Auto Submission and Approval Setup of Employee Timesheet: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Approval is a critical component of any time management system. At Gavdi Group , we understand that each organization’s requirements are unique. With SAP SuccessFactors , you can configure approvals and submissions for Employee Timesheets in multiple ways to fit diverse client needs. In this post, we’ll explore a complex scenario involving timesheet submission and approval setup – demonstrating how to leverage SuccessFactors configurations to automate processes for fully integrated timesheets while ensuring manual amendments trigger the standard approval workflow.

Customer Requirement

In this scenario, the customer has implemented several SuccessFactors Time Management modules; Time Off, Time Sheet, and Time Tracking – while still using a third-party Time Registration system for a large group of employees.

Key points include:

• Integrated Time Registration: For these employees, all time registration starts in the third-party system. Both absence and attendance data are integrated into SuccessFactors.
• Amendments in SuccessFactors: Although the third-party system pre-approves all time data, any amendments made directly in SuccessFactors should trigger a standard submission and approval workflow.
• Dual Data Sources: Integrated Data: Time sheets that only have imported entries require no additional submission or approval. Manual Data: Time sheets with manual entries (or a mix of integrated and manual entries) must follow the standard submission and approval process.

Scenarios

The following scenarios outline how timesheet submissions are handled:

1. Time Sheet with Only Integrated Data: Automatically submitted and approved.
2. Time Sheet with Only Manual Data: Follows the standard submission and approval process.
3. Time Sheet with Both Integrated and Manual Data: Also follows the standard submission and approval process.

The Solution

To meet the requirements, several configuration steps were implemented, covering both submission and approval processes.

Submission Process

A Time Recording Submission Configuration was created and assigned to the Time Recording Profile.

This configuration includes a Submission Rule that:

• Checks the Entry Source: The business rule inspects entries in the Employee Time Sheet object.
• Determines the Process: If the timesheet contains only imported entries, it is automatically submitted. If any manual entries exist, the timesheet must be submitted manually.

Approval Process

The standard workflow for timesheets is managed through a Save Rule on the Employee Time Sheet object as follows:

This rule ensures that:

• Submission Check: It first verifies whether the timesheet has been submitted and is awaiting approval.
• Manual Entry Verification: If manual entries are detected, the standard workflow (as defined in the Time Recording Profile) is triggered. If no manual entries are found, the workflow is bypassed, and the timesheet is automatically approved.

Testing

Automatic timesheet submission is managed by the TLMTriggerTasks job in Provisioning. When this job runs, it triggers the following processes sequentially:

1. Trigger Recalculation Job
2. Import External Times Job
3. Generate Working Times Job
4. Submit Time Sheets Job

Since TLMTriggerTasks typically runs on a daily schedule, it is recommended to manually run the Submit Time Sheets Job during testing. This allows you to validate that:

• Timesheets with only integrated entries are automatically submitted and approved.
• Timesheets with any manual data trigger the standard submission and approval workflow.

Conclusion

By configuring specific submission and approval rules within SuccessFactors, organizations can automate the processing of timesheets containing only integrated data while ensuring that any modifications or manual entries follow a robust approval workflow. This setup not only streamlines operations but also provides the flexibility to handle varied data sources and user inputs.

At Gavdi Group, we are dedicated to delivering tailored solutions that meet complex business requirements. If you have any questions or would like to share your own experiences with configuring timesheet approvals in SuccessFactors, please feel free to connect and start a conversation.

About the authors

Nicolas Knoblauch has worked extensively within the area of Time Management in the past 6 years and holds certifications for both SAP SuccessFactors Time Management as well as WorkForce Software. He also has a background within administration and finance and has worked in both the public and private sector.

Baibhab Baranwal is an HR transformation expert with over 13 years of experience, specializing in driving end-to-end solutions and managing global projects. His expertise spans SuccessFactors Employee Central, Time Management, Global Benefits, and comprehensive HR business process lifecycle management.