Budget Approval Workflow

[Former Member]

Hi,

We have requirement for budget approval request for portfolio item. I guess we dont have any standard workflow for budget approval. Please suggest if anyone has worked on similar requirement. Also I want to know if SAP recommends any non workflow based solution for such requirement.

Regards

Shrikant

[ravi_ekambaram · Accepted solution]

Hi Shrikant,

If your queries are answered, please close the thread by choosing the correct answer. If you have resolved your query on your own, then share with the community and choose your post as correct answer.

This helps members to know quickly the answers for the post for which they are searching.

Regards,

Ravi

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Ravi,

We have decided to built custom workflow for approval of budget request related to items.

Regards

Shrikant

[ravi_ekambaram · Accepted solution]

Thanks Shrikant,

Which business object was used in the workflow and where are you storing/displaying the approved budget values?

Regards,
Ravi

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Ravi,

This was for solution identification exercise - we are not building it immediately

Regards

Shrikant

[ashwinipingle · Accepted solution]

Hello Shrikant,

Was this solution built? Can you please provide the details on whether you could automate PS project creation at a particular phase of the workflow? I am asking because I might need to do a similar solution.

Regds,

Ashwini Pingle

[anuradha_majumdar]

Hi Shrikant,

You can try using Decision Point status change for budget approval. Standard workflows are available for DP status change. You can customize them to suit your requirements. You can also use item status change to trigger workflows if you are not using DPs.

Regards,

Anuradha

[ravi_ekambaram]

Hi Shrikant,

Yes, there are no standard workflows for budget approval.

Normally the budget values are populated from integration of SAP PS or Internal orders. So you can have the approval of budget in either one of them which you have integrated.

Regards,

Ravi

[Former Member]

Hi Ravi,

Thanks for your reply. In my scenario, I have standalone PPM system where I will plan and approve budgets for portfolio items. Actual costs will be uploaded using XML and not integration.

Regards

Shrikant

[ravi_ekambaram]

Hi Shrikant,

In this scenario, you can only enter the values manually after offline approval or you need to develop a z-webdynpro component and attach those details to financial information of portfolio items.

In case of SAP PS/internal order, the budget planning & approval has a control over business transactions like PR/PO commitments since the planning is done over cost collectors. In portfolio management, no cost collectors, so no budget planning provided. And the information in items are there to enable decision making.

Regards,

Ravi

[Former Member]

Agreed Ravi - But I am thinking whether we can automate/make online approval using custom workflow. Request will be generated>Approval>Automatic budget update for portfolio item.

Regards

Shrikant

[ravi_ekambaram]

Hi Shrikant,

No need of a custom workflow. Since this a simple scenario, develop a z-Webdynpro component and you can use status management like created and approved. Authorizations will be based on these statuses.

During status change from created to approved you can also update the portfolio item fields.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Ravi

[Former Member]

Hi Ravi,

That can help if budget is one time approval activity per project. I think it wont help if we have multiple budget approvals for 1 portfolio item. Your views?

Also please elaborate on custom webdynpro component - will it provide interface for updating budgets or something more.

Regards

Shrikant

[ravi_ekambaram]

Hi Shrikant,

In that case, you can use version management concept here with one extra field which has version 00,01...99.

You can have to new tab in initiative and the custom webdynpro component can be attached to it. Your technical consultant(Webdynpro+FPM) may help you further on this.

Regards,

Ravi