Approval Process when using Payment Proposals

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Overview

Payment Proposals is a feature that is used to provide a way to help businesses with a large number of bills to determine how to pay these bills. When using Payment Proposals, you might want to have an Approval Process in place. This process will help to ensure that payments are made accurately, in a timely manner, and to keep in line with your company’s financial budget.

You can configure a Salesforce Approval Process on Payment Proposals in support of your business requirements for approvals. Two examples are listed below:

The Accounts Payable staff proposes Payables to pay and submits them to the Controller for approval. If the total batch of Payables exceeds a certain dollar amount, it will require the CFO’s approval.
An External Accountant proposes Payables to pay and sends off to the Owner for approval.

Do you want to:

Configure the Approval Process on Payment Proposals or Cash Disbursements
Review the Best Practice – Payment Proposal Approval Process

Configure the Approval Process on Payment Proposals or Cash Disbursements

If you decide to configure an Approval Process on Payment Proposals, you may not need an Approval Process on Cash Disbursements since these records are created from Payment Proposals, and if a Payment Proposal is approved, then theoretically all Cash Disbursements created from it are also approved. However, if you decide to move the Approval Process from Cash Disbursements to Payment Proposals, you might want to consider preventing the creation of Cash Disbursements outside of the Payment Proposals screen. This can be accomplished, for example, by removing the following:

New button from the Cash Disbursement screen and the list view
Pay button from the Payable page layout and Pay Batch button from the Payable list view
Note: If Contacts and/or Employees are paid using the Pay screens, you will need to keep these buttons.
New button from the Cash Disbursements tab on the Cash Disbursement Batch screen and also from the Cash Disbursement Batches list view.

Additionally, on any screen that includes a Cash Disbursement related list, such as on the Account record, the New button would need to be removed.

If you do not want to remove all of the above buttons, preventing the creation of Cash Disbursements outside of Payment Proposals can also be accomplished using permissions, by perhaps allowing certain team members to have access to Cash Disbursements. Since the Cash Disbursements are created automatically from the Payment Proposals, and you can configure a job to automatically post the Cash Disbursements, certain team members may no longer require access to Cash Disbursements or perhaps they might need read only access.

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Best Practice - Payment Proposal Approval Process

The information provided below presents our best practice recommendation to configure a Payment Proposal Approval Process.

Create Email Templates

The process starts with creating Classic Email Templates for email alerts that will be sent when a Payment Proposal is submitted for approval, as well as when it is rejected.

Payment Proposal Approval Request Email Template

Click the Gear icon, and select Setup.
Enter Classic Email Templates in the Quick Find textbox. Then, select it.
Click New Template.
Leave the Text radio button selected, and click Next.
Under Step 2. Test Email Template: New Template, enter/select the following:
1. 1. Folder: enter Accounting Seed Email Templates
  2. Available for Use: select this checkbox
  3. Email Template Name: enter Payment Proposal Approval Request
  4. Template Unique Name: click in this field to display the Template Unique Name
  5. Encoding: leave the default that displays
  6. Description: enter Email template for emails sent when a Payment Proposal is submitted for approval
  7. Subject: enter Please approve this Payment Proposal: {!AcctSeed__Payment_Proposal__c.Name}
  8. Email Body: enter Please approve this Payment Proposal: {!AcctSeed__Payment_Proposal__c.Link}
Click Save.

Payment Proposal Rejected Email Template

Select Classic Email Templates.
Click New Template.
Leave the Text radio button selected, and click Next.
Under Step 2. Test Email Template: New Template, enter/select the following:
1. 1. Folder: enter Accounting Seed Email Templates
  2. Available for Use: select this checkbox
  3. Email Template Name: enter Payment Proposal Rejected
  4. Template Unique Name: click in this field to display the Template Unique Name
  5. Encoding: leave the default that displays
  6. Description: enter Email template for emails sent when a Payment Proposal is rejected
  7. Subject: enter This Payment Proposal was rejected: {!AcctSeed__Payment_Proposal__c.Name}
  8. Email Body: enter This Payment Proposal was rejected: {!AcctSeed__Payment_Proposal__c.Link} Please review, adjust, and resubmit
Click Save.

