Set Up Approval Workflows

Approval workflows are a key feature of Cost Management, designed to streamline the approval process for:

• Contracts
• Cost and budget payment applications (multiple workflows can be created based on conditions such as main contract)
• Expenses
• Change orders
• Internal budget transfers

By creating custom approval workflows, project administrators and members with full control permissions can streamline document routing for internal reviews, ensuring consistency and transparency across projects. For instance, a change order workflow can automatically route the document to the project manager, accounting department, and owner or supplier for approval. This automation offers several benefits:

• Reduces approval time and effort
• Prevents bottlenecks in the process
• Ensures that all necessary stakeholders are involved
• Enhances accountability and traceability
• Promotes standardized approval practices

In this article:

• Create Approval Workflows
• Configure Main Contract Conditions for Budget Payment Workflows
• Edit and Modify Approval Workflows
  • Edit Reviewers Directly
• Review Process and Response Options
  • Response Options
• Collaborators as Reviewers
  • Permission Requirements
  • Document Access During Review
• Restrictions During Review

Create Approval Workflows

Only project administrators can create and edit approval workflows. To create one:

1. Select the Settings tool from the left navigation.

2. Switch to the:

   • Budget tab for budget payment applications and internal budget transfers.
   • Cost tab for contracts, cost payment applications, or expenses.
   • Change Order tab for OCOs or SCOs.

3. Click the relevant drop-down menu depending on the type of approval workflow that you want to create:

   • Budget Payment Application Approval Workflows
   • Internal Budget Transfers
   • Contract Approval Workflows
   • Cost Payment Application Approval Workflows
   • Expense Approval Workflows
   • OCO Approval Workflows
   • SCO Approval Workflows

   

4. Click Create Approval Workflow.

5. Select the number of approval steps, and click Next.

6. Enter a name for the workflow.

7. Set conditions using drop-down menus to activate the workflow automatically. For example, activate when the approved value exceeds $10,000. Conditions vary by workflow type.

   Tip: Use custom attribute types (text, number, drop-down, checkbox) to route workflows. Learn more about custom attributes.

   

8. Assign reviewers for each step. For each step, you can:

   • Add a step name (for example, Review 1, Review 2, Review 3).

   • Set reviewer type (single or multiple). Specify if all members must review or set a minimum number.

   • Determine response due time.

   • Choose reviewers (member, role, or company). The required permission level depends on the workflow type. See Permission Requirements for details.

   • Decide if reviewers can edit items under review. Note that item editing requires Full Control or Admin permission even for workflows that allow Collaborate permission for reviewers.

     Note: Workflow templates prefill the Reviewer Type field. For multistep reviews, customize as needed.

   

9. Add up to 12 steps per workflow. Click Remove step to delete one.

10. Configure the Action upon completion setting. This determines what happens when the final reviewer approves the item:

    • Submitted (default): The item status changes to Submitted after all reviewers approve. This is useful when additional external approval (such as from the owner) is still required after internal review.
    • Approved: The item status changes directly to Approved after all reviewers approve. This is useful when the workflow includes the final decision-maker as a reviewer.
    Note: For OCO workflows, this setting affects the description shown to reviewers when they select a response. See Response Options for details.

11. Click Save.

Configure Main Contract Conditions for Budget Payment Workflows

For budget payment applications, you can create multiple approval workflows based on different conditions, such as the main contract being used. This allows you to have different approval processes for different main contracts within the same project.

Budget payment applications are evaluated by the workflow conditions in order from the top down. The first workflow with satisfied conditions is applied to the payment application. The Valid for column in the workflow list shows which main contract each workflow applies to.

To configure a workflow based on main contract:

1. Follow the steps in Create Approval Workflows to begin creating a budget payment application workflow.

2. When setting conditions (step 7), select Main Contract Name from the first condition dropdown.

3. Select Equals from the operator dropdown.

4. Enter the main contract value in the Value field (for example, MC-01 or MC-02).

   

   Note: By default, the field value is "Default Main Contract". During project copying from a template or source project, this value is reset to "Default Main Contract" since main contracts do not exist on the destination project yet.

5. Complete the remaining workflow configuration steps and click Save.

The Valid for column will display the main contract code, making it easy to identify which workflow applies to which contract.

Edit and Modify Approval Workflows

Project administrators can modify workflows by navigating to the relevant tab and approval section as described in steps 1-3 of the previous section. Then:

1. Expand the relevant workflow drop-down menu.

2. Select the More menu and choose:

   • Configure: Edit the workflow. When you update the main contract condition for a budget payment workflow, the Valid for column will be updated accordingly.
   • Duplicate: Copy and edit the workflow. Tip: Useful for creating similar workflows. Rename and adjust settings as needed.
   • Deactivate: Prevent automatic activation when conditions are met.
   • Move up/Move down: Change the workflow order. This is particularly important for budget payment application workflows since they are evaluated in order from top to bottom, and the first workflow with satisfied conditions is applied.
   • Delete: Permanently remove the workflow.

Edit Reviewers Directly

Project administrators can also edit reviewers directly in the workflow bar in the flyout:

1. Navigate to the workflow bar.
2. Locate the reviewer's name.
3. Click the pencil icon next to the name.
4. In Edit Reviewers, select new reviewers.

Review Process and Response Options

When an item meets workflow conditions, a dialog box appears, detailing the workflow and allowing comments. You can view all reviewers across previous, current, and upcoming steps. You can also send reminders to future reviewers before their review is due.

As the item progresses, reviewers are notified through email.

Response Options

Reviewers can respond with Proceed, Revise, or Reject. When a reviewer selects a response, a description is displayed to explain the outcome. The description varies based on the workflow type, the current step, and the Action upon completion setting:

Collaborators as Reviewers

For OCO and Budget Payment Application workflows, you can add external collaborators as reviewers. This enables a multi-party approval process where architects, consultants, and other upstream stakeholders can review items before they are submitted to the owner.

To add external collaborators as reviewers:

1. Ensure the external company has been granted Collaborate permission for the relevant module (OCO or Budget Payment Application).

2. When configuring the workflow, select the external company or specific members from that company as reviewers.

3. External reviewers will receive email notifications and can respond with Proceed, Revise, or Reject (OCO only).

Permission Requirements

The following table shows the permission requirements for each workflow type:

Learn more about Cost Management Permissions.

Document Access During Review

Reviewers with Collaborate, Full Control, or Admin permission can:

• View the item details and documents during review
• Add documents to the Attachments section (always enabled)
• Add documents to the Document Package section (enabled only if Item editing is enabled AND the reviewer has Full Control or Admin permission)
• Delete documents they have added

When approved, the final reviewer submits the item for external approval and signature. The workflow bar in the details flyout panel displays the item's status, ball-in-court, and due date. Activity is logged in the item's activity log.

Restrictions During Review

The following restrictions apply when items are In Review: