CHRS Knowledge Base

Set Up TAE Approval Workflows

Updated on

Overview

This job aid shows HR Administrators how to set up approval workflows for Temporary Academic Employment.

Guidelines

  • Many campuses use a single approval workflow for each EE Group. However, if your campus has specific requirements for a job code or department, you can create separate workflows to meet their special approval requirements.
  • In a production environment, if you must update a workflow, inactivate the current workflow, and then create a new one with a more recent effective date.
  • Currently, in a testing environment, it is better to edit the Workflow Steps for the existing workflow than to create a new one unless the changes you are making involve differentiating between job codes and departments. When the change involves adding a step to the workflow, users will need to add the step at the end of the workflow and relabel the prior steps.

Overview of Approval Workflow setup process

The workflow has two main parts which must be configured in this order:

  1. Workflow steps, which name the approval steps for a Business Unit and EE group (and optionally job code and department).
  2. Workflow approvers, which are linked to the approval steps by the same Business Unit and EE group (and optionally job code and department).

Configure workflow steps

Step 1: Navigate to CSU TAE WorkFlow Steps.

  • Menu > CSU Temp Academic Employment > CSU TAE Approval Workflow > CSU TAE WorkFlow Steps
Menu

Step 2: Search existing workflows.

  1. Enter your search criteria.
  2. Click Search.
  3. Review the list of existing workflows.

Guidelines

  • Search existing workflows to ensure your new workflow does not include the same information as an existing one.
  • Note the Effective Date on existing workflows. If you create a replacement workflow, the new workflow must have a greater month and year than the previous workflow.
Search existing workflows

Step 3: To create a new workflow, click the Add a New Value tab.

Add a New Value tab

Step 4: Enter the following information:

  • Required:
    • Business Unit (campus)
    • EE Group
    • Effective Date (see Information column)
  • Optional
    • Job Code
    • Department

Guidelines

  • Effective Date: If you are replacing a workflow, the Effective Date MUST be one month and one year greater than the Effective Date of the previous workflow. For example, if your previous effective date for EE Group 01 was 02/01/1902, then your new effective date month and year must be greater or equal to 03/01/1903. If you use the same effective date as the previous workflow, the system will merge them together.
  • Use the Job Code or Department fields if you want to create separate workflows for specific job codes or departments.
Enter required and optional information

Step 5: Click Add to open the CSU TAE Workflow Steps page.

Add button

Step 6: Enter a description for the step 0 in the Description/Label field. Step 0 must be labeled “Originator.”

  • Level 0 is the first step, and it is always the originator of the workflow. If the workflow gets pushed back to the start, it goes back to the originator.
  • The Description/Labels are the names of the steps, not people.
Step 0 Description

Step 7: Click the Plus button to add another step.

  • You can add up to ten steps.
  • You can click the Plus button after any step to insert a new step after it.
Plus button

Step 8: Enter the Description/Label.

Description/Label

Step 9: For one step, check Send Appt Notification. One step in the workflow must have this checked.

  • Send Appt Notification sends notification of the terms of the appointment to the appointee. Check this box only once per workflow.
check Send Appt Notification

Step 10: Optional: Check Send Email Approval.

If you check this option, the system sends an email to the next approver in the workflow. In this example, the Department Chair gets an email notification.

  • Be mindful of the recipient’s email volume before you check this box.
  • The Level 1 approver does not receiving an email notification.
Check Send Email Approval
  • Step 11: On the last step, select the Final Step checkbox.
  • After this step, the data is loaded into the Job Data tables.
Final Step checkbox

Step 12: Double check the workflow to ensure it is valid.

  • First step is zero and goes to the Originator.
  • Steps are consecutive.
  • Each step level is used only once.
  • The last step has the Final Step option checked.
  • One step (and only one) sends notification to the appointee.
  • Send Email Approval is checked for the step before the email recipient.
Double check workflow validity

Step 13: Click Save.

Save button

The workflow is saved. There is no notification.

What to do next: Set up Approvers

Set up Approvers

Step 1: Navigate to CSU TAE WorkFlow Approvers.

  • Menu > CSU Temp Academic Employment > CSU TAE Approval Workflow > CSU TAE WorkFlow Approvers
Navbar button

Step 2: Enter the criteria that define your workflow steps.

  • Approvers are associated with the steps on a specific workflow.
  • Business Unit and EE Group are required fields.
  • Job Code and Dept ID are for specialized workflows.
  • IMPORTANT: The search must include all defining characteristics of the Workflow Steps. For example, if you have a workflow that is specific to a job code, then you must specify the job code in the search criteria to define the approvers.
Workflow steps criteria

Step 3: Confirm that page displays the correct workflow steps.

  • Scroll to the right to see all the steps.
  • Confirm that these are the same steps that you defined in Configure workflow steps.
correct workflow steps confirmation

Step 4: Enter the Empl ID for the first reviewer.

First reviewer empl id

The following fields populate:

  • Name
  • Position Nbr
  • Position Description

Step 5: Check either Auto-Change by Position Nbr OR Auto-Change by Empl ID.

  • Auto-Change by Position Nbr: If the person leaves the position, the approval workflow will go to the next person who occupies that position. Your campus must use position management in order to automate auto-change.
  • Auto-Change by Empl ID: If the person leaves the position, the approval workflow will continue to go to the person.
Auto-Change by Position Nbr or Empl ID

Step 6: Optional: Specify the Job Code.

  • Use this field to provide special access to a job code-specific workflow. This approver will have access only to workflows for this job type.
Job code

Step 7: Optional: Specify the Department ID.

  • Use this field to provide special access to a department-specific workflow. This approver will have access only to workflows for this department.
Dept id

Step 8: Select the step to associate with this approver.

Select the step to associate with approver

Step 9: Select either Read or Write for this approver.

Read/write Approver
  • Write: the reviewer can update fields.
  • Read: the reviewer cannot update the fields.

Step 10 : Click the Plus button to add another approver row.

Plus button

Step 11: Review your work.

  • Check each name and position.
  • Check Auto-Change options.
  • Check which step each approver belongs to.
  • Check Read/Write access.
Review your work 1
Review your work 2

Step 12: Click Save.

  • The workflow is saved. TAE appointments for this campus, EE group, and optionally department or jobcode will be approved by this workflow.
Save button

Configure hidden fields

Use this procedure to select fields to hide from approvers.

Step 1: Navigate to CSU TAE Hide Approval Fields.

  • Menu > CSU Temp Academic Employment > CSU TAE Approval Workflow > CSU TAE Hide Approval Fields
Navbar button

Step 2: Click Add a New Value.

Add a New Value

Step 3: Use the lookups to complete these fields:

  • Your Business Unit (campus)
  • EE Group
  • Job Code (optional)
  • IMPORTANT: The search must include all defining characteristics of the Workflow Steps. For example, if you have a workflow that is specific to a job code, then you must specify the job code in the search criteria to define the hidden fields.
  • The Hide Approval Fields page does not support different departments. Hide Approval Fields only supports EE groups with different job codes.
lookup to complete fields

Step 4: Click Add.

  • The CSU TAE Hide Approval Fields page opens.
Add button

 Step 5: Hide field:

  1. Use the Lookup to select a field
  2. Select the steps to hide the field on.
Hide Approval fields

Step 6: Click the Plus button to add another field to hide.

  • Add as many fields as needed.
Plus button

Step 7: Click Save.

  • The selected fields will be hidden from the approvers for the specified steps.
Save button

End of Article

Replace a workflow

Use this procedure in a production environment if you need to replace a workflow.

Step 1: Navigate to CSU TAE WorkFlow Steps.

  • Menu > CSU Temp Academic Employment > CSU TAE Approval Workflow > CSU TAE WorkFlow Steps
Navbar button

 Step 2: Search existing workflows.

  1. Enter your search criteria.
  2. Click Search.
  3. Review the list of existing workflows.
  • Search existing workflows to ensure your new workflow does not include the same information as an existing one.
  • Note the Effective Date on existing workflows. If you create a replacement workflow, the new workflow must have a greater month and year than the previous workflow
Search Exixting workflow

Step 3: Select the workflow steps to be replaced.

  • The CSU TAE Workflow Steps page opens.
Workflow Steps page

Step 4: Set the Status to Inactive.

  • To reactivate the workflow, you need to return to the search page, clear your buffered selection, and then re-select this workflow.
Set the Status to Inactive

Step 5: Create a replacement workflow.

  • Follow the procedure: Configure workflow steps.
  • Make sure the Effective Date for the new workflow is one month and one year greater than the workflow that you are replacing.
  • Ensure that the new workflow has the correct approvers for each step.

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