Create the Approval Process

After creating the email templates, continue to create the actual Approval Process.

Enter Approval Processes in the Quick Find textbox. Then, select it.
From the Manage Approval Process For drop-down list, select Payment Proposal.
Select Use Standard Setup Wizard from the drop-down list.

Note: Click here to view the above image in full screen.
Enter Payment Proposal Approvals in the Process Name field.
Click in the Unique Name field to display it.
Enter Approval Process for Payment Proposals in the Description textbox.
Click Next.
From the first Field drop-down list, select Payment Proposal: Status.
From the Operator drop-down list, select not equal to.
Enter Submitted, Approved, Inactive, Processed in the Value textbox.
Click Next.
Under the Record Editability Properties section, leave the Administrators ONLY can edit records during approval process radio button selected.
Click Next.
Enter Approval Process for Payment Proposals in the Description textbox.
Select the email template that you created for a Payment Proposal Approval Request.

Note: Click here to view the above image in full screen.
Click Next.
From the Available Fields listing, select and add the following fields into the Selected Fields listing, in the order below.
1. 1. Payment Proposal Name
  2. Owner
  3. Type
  4. Payment Date
  5. Bank GL Account
  6. Aggregate by Payee
  7. Payables Total
  8. Credit Memos Total
  9. Total
Under Approval Page fields, select the Display approval history information in additional to the fields selected above checkbox.
Under the Security Settings, leave the Allow approvers to access the approval page only from within the Salesforce application (Recommended) radio button selected.
Click Next.
Under the Initial Submitters section, select Owner from the Search drop-down list.
From the Available Submitters listing, select and add Payment Proposal Owner to the Allowed Submitters listing.
Under the Page Layout Settings section, select the Add the Submit for Approval button and Approval History related list to all Payment Proposal page layouts checkbox.
Under the Submission Settings, select the Allow submitters to recall approval requests checkbox.
Click Save.
Select Approval Processes again from the left navigation menu. Then, click your Payment Proposal Approvals process.

Note: Click here to view the above image in full screen.
Under the Initial Submission Actions section, click Add New and select Field Update.

