An optional feature can be enabled to require specific work requests to be automatically sent to a designated site-level Work Order Approver before proceeding with the work
This article is for FMI Works who have been given the permission of Works Coordinator or Works Manager
This is an optional feature that may or may not be activated by your organisation
When to use the automated approval option
Some organisations may require certain types of work requests to be approved before the work is moved to ‘Work in Progress’. For example, the requested work is expected to exceed a certain value, therefore it needs to be approved by the budget owner before progressing.
In this scenario, the work order can be sent for approval to the budget-owner:
- By a Works Coordinator during the triage phase. See How to Use the 'Request Approval' Option for Work Orders; or
- Automatically if they have been designated as the work approver on the Standard Request template.
In this article, we look at setting up the second option. This option needs to be enabled by your Works Coordinator using the following step-by -step guide.
Note: Only one Work Order Approver can be designated for each Site. If you need to keep specific users in the information loop, and there are no formal approval requirements, we suggest using the Interested Parties functionality. See How to Create an Interested Party.
How to set up the automated approval option
There are two steps to set up the automated approval option.
- Setting the designated Work Order Approver at the Site level.
- Flagging the types of work for approval on the Standard Request template/s.
Step 1: Setting the designated Work Order Approver at the Site level
Note: For a user to be able to approve work, they must have the permission of Works Approver or higher. We recommend checking this before commencing the following steps. See User Permissions for more information. You may need to speak with someone who has System Administrator permissions if you do not have access to the Administrator Module.
Once you have ensured the designated Work Order Approver has the necessary FMI Works user permissions, go to the Services module, and select Locations > Location Summary.
Locate and select the relevant Site to which you want to designate the Work Order Approver. This can be done by selecting the edit pencil icon next to the Site name.
On the Site Details page, navigate to Work Order Approver. From the dropdown list, select the name of the approver. Select Save.
Step 2: Flagging the types of work for approval on the Standard Request template/s
Once you have set up the designated Work Order Approver at the Site level, you will need to identify what type of new work requests require their approval. This is done on the individual Standard Work Request template.
To flag the relevant work requests, go to the Services module and select Work > Standard Requests.
Locate and select the Standard Work Request that requires approval.
On the Edit Standard Work Request page, select:
- ‘Under Consideration’ from the Initial WO Status dropdown list; and
- The checkbox to Send Approval request. A tick will appear in this checkbox once selected.
Optionally, if the estimated cost to perform the work is known, add this as a numerical figure next to Estimated Cost $. This will assist the Work Order Approver to make an informed decision on whether the work should proceed. If the estimated cost is unknown, leave the field blank.
Select Save and repeat as required.
Tip: When flagging the types of work for approval on the Standard Work Request template, we recommend including this in Notes.
What happens next?
Once the setup has been finalised, the nominated Work Order Approver will start receiving email notifications to approve or reject work. See How to Approve or Reject a Work Order that is Under Consideration.
Important note: If a job for the flagged request is logged and no approver has been designated for the site the job is requested at, then no notification email will be sent out. Instead, the work order will just generate as ‘Under Consideration’ and a Works Coordinator would need to then request approval manually. See How to Use the 'Request Approval' Option for Work Orders.