FAQ

FAQ /approval/faq section Here you will find some useful information for Visma.net Approval based on our customers' most frequently asked questions. Choose the area you want to learn more about. 2024-08-16T13:19:39+02:00 # FAQ Here you will find some useful information for Visma.net Approval based on our customers' most frequently asked questions. Choose the area you want to learn more about. How are the approvers assigned to tasks? /approval/faq/how_are_the_approvers_assigned_to_tasks section 2024-07-10T16:25:27+02:00 # How are the approvers assigned to tasks? > **Important**: If you use Visma.net Approval in combination with Visma Document Center, then the workflow is determined in Visma Document Center. This means that the information below does not apply to documents coming from Visma Document Center. Using Visma.net Approval, you have the possibility to find approvers for your documents in different ways. This FAQ aims to explain how Visma.net Approval adapts the workflow (approvers) when a document is edited by an approver, and when the 4-eyes principle is activated. ## Workflow configuration The first thing you need to do is to create a workflow configuration where you determine how approvers should be selected. For example, you can always have the same person approving each step, regardless of the content of the document. Or you can find approvers based on the content of the document, using cost units, project units, managers or organisation units. Which of these options are available to you depends on the type of document and from which service it is sent. In [Set up workflows](/approval/online_help/configuration/workflows/set_up_workflows/) you can read more about the workflow configuration and the different ways of finding an approver. For the remainder of this FAQ, we will assume that a workflow configuration is created with at least: - **4-eyes approval** activated - **Editing** is allowed on all steps - **Re-approve** changes is set to always on all steps It is important to note that the re-approve setting applies to the step that should be re-approved in case of changes in a subsequent step. In other words, if re-approval is activated for step 1 and not for step 2 and step 3, an edit done in step 3 will require re-approval from step 1 and not from step 2. ## Example configuration To best explain how the approvers can change during approval, we will use an example where approvers are found based on their role in the cost units. The same mechanics apply when using another way of finding approvers.

Example

You have two cost unit types: Department and Business unit.
You have two departments: R&D and Marketing.
You have three business units: Alpha, Beta, and Charlie.

You make the following cost unit combinations with approver:

Cost unit type 1	Cost unit type 2
Department	Business unit	Approver	Role
R&D	Beta	Alice	Department manager
R&D	Any	Henry	Department manager
Marketing	Charlie	Odin	Department manager
Any	Alpha	Susan	Unit manager

Step 1: Department manager approves

You send a document with cost units R&D - Charlie. It will go to Henry. But if you send a document with cost units R&D - Beta, it will go to Alice. In other words, Henry approves anything under R&D that is not Beta.

Step 2: Unit manager approves

You send a document regardless of the department and with cost unit Alpha. It will go to Susan.

