Chain of Approval
Contents
Description
A chain of approval represents a series of document approvals that must happen in a specific sequence. ln other words, it describes the procedure the documents must pass through before they are approved for further processing.
Functionality
This section will teach you how to set the hierarchical approval process.
Chain Levels
The basic principle for the documents workflow is the setup of a hierarchical tree structure.
A chain of approval contains the following levels:
The Subordinate is responsible for managing his/her documents (timesheets, travel expense documents) as well as sending them for approval. A subordinate is under the command of a superior and, thus, takes the lowest level in the chain of approval with limited rights.
The coordinator has a higher level of control compared to a subordinate. Each coordinator has at least one subordinate who is supposed to submit documents for approval. The documents are required to be verified and approved. In case the submitted document does not contain all the necessary information or is outdated, it can be rejected back to an originator (subordinate) for editing or canceling. A coordinator may be a subordinate as well managing his/her timesheets and sending them for approval to a Coordinator of a higher level (or to an approver).
The approver is responsible for approving documents and has the highest level of control over any department. Only approved documents are then sent to the Payroll module for further processing and payment. An approver can also be a coordinator but cannot be a subordinate.
Set Vessel/Organization
To define a vessel/organization for which you want to perform the setup, first, log into the Adonis Administrator Portal. When logged in, use one of the tips to access the functionality:
Navigate to Configurations > General Settings.
On the main menu, select Configuration > General.
Now, select an organization or a vessel on the left-hand side pane of the Configuration page by:
Use a scroll bar to search through the list.
Enter a text in the search field to filter records.
Select an organization if you want to set up the chain of approval for Adonis Crew Portal (see Define Chain for Organization) and a vessel - for Adonis Employee Portal (see Define Chain for Vessel).
Define Chain for Vessel
You can set up various chains in which a team leader will manage documents based on the defined chain levels. For more information on the chain of approval levels, see Chain Levels.
To get started, access the chain of approval levels by using one of the tips below:
Navigate to Chain of Approval > Levels.
On the main menu, select Chain of Approval > Chain Levels.
The Chain of Approval page lists the features which require the chain of approval to be defined. The functionality is available in Adonis Crew Portal or Adonis Employee Portal. To create a hierarchical tree structure, select the feature you are working at. On selecting it, you need to create a chain. To do this, follow the steps below:
Right-click the module name and select New Chain in the menu. The following dialog appears:
In the Chain dialog, enter the name of a new chain.
Click SAVE to proceed.
Selecting Is Passive makes the created chain unavailable in the tree-view chain of approval. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost and unavailable for submitting or editing.
As a result, a new chain will become available under the selected module:
Now, set an approver for the created chain. To do this, follow the steps below:
Under the selected module, right-click the newly created chain and select New Approver in the menu. This opens the Approver dialog:
From the Position drop-down, select the position you want to assign to the chain. Besides, you can provide an approver with the possibility to modify documents by selecting the Can modify document if approver/coordinator option.
Click SAVE to proceed.
Selecting Is Passive makes the level unavailable in the tree-view chain of approval. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost and unavailable for submitting or editing.
As a result, an approver level is added to the tree-view structure of the chain levels:
To define a coordinator:
Under the selected module, right-click the added approver position and select Add Below > New Coordinator from the menu. This opens the Member dialog:
From the Position drop-down list, select the position you want to assign. On selecting, you can enable the options below:
Is Passive makes a position unavailable in the list of subordinates. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost.
Is Coordinator set the coordinator level in the chain of approval. Selecting the option enables the Can modify document if approver/coordinator option.
Subordinate creating and submitting the document gives a subordinate the permission to create and submit time registrations.
Is Time clock only user option allows coordinators to access and submit timesheets on behalf of the subordinate. This is used in cases where the crew member(s) does not have access to a PC onboard and thus is not able to submit the timesheets themselves and use the Time clock for time registrations.
Can modify document if approver/coordinator (active only if the Is Coordinator option is enabled) provides a coordinator with the permission to modify time registrations. Besides, you can specify the documents to be modified by selecting Hours registrations.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a coordinator level is added to the tree-view structure of the chain levels:
To add a subordinate, follow the steps below:
Under the selected module, right-click the added coordinator and select Add Below > New Subordinate from the menu. This opens the Member dialog:
From the Position drop-down list, select the position you want to assign. On selecting, you can enable the options below:
Is Passive makes a position unavailable in the list of subordinates. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost.
Is Coordinator set the coordinator level in the chain of approval. Selecting the option enables the Can modify document if approver/coordinator option.
Subordinate creating and submitting the document gives a subordinate the permission to create and submit time registrations.
Is the Time clock only user specifying that a subordinate use the Time clock for time registrations.
Can modify document if approver/coordinator (active only if the Is Coordinator option is enabled) provides a coordinator with the permission to modify time registrations.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a subordinate level is added to the tree-view structure of the chain levels.
Set Multiple Chain Levels
You can assign multiple coordinators and approver positions to a chain.
To do this, first, make sure you have created a chain (see Define Chain for Vessel) and proceed with the instructions described below.
