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Making changes to Dynamics GP while prepping for a future move: implementing a new approval process
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Time to read: 7 min
You and your team have reached a consensus that a new, structured approval process could help your business operations run more smoothly. So, what happens now? How does one create a detailed business approval process, secure support from all parties involved, and then build that approval process into an ERP platform?
Whoa, whoa, let’s take it one step at a time.
You may be feeling a sense of urgency as the end of support for Dynamics GP approaches, as if you have to start all the implementation or migration tasks right now. However, you’ll be better served by putting the technology aside for a moment and looking only at process to map out a new approval workflow.
When you build workflows around your business processes rather than around a particular technology, those workflows can more easily transfer from one system to another.
Process mapping your approval workflows is something you can start doing today in preparation for your eventual system transition, and it's something we recommend you complete before the implementation or migration work begins.
What we cover:
What is an approval process map?
An approval process map, also called an approval matrix, shows how an item requiring approval (like a request or document) will move from submission to final decision. It outlines each step in the process, the responsible party, the conditions or limits that determine the next step, and any exceptions that may cause a diversion to a different path.
Why do I need one?
In business, ambiguity can grind momentum to a halt. When no one knows where a request, document, or project stands—or who is even responsible for moving it forward—daily business operations can quickly devolve into a purgatory of waiting.
An established business approval process helps eliminate that uncertainty. With a clear approval matrix, everyone involved can see who is responsible for each step, when approval is received, and what happens if a request is rejected or needs additional review. It also allows the process to be repeatable and produce consistent results.
Map out process first, then consider system
At Syvantis Technologies, we believe that your business processes should dictate the technology you use, not the other way around. To align with that business-first mentality, we recommend mapping out your desired approval workflow before considering which technical system could support it.
This allows you to record a clear picture of exactly how you want your processes to flow, regardless of any technical benefits or limitations.
Do what you can in Dynamics GP
If you’re still using Dynamics GP, you can take advantage of its built-in Workflows functionality to implement some of your approval processes.
Image: How the Workflows functionality appears in Dynamics GP.
However, be forewarned that GP’s workflow capabilities don’t offer the same depth and flexibility as the approval functions available in Business Central.
Even so, we recommend implementing what you can in Dynamics GP in the meantime. This gives your team an opportunity to become familiar with structured approval workflows while you identify any gaps to address before you transition to Business Central.
Use process maps to guide Business Central configuration
When you’re ready to move to Business Central, your approval process maps can serve as a blueprint for configuring your new system. With you and your implementation team working from the same resources, your new ERP can get up and running faster and to your exact specifications.
By mapping your processes before the migration, you ensure your technology is configured to support the way your business needs to operate.
How to map out a business approval process
The most useful approval processes are detailed and applicable to multiple scenarios, even (and perhaps especially) when conditions are less than ideal.
Step 1: Define who and what begins the process
An approval process begins when someone associated with your organization, either internally or externally, makes a request or submits a document that then initiates a workflow. It can happen within and across all departments of your organization, including finance, sales, IT, project management, and human resources. Requests can also come from outside clients and vendors.
To create the best process map, you need to identify who will be the most common person making the request, and what exactly they will be asking for.
Some common examples of business processes that can be mapped are:
- An employee enters an expense report.
- An IT administrator requests different user permissions.
- A department manager submits a purchase order.
- A sales rep creates a new customer account.
- A client asks for additional software licenses.
Step 2: List all approval points
For large or complex requests and tasks, there will likely be more than one reviewer involved in the approval process. Document every person or role that must review the request, along with the differing weights of their decisions.
For each review step, note:
- Who is reviewing
- What they’re reviewing
- The specific approval criteria
- Any approval limits
Step 3: Set limits
Not every approval process will follow the exact same path. The basic workflow may stay consistent, but specific circumstances can change who needs to approve a request and when additional review is required.
These rules can introduce more complexity into an approval process, but they also give you a way to account for important nuances and automatically escalate high-risk or high-value decisions to the right people.
For example, you might establish different approval requirements for purchase orders based on their dollar amount:
- Under $500: Manager approval only
- $500-$5,000: Manager and director approval
- Over $5,000: Manager, director, and CFO approval
Step 4: Document exceptions and escalation rules
In a perfect world, your approval process would flow exactly as you’d mapped it every time. Unfortunately, that won’t always be the case. Your map should include contingency plans to keep things moving despite PTO schedules, capacity variances, holidays, and more.
For example, you should decide what will happen if one or more reviewers are out of the office. Can their step be delegated to someone else? Or, if it’s not an urgent item, should the requester submit it again later?
And what happens if a reviewer doesn’t respond within a certain timeframe? Do they get a reminder, or does the request escalate into someone else’s inbox?
Step 5: Define every possible outcome, even the rejections
You can’t have approvals without rejections, so you’ll have to account for those in your process, as well.
As you record what happens in the case of approval...
- How is approval communicated and to whom?
- What does that approval trigger: an invoice sent, an order created, a purchase made?
... Be sure to record what happens in the case of rejection:
- How is rejection communicated and to whom?
- If revisions are needed, how are those communicated?
- Is there an option to resubmit? What does the process look like then?
You’ll also need to discuss what will happen if one reviewer approves a request while another denies it. Who has more sway over the final decision?
Step 7: Determine the necessary documentation and audit trail
It’s never a bad idea to maintain a paper trail, especially in more sensitive industries and departments. Within your approval process, keep records of:
- Requester
- Date submitted
- Request details
- Reviewers
- Approval decisions
- Date and time of each decision
- Comments
- Supporting materials
- Final outcome
Visualize the process
It wouldn’t be an approval process map without, well… a map. A flowchart can provide everyone with a clear visual aid on how approvals need to move through different steps.
Flowchart formats for business approval processes
Within the world of flowcharts, there exist several formats that can suit business process visualization especially well.
Your company will probably require a specific flowchart format, and it may even provide software for building a flowchart, such as Microsoft Visio.
You'll use the format and app required by your company, but here are some of the most common flowcharts:
Basic flowchart: These are excellent for simple approval sequences, with just one to two people or teams involved and straightforward logic.
Swimlane flowchart: A swimlane flowchart is divided into columns, with each role or department responsible for their own column (or swimlane). As an item moves through the process, it will pass through several swimlanes, and it helps teams visualize where accountability lies during each phase. This is a good flowchart for processes that involve work hand-offs between multiple people, departments, or systems.
Decision tree: If you have a process that you know involves a lot of nuances or “if this, then that” statements, create a decision tree. This is a great format to capture exceptions, escalations, and various routing rules, because it keeps track of where decisions must be made and the available choices throughout the process.
Map now, thank yourself later
You may think that an approval process is something you’ll implement once you’re in your new Business Central system. And while you could do that, it’ll be months before you can even start to think about it.
A platform migration or implementation is an intensive strain on resources, and what you want to avoid is trying to document an approval matrix while simultaneously learning and training your team on a new system. When you're in the middle of that major initiative, you'll be glad you worked on approval processes now, rather than later.
Create an approval process map -> implement it as much as you can in Dynamics GP -> and bring it with you to Business Central. Now that we can approve.
All blogs and downloadable resources are written by real Syvantis team members with help from our expert consultants.
