Timesheet Workflow Approvals in AX 2012

There are two types of workflow types that have been added to set up workflow in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 specific to timesheet:

• Review timesheet workflow (TSDocumentTemplate) – approval workflows for project timesheets at the document level
• Review timesheet line workflow  (TSTimesheetLineTemplate) – approval workflows for project timesheets at the line item level

Review timesheet workflow is the main workflow of timesheets, which is used for the approval process during timesheet entry. The setup of Review timesheet workflow contains two workflow elements for the approval depending on approval level you desire in your system:

• Approve timesheet: It is used to define the approval at document level or timesheet header level.
• Timesheet line-item workflow: It is used to define the approval at the detail line level. In such case, you should set up a new workflow of type Review timesheet line workflow and join the new workflow to this workflow element belonging to the main workflow type Review timesheet workflow.

 

Review timesheet line workflow must be added to the main Review timesheet workflow, because it cannot operate on its own. To define Review timesheet line workflow:

1.       Click Project management and accounting.

2.       Click Setup and then click on Project management and accounting workflows where you will select Review timesheet line workflow.

 

3.       Configure the workflow structure according to your needs using supported elements (Approve a timesheet line, Condditional decision, Manual decision, Parallel activity, Subworkflow)

 

4.       In this example we have assigned the approval to workflow participant – Project manager. In this case the line approval task will be assigned to Project manager responsible for the project specified on the line.

5.       Once you are finished close the workflow, save it and activate it.

Now it is necessary to link Review timesheet line workflow to the main workflow Review timesheet workflow:

1.       Click Project management and accounting.

2.       Click Setup and then click on Project management and accounting workflows where you will select Review timesheet workflow.

3.       Configure the workflow structure like in previous step, but note the new element Timesheet line-item workflow. Add this element to the workflow processing and open its properties.

4.       There are two possibilities in the current design of AX 2012:

• Use a single workflow for all line-items

• Use separate workflow for each line-item – could be useful when different workflow process is required for each Project ID:

Note: You must define at least two conditions and an associated workflow within a line-item workflow element.

6.       Once you finish the workflow setup – close it, save it and activate it.

Testing

When a new timesheet with 2 lines is submitted to the workflow – system splits the processing into two separate streams:

 

User can check each line workflow by selecting the line and click Actions > View history:

 

  

Note: In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, the approval level is defined within timesheet parameters. It is removed in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.