## Scenario's Click the scenario to see which approvers are asked to approve the document and why. We will build on the same initial workflow. ### Initial workflow Given the example data, you send a document with the following data: - Department: R&D - Business unit: Alpha | Step 1 | Step 2 | |---|---| | Henry | Susan | Henry is the department manager for R&D (as long as the business unit is not Beta) and Susan is the unit manager for business unit Alpha, regardless of the department. ### An edit is done in step 1 Given the first scenario, if Henry edits the document without changing the cost units, the workflow will remain the same. There is no re-approval needed as no one had seen the document before Henry. | Step 1 | Step 2 | |---|---| | Henry | Susan | If Henry in the first step changes the cost units to: - Department: R&D - Business unit: Charlie Then Susan will be removed from the workflow and the new approver, Carina, will be added. | Step 1 | Step 2 | |---|---| | Henry | Susan | ### An edit is done in step 2 Given the first scenario, if Henry approves and Susan edits the document without changing the cost units, then Henry will be asked to re-approve the changes Susan performed. | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | |---|---|---| | Henry | Susan | Henry | If Susan in step 2 realises the document does not belong to her business unit, and she changes the cost units to: - Department: R&D - Business unit: Charlie Then the new approver, Carina, will be added, and Henry will be asked to approve the document again. Both Susan and Carina are registered as approvers on step 2. | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | |---|---|---| | Henry | Susan, Carina | Henry | ### Forward and edit Given the first scenario, if Henry forwards the document to Knut and Knut edits the document (without changing the cost units), then Henry as original approver will be requested to approve the document again. The reason that Henry is asked to approve Knut's changes is because Henry is still responsible for approval of the document. | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | |---|---|---| | Henry | Knut, Henry | Susan | ## 4-eyes approval If you require documents to be approved by at least two different persons, then you can activate the 4-eyes approval option in the workflow configuration. With this option active, a so-called fallback step is added at the end of the workflow. You need to define a list of at least 2 approvers that will be asked to approve any document not seen by 2 approvers. In the example below, we have created a fallback step with Knut, Odin and Henry as fallback approvers. The fallback step is always visible in the workflow graph until the document is fully approved. If the fallback step was not needed, then this fallback step is deleted from the graph. ### The fallback step is not needed Given that you send a document with the following data: - Department: R&D - Business unit: Alpha Then the workflow graph will show both steps and the fallback step whilst the document is not fully approved yet. | Step 1 | Step 2 | Fallback step | |---|---|---| | Henry | Susan | Knut, Henry, Odin | Once Henry and Susan approve the document, the document is considered approved and the fallback step is not needed. The final graph looks like this: | Step 1 | Step 2 | |---|---| | Henry | Susan | ### An approver is being substituted If during a holiday period Henry acts as a substitute for Susan, then Henry will end up being the only approver in both step 1 and 2 and the fallback step will be triggered. As Henry has already approved, he is removed from the fallback step, which means that Knut and Odin receive the document for approval. Only one of them needs to approve. The final result looks like this: | Step 1 | Step 2 | Fallback step | |---|---|---| | Henry | Henry | Knut or Odin | ### The fallback approver edits the document Continuing on the previous scenario, Henry is still substituting Susan. But this time, Knut, the fallback approver, edits the document. In this case, Odin will need to approve the change made by Knut to ensure the 4-eyes principle. Any steps requiring re-approval will also need to be re-approved again. In our case we re-approve both step 1 and 2, and then the full workflow graph at the end looks like this: | Step 1 | Step 2 | Fallback step | Fallback step | Step 1 | Step 2 | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Henry | Henry | Knut | Odin | Henry | Henry | The reason Henry approves both step 1 and 2 before and after the edit by Knut is because he is substituting for Susan. Odin is asked to approve so that the total amount of approvers after Knut's edit is 2. How do I add the person who registered the document as the first approver? /approval/faq/how_do_i_add_the_person_who_registered_the_document_as_the_first_approver section 2024-07-10T16:25:27+02:00 # How do I add the person who registered the document as the first approver? Some of the services that allow you to send documents to Visma.net Approval allow you to add an initial approver. An initial approver is an approver that is not part of the workflow configuration in Visma.net Approval, but is added at the start of the workflow to double-check the document before it is seen by the approvers. Typically, the initial approver can be the initiator of the document. To use the initial approver, you do not need to perform any action within Visma.net Approval other than making sure that the initial approver has the correct approval rights. Then, add the initial approver to the document and the workflow will be automatically generated. See the online help for your service to see if initial approvers are supported and how these are added to the document. How do I change my email settings in Approval? /approval/faq/how_do_i_change_my_email_settings_in_approval section 2024-07-10T16:25:27+02:00 # How do I change my email settings in Approval? You may receive email notifications from Visma.net Approval to inform or remind you of tasks or if you are registered as someone's substitute. You can define which emails you wish to receive, and for the reminder emails you can set when you wish to receive the email. You can reach the email settings by navigating to **Settings - Notifications**. Is my data secure? /approval/faq/is_my_data_secure section 2024-08-07T11:22:23+03:00 # Is my data secure? Yes, it is. For transparency and information purposes, Visma has created the [Trust Centre](https://www.visma.com/trust-centre/). Here we provide full information on how your data is secured and how we comply with any laws, regulations and standard practises. Visma.net Approval is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which has the following data centre key compliances: - ISO 9001 - ISO 27001 - ISAE3402 SOC1, SOC2 - Privacy: EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework certified, EU Standard Contractual Clauses (EU SCC) Where are cost units collected from? /approval/faq/where_are_cost_units_collected_from section 2024-08-07T11:22:23+03:00 # Where are cost units collected from? In the Approval Settings, you must build a flow based on cost units. But where does the cost units come from? - If you are using Visma.net ERP, the cost units is collected from subaccounts. So as soon as you create a new subaccount segment, this can be used to build a flow in approval. - If you are only using Visma.net Expense, the cost unit is collected from cost units. - If you use both Financials and Expense, then the cost units will be collected from subaccounts in Financials, so then you have to use the same cost unit in Expense as you have in subaccounts in Financials. Can I view password protected PDF's in Approval? /approval/faq/can_i_view_password_protected_pdfs_in_approval section 2024-07-10T16:25:27+02:00 # Can I view password protected PDF's in Approval? No, you cannot view a password protected PDF directly in Visma.net Approval. You can download the PDF to your computer and open it from there. How do I set a substitute to approve documents while I am away? /approval/faq/how_do_i_set_a_substitute_to_approve_documents_while_i_am_away section 2024-07-10T16:25:27+02:00 # How do I set a substitute to approve documents while I am away? In Visma.net Approval you can define another user as your temporary substitute in order to take over your tasks during your absence. New incoming tasks and existing tasks will be automatically routed to the user's assigned substitute. ### Registering your substitute 1. Go to **Settings - Substitute**. 1. Under **My substitute (for all document types)**, enter the name of the substitute. 1. Define when the substitute is active: - **Inactive**: Deactivate the substitute which is currently active. - **Active now**: The substitute becomes active immediately until you manually change the status to Inactive. - **Active in period**: Select the from and to date in which the substitute is active. 1. Click **Save**. The substitute is registered and activated. All new and existing tasks are automatically sent to your substitute. As soon as the substitution period ends, all your tasks are unavailable for the substitute. New tasks are only sent to you. ### Substitution rules - You cannot register yourself as a substitute. - Two users cannot be substitute for each other either over the same period of time. - Two or more substitutes with the same name can be distinguished based on their email address. - In case a substitute is also away, information about its unavailability is shown in order to avoid picking this person as a replacement. - Once a substitute becomes active, both the original assignee and substitute can see and work on the tasks assigned to original assignee. - Once a substitute becomes active, all the tasks in the original assignee's task list becomes visible in the substitute's task list as: Task Name (on behalf of Assignee A). - All approval decisions made by the substitute is registered as "on behalf of the original assignee" in the graphical flow. - In the graphical flow, the substitute name is displayed on top of the original approver name. - Once a substitute becomes inactive, all the tasks of the original assignee disappear from the substitute's task list.