1. How do I set up and manage approval workflows in Oracle Project Management?
  2. Approval Workflow Configuration Tasks

Approval Workflow Configuration Tasks

A well-designed approval workflow ensures transactions and documents are reviewed, routed, and acted on by the right people at the right time. The steps below follow the recommended configuration sequence in Oracle Project Management.

For each step, you’ll find a high-level description, essential details about related elements, practical examples, and key considerations.

1. Participants

Start by identifying who will be involved in approvals and workflow actions. You’ll typically work with:

  • Individual users, who are specific named approvers.
  • Roles, which represent job functions like Project Manager or Finance Director.
  • Approval groups, which are collections of users or roles set up for collective approvals.

Example: Assign all requests for Project ABC to John Doe, allow any Project Manager to approve budget changes, or use the Project Finance Review Group for major project costs.

It’s important to keep participant data accurate and up to date by reviewing participant lists to ensure segregation of duties.

2. List Builder

Next, decide how the workflow should select and assign tasks to participants. Options often include:

  • Predefined list builders using logic such as the Supervisory or Position hierarchy.
  • Custom list builders tailored to your organizational structure or approval requirements.

Example: Use supervisory routing to send requests to a user’s manager, or create a custom list to send high-value contracts to legal review.

Make sure your chosen list builder type fits current business needs and revisit after organizational changes.

3. Approval Rules

Define the logic and conditions that trigger the approval workflow and shape how it routes requests. Consider:

  • Rule conditions, which specify when the workflow starts (example, by amount, business unit, or project type).
  • Rule actions, which dictate the next step if the condition is met.
  • Rulesets, which group related rules for evaluation.

Example: If a project cost adjustment exceeds $10,000, start an approval and send it to the Finance Director.

Review, update, and test rules regularly to make sure they align with current business and compliance needs.

4. Workflow Steps/Stages

Chart the sequence of approvals by laying out each stage of the process. Steps might involve:

  • Sequential steps for approvals in a set order.
  • Parallel steps for simultaneous review by multiple parties.
  • Conditional steps that are included or skipped based on business requirements.

Example: Route approvals from Project Manager to Finance Director in sequence, or have both Compliance and Cost Controller review in parallel; skip Finance Director if the amount is under $1,000.

Ensure your workflow structure mirrors business realities, and test multiple scenarios for reliability.

5. Routing Logic

Think about how approval tasks move between workflow steps. Routing can be handled with:

  • Serial routing, where tasks progress one-by-one.
  • Parallel routing, for simultaneous review.
  • Conditional routing, where data or criteria determine the approval path.
  • Fallback routing, to handle exceptions or failures along the route.

Example: From Project Manager to Finance (serial), to Legal and Compliance at the same time (parallel), or to EMEA Approvals Group if the transaction is from EMEA (conditional).

Keep routing clear and flexible, and remember to validate periodically as requirements evolve.

6. Notification Mechanism

Set up how you’ll keep participants informed and responsive during the workflow. Notifications might be:

  • Email notifications sent to users’ inboxes.
  • In-application notifications that appear in the Fusion Applications interface.
  • Reminders, triggered for pending or overdue actions.
  • Escalation alerts for time-sensitive or delayed approvals.

Example: Email a new approval assignment; generate reminders if an action is overdue after two days; alert a supervisor if escalation occurs.

Double-check that notifications are reliably delivered and visible to users.

7. Escalation/Delegation

To avoid workflow delays, plan for alternatives when tasks are delayed or participants are unavailable. Consider elements like:

  • Escalation rules to move tasks up the chain after a deadline.
  • Delegation settings so users can temporarily assign their responsibilities to someone else.
  • Backup approvers ready if an original assignee is absent.

Example: Escalate tasks to a department head after three days or allow a finance manager to delegate approvals while away.

Define these policies clearly and communicate them so everyone understands their options.

8. Approval Actions

Specify which actions participants can take at each approval stage, making sure the process flows and is auditable. Usual actions include:

  • Approve to progress or complete the workflow.
  • Reject to send back or stop the process.
  • Request information to clarify details before action.
  • Reassign to pass the task to another eligible user.
  • Comments or Notes field for recording decisions.

Example: Approve a project for the next stage, reject a budget transfer and provide a reason, ask for more documentation, or reassign to another project manager.

Only enable needed actions at each step, and ensure full audit trails for compliance.