To add an approver to multiple levels:
Right-click the created chain and select Add below > New Multiple Level from the menu. This opens the Member dialog:
Define the name of the approver multiple levels being created (the Multiple Level name is set by default). When done, you can enable the options below:
Is Passive makes the level unavailable in the list. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost.
Can not approve own Timesheets forbids an approver to approve own timesheets.
Can modify document if approver/coordinator provides an approver with the permission to modify time registrations.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a multiple leve is added to the tree-view structure of the chain levels.
Now, you can assign approver positions to the level. To do this, follow the steps below:
Right-click the created approver multiple levels and select New Approver. This opens the Approver dialog:
From the Position drop-down list, select the position you want to assign.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, an approver position is assigned to the created multiple levels:
To add a coordinator at multiple levels:
Right-click the created approver multiple levels and select Add below > New Multiple Level from the menu. This opens the Member dialog:
Define the name of the coordinator at multiple levels being created (the Multiple Level name is set by default). When done, you can enable the options below:
Is Passive makes the level unavailable in the list. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost.
Can not approve own Timesheets forbids an approver to approve own timesheets.
Can modify document if approver/coordinator provides a coordinator with the permission to modify time registrations.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a coordinator multiple levels is added to the tree-view structure of the chain levels:
To assign multiple coordinator positions, proceed as described below:
Right-click the created coordinator multiple levels and select New Coordinator. This opens the Member dialog:
From the Position drop-down list, select the position you want to assign.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a coordinator position is assigned to the created multiple levels:
To add subordinate multiple levels:
Right-click the created coordinator multiple levels and select Add below > New Multiple Level from the menu. This opens the Member dialog:
Define the name of the subordinate multiple levels being created (the Multiple Level name is set by default). When done, you can enable the options below:
Is Passive makes the level unavailable in the list. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost.
Subordinate creating and submitting the document gives a subordinate the permission to create and submit time registrations.
Is the Time clock only user specifying that a subordinate use the Time clock for time registrations.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, subordinate multiple levels are added to the tree-view structure of the chain levels.
Now, you can assign subordinate positions to the level. To do this, follow the steps below:
Right-click the created subordinate multiple levels and select New Coordinator. This opens the Member dialog:
From the Position drop-down list, select the position you want to assign.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a subordinate position is assigned to the created multiple levels:
Define Chain for Organization
You can set up various chains in which a team leader will manage documents based on the defined chain levels. For more information on the chain of approval levels, see Chain Levels.
To get started, access the chain of approval levels by using one of the tips below:
Navigate to Chain of Approval > Levels.
On the main menu, select Chain of Approval > Chain Levels.
To create a hierarchical tree structure, select the module name you are working at. On selecting it, you need to create a chain. To do this, follow the steps below:
Right-click the module name and select New Chain in the menu. The following dialog appears:
In the Chain dialog, enter the name of a new chain.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a new chain will become available under the selected module:
Now, set an approver for the created chain. To do this, follow the steps below:
Under the selected module, right-click the newly created chain and select New Approver in the menu. This opens the Approver dialog:
Select whether you want to assign a position or a certain name to an approver. To do this, select one of the Members by options:
Rank/Office. Select the option to assign an approver position:
Pin/Name. Select the option to assign a certain approver name:
When done, you can enable the options below:
Is Passive makes the approver level unavailable in the list. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost.
Can modify document if approver/coordinator provides an approver with the permission to modify time registrations.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a new approver is available under the selected chain:
Now, set a coordinator in the created chain. To do this, follow the steps below:
Right-click the newly created approver chain and select Add below > New Coordinator in the menu. This opens the Member dialog:
Select whether you want to assign a position or a certain name of a coordinator. To do this, select one of the Member by options:
Rank/Office. Select the option to assign a coordinator position:
Pin/Name. Select the option to assign a certain coordinator name:
When done, you can enable the options below:
Is Passive makes a position unavailable in the list of subordinates. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost.
Is Coordinator set the coordinator level in the chain of approval.
Can modify document if approver/coordinator (active only if the Is Coordinator option is enabled) provides a coordinator with the permission to modify time registrations.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a new coordinator is available under the selected chain:
To add a subordinate, follow the steps below:
Right-click the added coordinator and select Add Below > New Subordinate from the menu. This opens the Member dialog:
Select whether you want to assign a position or a certain name to a subordinator. To do this, select one of the Member by options:
Rank/Office. Select the option to assign a subordinator position:
Pin/Name. Select the option to assign a certain subordinator name:
When done, you can enable the options below:
Is Passive makes a position unavailable in the list of subordinates.The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost.
Subordinate creating and submitting the document sets the subordinate level in the chain of approval.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a new subordinator is available under the selected chain:
Set Multiple Chain Levels
You can assign multiple coordinators and approver positions to a chain.
To get started, access the chain of approval levels by using one of the tips below:
Navigate to Chain of Approval > Levels.
On the main menu, select Chain of Approval > Chain Levels.
