APPROVAL WORKFLOW ENGINE FOR SERVICES PROCUREMENT TIMESHEETS, PROGRESS LOGS, AND EXPENSES

• US 20110191217A1
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Chacko, Bobby, Govindappa, Pradeep, Christensen, Lorna, Muralidharan, Tamijselvy, Shah, Atul, Abernathy, Shawn, Muppirala, Shanti, Saiu, Joanne
• Granted Patent: US 8,412,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1091 Recording time for administrative or management purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

This disclosure describes, generally, methods and systems for implementing an approval workflow engine and approval framework for timesheets, progress logs, and expenses. The method includes receiving, at an approval engine of an application server, information representing a timesheet, progress log, or expense. The approval engine may apply one or more rules to determine whether the rules are satisfied by corresponding attribute values of attributes for the timesheet, progress log, or expense. Notification may be generated and transmitted to one or more approvers and/or reviewers based on applications of the rules. An indication of approval and/or disapproval may be received from each of the approvers and/or reviewers. Rules may be defined for automatic assignment of multi level approvers, based on specific attributes. An approver may have the option to approve, deny, or push back a transaction. Approvers and submitters can have visibility of the full approval path and current approval status throughout an approval process. In addition, post approval adjustments can be routed for approval based on adjustment approval rules.

Claims

1. A method of implementing a timesheet approval workflow engine and approval framework, the method comprising:

receiving, at one or more computer systems, a set of timesheet approval rules, each timesheet approval rule in the set of timesheet approval rules identifying one or more timesheet attributes and specifying one or more conditions that need to be satisfied by timesheet information for the timesheet approval rule to apply to a timesheet represented by the timesheet information;

storing the set of timesheet approval rules in a database associated with the one or more computer systems;

receiving, at the one or more computer systems, information representing a timesheet, wherein the information representing the timesheet includes a plurality of timesheet attributes and corresponding attribute values;

applying, with one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, one or more timesheet approval rules in the set of stored timesheet approval rules to the information representing the timesheet to determine whether the one or more timesheet approval rules are satisfied by the corresponding attribute values of the plurality of timesheet attributes; and

generating, with the one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, one or more approval notifications to one or more approvers and/or reviewers based on application of the timesheet approval rules.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the one or more computer systems, information indicative of an approval, disapproval, or push back from each of the one or more approvers and/or reviewers.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the one or more computer systems, a hold indication for all or a portion of the information representing the timesheet from a current approver in a sequence of approvers.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating, with the one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, one or more notifications indicative of a reason for the hold to an approver and/or reviewer based on a designated approver and/or reviewer established in a routing setup.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising modifying, with the one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, the information representing the timesheet based on information submitted by an approver relative to the current approver in the sequence of approvers.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising re-applying, with the one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, the one or more timesheet approval rules in response to a modification of the information representing the timesheet.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the one or more computer systems, the information representing the timesheet comprises receiving one or more line items and header information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, using the one or more computer systems, the one or more notifications to the one or more approvers and/or reviewers via email.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, using the one or more computer systems, an approval interface to the approvers and/or reviewers; and

providing, using the one or more computer systems, a display of timesheets needing approval in a consolidated view.

10. A method of implementing a progress log approval workflow engine and approval framework, the method comprising:

receiving, at one or more computer systems, a set of progress log approval rules, each progress log approval rule in the set of progress log approval rules identifying one or more progress log attributes and specifying one or more conditions that need to be satisfied by progress log information for the progress log approval rule to apply to a progress log represented by the progress log information;

storing the set of progress log approval rules in a database associated with the one or more computer systems;

receiving, at the one or more computer systems, information representing a progress log, wherein the information representing the progress log includes a plurality of progress log attributes and corresponding attribute values;

applying, with one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, one or more progress log approval rules in the set of stored progress log approval rules to the information representing the progress log to determine whether the one or more progress log approval rules are satisfied by the corresponding attribute values of the plurality of progress log attributes; and

generating, with the one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, one or more approval notifications to one or more approvers and/or reviewers based on application of the progress log approval rules.

11. A method of implementing an expense approval workflow engine and approval framework, the method comprising:

receiving, at one or more computer systems, a set of expense approval rules, each expense approval rule in the set of expense approval rules identifying one or more expense attributes and specifying one or more conditions that need to be satisfied by expense information for the expense approval rule to apply to an expense represented by the expense information;

storing the set of expense approval rules in a database associated with the one or more computer systems;

receiving, at the one or more computer systems, information representing an expense, wherein the information representing the expense includes a plurality of expense attributes and corresponding attribute values;

applying, with one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, one or more expense approval rules in the set of stored expense approval rules to the information representing the expense to determine whether the one or more expense approval rules are satisfied by the corresponding attribute values of the plurality of expense attributes; and

generating, with the one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, one or more approval notifications to one or more approvers and/or reviewers based on application of the expense approval rules.