Note: Click here to view the above image in full screen.
Enter Update Status to Submitted in the Name field.
Click in the Unique Name field to display it.
Enter When a Payment Proposal is submitted for approval, update the Status field to Submitted in the Description textbox.
Select Status from the Field to Update drop-down list.
Under the Specify New Field Value section, with the A specific value radio button selected, select Submitted from the drop-down list.
Click Save.
Select Approval Processes again from the left navigation menu. Then, click your Payment Proposal Approvals process.
Note: The same as in step 26 above.
For a simple 1-step approval process, under the Approval Steps section, click New Approval Step.
Enter Step 1 in the Name field.
Click in the Unique Name field to display it.
Leave the default of 1 in the Step Number field.
Click Next.
Leave the All records should enter this step radio button selected.
Click Next.
Under the Select Approver section, select the Automatically assign to approver(s) radio button.
To the right of the User drop-down list, click the Lookup icon to search for and select the appropriate username.
(Optional) To configure multiple approvers, click Add Row. Then, select an additional approver(s), as necessary.
If you select more than one approver, select one of the following radio buttons:
1. 1. Approve or reject based on the FIRST response – select this option if only one of the approvers is required to approve.
  2. Require UNANIMOUS approval from all selected approvers - select this option if all approvers must approve the Payment Proposal.
Select The approver’s delegate may also approve this request checkbox if you want to configure a “Delegated Approver” on the approver user accounts.
Click Save.
From the Final Approval Actions section, click Add New and select Field Update.
Enter Update Status to Approved in the Name field.
Click in the Unique Name field to display it.
Enter When a Payment Proposal is Approved, update the Status field to Approved in the Description textbox.
Select Status from the Field to Update drop-down list.
Under the Specify New Field Value section, with the A specific value radio button selected, select Approved from the drop-down list.
Click Save.
From the Final Rejection Actions section, click Add New and select Field Update.
Enter Update Status to Rejected in the Name field.
Click in the Unique Name field to display it.
Enter When a Payment Proposal is Rejected, update the Status field to Rejected in the Description textbox.
Select Status from the Field to Update drop-down list.
Under the Specify New Field Value section, with the A specific value radio button selected, select Rejected from the drop-down list.
Click Save.
From the Final Rejection Actions section, click Add New and select Email Alert.
Enter Email alert will be sent to inform the Payment Proposal Owner that the Payment Proposal was rejected in the Description textbox.
Enter Payment_Proposal_Rejected in the Unique Name field.
Note: The Unique Name is the API Name, and therefore requires underscores between each word.
From the Email Template field, select the Lookup icon to search and select the email template that you created for Payment Proposal Rejection.
Note: From the Lookup search dialog box, remember to select the Accounting Seed Email Templates in order to view the Payment Proposal email templates that you created.
From the Recipient Type, click the Search drop-down list and select Owner.
From the Available Recipients listing, select Payment Proposal Owner. Then, click Add to add it to the Selected Recipients listing.
Under Recall Actions, click Add New and select Field Update.
Enter Update Status to In Progress in the Name field.
Click in the Unique Name field to display it.
Enter When a Payment Proposal is Recalled, update the Status field to In Progress in the Description textbox.
Select Status from the Field to Update drop-down list.
Under the Specify New Field Value section, with the A specific value radio button selected, select In Progress from the drop-down list.
Click Save.
Now, you will need to restrict access to the Status field using a Validation Rule. Click the Object Manager tab.
From the Quick Find search textbox, enter Payment Proposal. Then, select that object.
Click Validation Rules and then, click New.
Enter Requires Approval in the Rule Name field.
Select the Active checkbox.
Enter All Payment Proposals are required to be submitted for approval in the Description textbox.
In the Error Condition Formula field, enter the following:

AND (
ISCHANGED(AcctSeed__Status__c ),

Name != "Automated Process"

)
In the Error Message field, enter You must submit a Payment Proposal for approval.
From the Error Location, select the Top of Page radio button.
Click Save.

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Update the Lightning Record Page to add the Approval History Related List

If you are using a Lightning Record Page for Payment Proposals, and you do not already have the Approval History related list included, do the following.

Display a Payment Proposal record.
Click the Gear icon, and select Edit Page.
Click an insertion point where you want to display the related list, such under the Payment Proposal Lines.
From the left navigation Components list, select Related List – Single. Then, drag and drop it into the insertion point.
From the right panel, under Related List, click the Lookup icon to select Approval History.
Click Save.

Add an Approval Requests Navigation item to the Accounting application

Adding a navigation item for Approval Requests will make it easy for you to view the items that are awaiting your approval.

From the far right-side of any Accounting screen, click the Pencil icon to display the Edit Accounting App Navigation Items dialog box.

Note: Click here to view the above image in full screen.
Click Add More Items.
From the left panel, select All. Then, scroll down to Approval Requests and click the + (plus) sign.
Click Add 1 New Item.
Click Save. Approval Requests will be available as a navigation item (you might need to click the More drop-down list to see it).
Click the Approval Requests navigation item to display the Approval Requests page, which will allow you to view all the items that require your approval.

Actions in the drop-down list to the right of each item/row will allow you to Approve, Reject, or Reassign each one. You can also click the link to access an item to view key fields from the Payment Proposal, and perform these same actions. Otherwise, you can access the source document to view all fields and then, scroll down to the Approval History related list to perform these actions.