To create a hierarchical tree structure, select the module name you are working at. On selecting it, you need to create a chain. To do this, follow the steps below:
Right-click the module name and select New Chain in the menu. The Chain dialog then appears:
In the dialog, enter the chain name and select the Multiple Level option. This enables the options that allows linking documents to vessels:
Employees current or last onboard Activity during the creation of the document. Select the option if you want to link documents to the vessel which crew members registered their current or last onboard activity on.
Documents (Vessel link) (available only for the Travel Expense module). Select the option if you want to link a travel expense document to the vessel that a crew member selects in the Vessel drop-down list while creating a travel expense report.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a new chain will become available under the selected module:
To add an approver to multiple levels:
Right-click the created chain and select New Multiple Level from the menu. This opens the Member dialog:
Define the name of the approver multiple levels being created (the Multiple Level name is set by default).
Select a pattern based on which an approver is to be added to the current multiple level: Rank/Office, Pin/Name, Position/Vessel. Selecting the option affects the data type of an approver in the multiple level: rank, name or position of an approver. For more information, see Add Approvers.
Proceed with the following options:
Is Passive makes the level unavailable in the list. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost.
Can modify document if approver/coordinator provides an approver or a coordinator with the permission to modify time registrations.
Can not approve own Travel Expenses forbids to approve own travel expense documents.
Activity per document dates (available only if Level by is set to Position/Vessel) allows using the document date for searching crew members. APP will search for crew members' historical activities within the dates defined in the document.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, an approver multiple level is added:
Once the multiple levels are created, you can now add approvers. To do this, follow the steps below:
Right-click the created multiple level and select New Approver in the menu. This opens the Approver dialog:
Within the dialog, specify the following fields:
Vessel. From the drop-down list, select the vessel to which you want to assign a crew member.
Position. From the drop-down list, select the position of a crew member to be assigned.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, an approver is added to the multiple levels:
To add a coordinator:
Right-click the created approver multiple levels and select Add below > New Coordinator from the menu. This opens the Member dialog:
Select whether you want to define a position or a certain name of a coordinator. To do this, select one of the Member by options:
Rank/Office. Select the option to assign a coordinator position:
Pin/Name. Select the option to assign a certain subordinator name:
When done, you can enable the options below:
Is Passive makes a position unavailable in the list of subordinates. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost.
Is Coordinator set the coordinator on iple levels.
Can modify document if approver/coordinator (active only if the Is Coordinator option is enabled) provides a coordinator with the permission to modify time registrations.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a coordinator is available on the multiple levels:
To add a subordinate, follow the steps below:
Right-click the created coordinator level and select Add below > New Subordinate from the menu. This opens the Member dialog:
Select whether you want to define a position or a certain name of a subordinate. To do this, select one of the Member by options:
Rank/Office. Select the option to assign a subordinate position:
Pin/Name. Select the option to assign a certain subordinate name:
When done, you can enable the options below:
Is Passive makes a position unavailable in the list of subordinates. The option is primarily used to avoid deleting levels in use. Otherwise, all linked documents will be lost.
Subordinate creating and submitting the document sets the subordinate level and allows a subordinate to create and submit documents.
Click SAVE to proceed.
As a result, a subordinate level is available in the multiple levels:
Relink Position
It is possible to reassign subordinate positions to other chains.
To reassign a subordinate, follow the steps below:
Right-click the added subordinate position and select Relink from the menu. This opens the Re-link level dialog:
Click APPLY to confirm reassignment.
As a result, the subordinate position is reassigned to a different chain.
Please note in case the documents of the affected position have already been processed, the system prompts you to choose the documents status:
Click the APPLY drop-down list to view the actions:
Set new Level relinks the document to the selected chain without changing the document status.
Drop to Created changes the document state to Created.
Keep current state preserves the state of the document.
Once done, click APPLY.
Set Roles
You can define different roles as well as set permission levels for each role. To do this, in the Adonis Administrator Portal, navigate to Access Control > Roles:
To define user roles:
Click Add to make the Add/Edit Role dialog appear where you can define a role name:
Click Save to confirm the changes and add a new role.
On selecting a user role, you can set the permission levels. Within the Roles window, proceed as described below:
From the drop-down menu, select the user role for which you want to set permissions.
In the grid, select the module you will work at. This expands the list of submodules.
Next to submodules, select the permission level to be provided: Grant Access or Read Only.
Define User Groups
On defining the roles, you can now collect them into groups as well as assign crew members’ positions to certain roles. To do this, first, navigate to Access Control > User Groups:
To create a user group:
Click Add located next to the User group drop-down menu:
Enter a user group name.
Click Save to proceed.
As a result, a new user group appears in the User group drop-down menu.
Now, specify the roles which you want to link to the created group. To do this:
Select a role from the Roles for user group drop-down list:
Click Save.
As a result, the roles list will be updated for the Chief Officer user group.
Now, in the Positions list, link the positions to the defined roles. To do this:
Select the position(s) which you want to link to the roles:
Click Save at the top of the Positions list.
As a result, the list of positions will be updated.