Administrative time approval configuration
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Topic Last Modified: 2016-11-14
Unlike Task Updates, Administrative Time and Timesheets in Project Web Access are not always reviewed and approved by the owner or Project Manager of the project plan, activity plan, or proposal. The organization can set up a process in which some, all, or none of the Timesheet entries require approval.
If a formal approval process is established, the organization must plan the process with contingencies and direct the Project Server Administrator to configure the tool to administer the process. These activities include but are not limited to defining criteria for Administrative Time categories, Timesheet creation mode, the time frame for submissions, and the closure of Timesheet periods.
One of the first steps in configuration is to designate a Timesheet Manager for each resource. The Timesheet Manager is responsible for reviewing Admin Time and other Timesheet submissions. By default, the Timesheet Manager is the same as the user. This enables the Timesheet to be approved automatically.
The following must be considered before the Timesheet Manager is designated and approved for each person in Project Web Access:
Determining who and how many levels of Timesheet Managers are required.
Assigning a Timesheet Manager to each resource.
Fixed Approval Routing: This option establishes the next Timesheet Manager. The Timesheet originator cannot select a new Timesheet Manager. Second-level Timesheet Managers do not have this restriction.
Project Managers and Resources Managers can be designated as Timesheet Managers for resources. They can also provide the function for a dedicated individual. The decision depends on the criteria that are set by the organization.
For example, an IT Department is comprised of IT Administration and IT Programming divisions. There are individual areas of expertise and responsibilities within each division. The head of the department is the Director, Eva Corets. Peter J. Krebbs manages the administration area and Brad Sutton is his counterpart in programming and development. Peter and Brad report to Eva and have about 30 individuals on each of their teams in various roles and functions. Peter and Brad are designated as the Timesheet Managers for each team. Eva is the Timesheet Manager for Peter and Brad, and she approves the Admin Time that is submitted by Peter and Brad. She can also approve Timesheets that are submitted from Peter and Brad's teams; however, a majority of the approvals are performed by Peter and Brad, based on the guidelines they have established.
After the Admin Time and Timesheet Approval process are planned, security permissions are granted to the Timesheet Managers. The Timesheet Manager designation is applied for each resource. The required permissions are View Approvals, View Timesheet Approval, and Accept Timesheets. The Resource Manager security template and the Administrator template contain these permissions by default. Additionally, a Timesheet Manager must have the resource category permission of Approve Timesheets in order to be the final approver of a specific user's timesheet.
Timesheet Manager
A Timesheet Manager is designated in the Enterprise Resource Pool, Resource Center, or Manage Users. If Timesheet Managers are applied to Generic or Team Resources, the Enterprise Resource Pool or Resource Center are options to view a list of all users in Project Web Access. Manage Users displays accounts that log in to Project Web Access only. The Resource Center is also where the Administrator has the option to Bulk Edit resources, which make data entry and organizational realignment much more efficient for the Timesheet Manager field.
The Timesheet Manager is entered in the Assignment Attributes section of the user properties for each resource.
The other option is to click Browse to select from a list of users in Project Web Access with the Accept Timesheets global permission. A list of Timesheet Managers for each resource displays in the Resource Center or Enterprise Resource Pool after a user's Timesheet Manager is configured in the Assignment Attributes.
If an individual's own account is listed as the Timesheet Manager, administrative time categories which require approval and the overall timesheet are automatically approved. A status of Approved is designated on the user's Timesheet List with a Transaction Comment of System generated automatic approval.
The Timesheet Manager field in the Assignment Attributes section may also be left blank. In this case, users must specify a timesheet manager when they submit a timesheet. If the Project Server instance is set to use Fixed Approval Routing (configured in the Timesheet Settings and Defaults page), users without a specified timesheet manager cannot submit timesheets. If the Fixed Approval Routing option is enabled under Timesheet Settings and Defaults and the Timesheet Manager is different from the Team Member who submits the time, the Timesheet is automatically sent to the designated Timesheet Manager for approval.
Global Permissions
Users who have Administrator permissions to Project Web Access automatically have permissions to review and approve Administrative Time and Timesheets. Users who are responsible for reviewing and approving Administrative Time require a minimum Global Permission of Accept Timesheets and Approve Timesheets.
While the permissions to approve Administrative Time requests for Timesheet Managers are configured, the following permissions should be considered for processing Timesheet Requests:
View Timesheet Approval
Accept Timesheets
Approve Timesheets
View Surrogate Timesheets
In addition to approving Administrative Time, Timesheet Managers review and approve other Timesheet requests. The requirements for approving Timesheets are discussed in the next topic.
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