    See online documentation: Application Fundamentals, PeopleSoft Search for Financials and Supply Chain Management:

    • Understanding the Build Index Process.

    • Understanding Real Time Indexing in FSCM.

  2. Use the Manage Configurable Search page (PeopleTools > Utilities > Manage Configurable Search) to enable Standard Search.

    This provides an alternative to using Keyword Search and Real Time Indexing to launch the Project Request. PeopleTools 8.60 is required.

    This example illustrates the Manage Configurable Search page showing the Project Request path in the Content References grid:

    Description of manage-configurable-search.png follows

    See online documentation: PeopleTools > Utilities > Manage Configurable Search.

  3. Select the Project Request path in the Content References grid to access the Search Configuration page.

    This example illustrates the Search Configuration page showing that the search type is Standard Search:

    Description of search-configuration.png follows

  4. Select Standard Search in the Search Type field.

  5. Select Save.

Task 3: Setting up the Approval Framework

Follow these high-level steps to set up the Approval Framework:

  1. Use the Configure Transactions page (Enterprise Components > Approvals > Approvals > Approval Setup) to set up the PCProjectRequest process ID

    Note: The PCProjectRequest Process ID is delivered as system data with this feature.

    This example illustrates the Configure Transactions page for PCProjectRequest showing how to complete various fields on the page:

    Description of configure-transactions.png follows

    See online documentation: PeopleSoft Enterprise Components: Approval Framework, Defining the Approval Transaction Registry, Configuring Approval Transactions.

  2. Use the Setup Process Definitions page (Enterprise Components > Approvals > Approvals > Approval Process Setup) to define approval process stages.

    This example illustrates a sample configuration of the Setup Process Definitions page (1 of 2) for the PCProjectRequest Process ID:

    Description of setup-process-definitions-1of2.png follows

    This example illustrates a sample configuration of the Setup Process Definitions page (2 of 2) for the PCProjectRequest Process ID:

    Description of setup-process-definitions-2of2.png follows

    Note: you can use the Project Request feature without approvals by configuring your approval process definition for auto-approval.

    See online documentation: PeopleSoft Enterprise Components: Approval Framework, Setting Up Approval Framework Process Definitions, Defining the Setup Process Definitions Component.

  3. Review the Register Transactions page (Enterprise Components > Approvals > Approval Registry) to ensure the PCProjectRequest Process ID is included in the Approval Registry as system data.

    This example illustrates the Register Transactions page showing the notification options:

    Description of register-transactions.png follows

    See online documentation: Enterprise Components: Approval Framework, Defining the Approval Transaction Registry, Setting Up the Transaction Registry

  4. Use the Fluid Approval Setup page (Enterprise Components > Approvals > Approvals > Fluid Approval Setup) to set general options for the approval

    Note: You must use Fluid Approvals with this feature

    This example illustrates the Fluid Approval Setup page showing the general setup options for the project request transaction ID:

    Description of fluid-approval-setup-transactions.png follows

    See online documentation: Enterprise Components, Working with the PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface, Using the PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface to Work with Approvals

Task 4: Setting Up the Questionnaire Framework

Follow these high-level steps to set up the Questionnaire Framework:

  1. Use the User Profile page (PeopleTools > Security > User Profiles > User Profiles) to assign roles to users of the Questionnaire Framework.

    • Assign the Questionnaire Administrator role to someone who should have full access to the Questionnaire Framework

    • Assign the Questionnaire Composer role to someone who should have access to the Manage Questionnaires page and the COMMON category

  2. See online documentation: PeopleSoft Enterprise Components, Security for the Questionnaire Framework.

  3. Use the pages specified in the following topic to configure the Questionnaire Framework:

    PeopleSoft Enterprise Components, Working with Questionnaire Framework, Configuring and Creating Questionnaires Using the Questionnaire Framework

  4. Use the Questionnaire Categories page (Enterprise Components > Questionnaire Framework > Questionnaire Categories) to create a category for the Project Request.

    This example illustrates the Questionnaire Category page for Projects showing how to configure the page:

    Description of questionnaire-category.png follows

    See online documentation: PeopleSoft Enterprise Components, Working with Questionnaire Framework, Configuring and Creating Questionnaires Using the Questionnaire Framework

  5. Use the Manage Questionnaires pages (Enterprise Components > Questionnaire Framework > Manage Questionnaires) to create and manage questionnaires.

    This example illustrates the Questionnaires page showing Sample questionnaire of PC_PROJECT_REQUEST:

    Description of questionnaires.png follows

    This example illustrates the steps included in the activity guide from the initial definition of the questionnaire to activation:

    Description of define-questionnaires.png follows

    See online documentation: PeopleSoft Enterprise Components, Working with Questionnaire Framework

  6. Use the activity guide’s Step 3 – Add Questions page to configure the questions that you want requesters to complete for the Project Request.

    This example illustrates the Add Questions page showing sample questions:

    Description of add-questions.png follows

Task 5: Setting Up the Activity Guide

Follow these high-level steps to set up the Activity Guide:

  1. Use the Setup Activity Guide pages (PeopleTools > Activity Guides > Activity Guide Templates) to configure and assign security.

    The Activity Guide Template PC_PRJ_REQ was delivered as system data and must be used for this feature.

    This example illustrates the Setup Activity Guide – Properties page showing that the questionnaire is enabled:

    Description of setup-activity-guide-properties.png follows

    The Project Requester must have access to the activity guide to use this feature. The Project Approver should also be given access to the activity guide if they need to review and update detailed information in the submitted request.

    This example illustrates the Setup Activity Guide – Security page showing how to provide access to the activity guide:

    Description of setup-activity-guide-security.png follows

    See online documentation: PeopleTools: Portal Technology, Developing and Deploying Activity Guides, Creating and Maintaining Activity Guide Templates

  2. Use the Setup Activity Guide – Project Request page (PeopleTools > Activity Guides > Activity Guide Templates) to assign the questionnaire to the Project Request Activity Guide.

    • Select the Configure Action Items task on left panel.

    • On the Service Configuration tab, select the Configure Context Data link for the Questionnaire line in the grid.

    • Enter EOQF_CATEGORY and EOQF_QSTNR_CODE for Parameter Name and Service Parameter

    • Select Type of Fixed Value

    • Enter the Questionnaire Category and Questionnaire Code you created in the Questionnaire Framework. ‘Projects’ was used in this example.

    This example illustrates the Setup Activity Guide page for a project request transaction, showing how to access the questionnaire Action Item Context Data window:

    Description of setup-activity-guide-project-request.png follows

    The Fluid Project Request Activity Guide incorporates multiple application frameworks that providing flexibility to project-based organizations when gathering information about a request and options for approval.

    See online documentation: PeopleTools: Portal Technology, Developing and Deploying Activity Guides, Creating and Maintaining Activity Guide Templates

For more information about this feature, see online documetation: PeopleSoft Project Costing, Creating and Maintaining Projects, Creating Project Requests Using PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface

Acknowledgements

Authors - Joe Willever (PeopleSoft Product Strategy)

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