Approve order function.

There are 3 different order approval regimes in TM Master V2, only one of these can apply at the time.

Users are assigned a user right to approve an order. If a user has the “ApproveAtOffice” user right the user can approve any order, regardless of value or any other details on the order. This is a simple way of approving orders, that may work for small companies, but will most likely be too basic for larger companies  

Approval level based approval will, by using value levels, differenciate between who will be allowed to approve the order. Each value level can be linked to one or more user groups. Any users within that user group will be allowed to appove an order with a value within the assigned value level. Only when the top value level of the order is approved, will the order technically be approved. However each sub level may also be approved, as in a chain of approvals. Who will approve each level is done by a manual selection among users with the appropriate user rights, by the purchaser. A manual action is required to notify each level’s approver.

This function is made more or less obsolete by the “rule-based” approval matrix. The “rulebased approval” will be able to provide the same functionality, but will also remove the manual actions required for each level

Rule-based approval, will also use approval value levels, but will automatically select who will approve each level using a set of configured rules. The conditions of the rules can be the order’s orignating vessel, Order type, Order WBS, account and/or cost code. As with the “approval Level based” approval, only when the top value level of the order is approved, will the order technically be approved. However each sub level may also be approved, as in a chain of approvals. With the rule-based approval, the purchaser will initiate the approval process, by sending a “request for approval” to the user selected for the lowest level , and TM Master will notify each user in turn working its way up to the top approval level.

Standard Approval (User right)

Under [System] → [Settings] → “Order Settings” tab there is a check box setting called  “Select supplier before approval”.  If this is turned off a requisition can be approved before any quotes are received and a choice of supplier is made. If the setting is checked (turned on) a supplier must be selected for the order before it is possible to approve the order.

The procedure to approve should either way be the same, and any user with the user right “PO” -

“ApproveAtOffice” can perform this action (in the office system)

1. Open order in question
2. Click the   [Approve] button
3. Order is now approved and the [Send Order] button should be activated.

Approval level based (User group and levels)

This function requires a bit more configuration, than the “Standard Approval” option. How to do this is described in the chapter: How to configure order approval?. The setting “Select supplier before approval”, mentioned in the “Standard approval (User right)” chapter above also applies to this function. If the setting is turned of the order value might not be correct, but the current order value will be used against the “approval levels” in the system. It is highly recommended to turn the setting “on” as the order value will be more correct and it will be approved at the correct level.

The procedure to approve should either way be the same.

1. Open the order to approve
2. Click the   [Approve Order] button
3. The following dialog should appear

1. If the logged in user is allowed to approve the selected level, click the  [Approve] button
   1. The logged-on user’s name will be listed on the approved level, if this was the highest level, the order is approved, and the process stops here. If there are additional higher approval levels, then continue.

1. Select the level to have approved, in the grid below, it is possible to request approval for all lower levels if required. The order will not be set before the “highest” involved level is approved.
2. Click the  [Send Reminder] button in the top menu
3. The below dialog should appear. This is a list of all the users that have the user right to approve the selected level.  

1. An email is now sent to user selected, requesting the user to approve the selected approval level.
2. If the logged in user is allowed to approve the selected level, click the  [Approve] button
   1. The logged-on user’s name will be listed on the approved level, if this was the highest level, the order is approved, and the process stops here.
   2. If there are additional higher approval levels, then continue,  by selecting the next level and click the  [Send Reminder] button to request approval for it.

Rule-based approval (Order condition rules)

This is described in the user manual “How to… Rule based approval matrix”