Cost Approval Scenarios

What are they?

Fyxt's Approval Scenarios allow teams to create hierarchies of cost approvals by dollar amount. Use them to simplify approving small expenses while ensuring larger expenses are properly vetted and approved by designated team members. 

How do Approval Scenarios work?

First you'll need to access the Approval Scenarios page by selecting the Manage button in your dashboard, and clicking Approvals

The Approval Scenarios page will list all existing scenarios, allowing you to edit or create new ones. To get started with a fresh scenario, click "Add a new Scenario"

When creating an Approval Scenario, the left detail panel..

1. Targets applicable circumstances where the Approval Scenario applies
2. Identifies the final Approver (should a cost exceed the final limit in the scenario)
3. Defines the individual(s) who may set Target Costs for the scenario. 

The inputs of the form are explained below:

1. Scenario Name is used to help you quickly identify one scenario from another
2. Select Service Types to identify specific types of work which the scenario may apply to. These could be Capital Projects, Asset Replacements, Corrective Maintenance, etc. Service Types are fully customizable within an account to ensure accurate labels for the work your teams perform. 
3. Applies Categories to further refine circumstances where the scenario will apply. 
4. If Over Max Threshold is a field to define the persons who are eligible to make an approval when the dollar cost exceeds the final limit set. When identifying these approvers, you can either select a User Role, which will allow all individuals with the role assigned to approve, or you can select individual users. 
5. Target Cost (NTE) Approver defines the individuals who may apply Target Costs to Jobs, overwriting the default values set at an account level. 
6. On the Following Transaction Types allows you to define whether the Approval Scenario will apply to Bids, Change Orders, Invoices, or any combination of the three. 

With the required details entered, you're ready to begin setting thresholds. 

Start by defining thresholds users can approve up to. Then define whether the approvers of this level should be skipped if a given cost exceeds their approval level. If choosing to Skip a Threshold, all costs exceeding the threshold will skip the level's approvers, being directed to the next level instead. 

Finally, select the individuals a cost Must be Approved by. This field allows you select User Roles, granting any users with the role assigned approval rights, or to select individual team members. 

Add a New Threshold Level as needed to ensure your cost controls in Fyxt mirror your organizational needs. 

With setup complete, let's dive into Approval Scenarios in Jobs

There are a few possible ways to interact with Jobs that trigger Approval Scenarios. Either..

1. A received cost exceeds your approval threshold
2. A received cost is within your approval threshold, but prior approvals are still pending
3. A received cost is within your approval threshold and eligible for approval. 

Receiving Costs which exceed your approval limit

As you might expect, you won't be able to approve costs which exceed your approval threshold. When viewing such costs, you'll see a display which shows approvals are pending. 

As you can see, Fyxt will identify those individuals who are eligible to make the approval. 

Receiving Costs within your approval limit, but with prior approvals still pending

Remember that when creating Approval Scenarios, there is a setting to skip thresholds if the received cost exceeds lower threshold levels, forwarding the approval directly to higher thresholds with eligible approvers. 

If this setting is off, lower level approvers will be required to respond to a cost with an approval or rejection. Rejecting a cost at any level has the same affect: the cost will be rejected. Approving a cost at lower levels simply moves the cost to higher level approvers to respond themselves.

A received Cost is within your approval threshold and is eligible for approval

As an eligible approver, you may view submitted files and mark costs as approved or rejected.

Should any further approvals be required, relevant parties will be notified of required approvals.