2853153 - How to Set up Multi-Step Approval Process for Sales Orders

• This Knowledge Base Article explains the functionality of Sales Order Approval Process in SAP Business ByDesign system.
• Image/data in this KBA is from SAP internal systems, sample data, or demo systems. Any resemblance to real data is purely coincidental

SAP Business ByDesign

Activate Approval Process for Sales Orders

Scope Question parth: Edit current implementation project -> Go to 4.Questions step -> Sales -> Selling Products and Serivces -> Sales Orders -> Approval for Sales Orders.

Select the question "Do you want to use a multi-step approval process for quotes?". And finish the edit.

Maintain the Multi-Step Approval Process for Sales Order

1. Go to Application and User Management work center.
2. Choose Approval Processes view. You will find an active process named 'Default approval process for Sales Order'. Select the row.
3. Click button Copy to create a new process where you can maintain your specific step condition and approval details.
4. Maintain the number of Steps, Work Distribution and Conditions(Value Limit)
5. Once you saved the new approval process. It is saved as draft status.
6. To make it valid, you need to select the Active Approval Process for Sales Order and click button Edit Validaity.
7. Maintain the validity for the current activity and future process. 

Key Elments in Approval Process

Steps: By default, each approval process contains one step. Click Add Row to add more approval steps, and specify the sequence of the steps.

Work Distribution: Defines who receives approval tasks.

There are 3 options to define approver.

• Direct Aprpover: Directly assign an employee to the step.
• Reporting Line Manager: The reporting line unit manager of the employee responsible for sales order.
• Responsible Project Manager: The manager responsible for the project that is assigned to the sales order item.

Conditions: Defines by which an approver is to receive an approval task.

• To add a new group, click Add Group button.
• To add a new condition within a group, click + icon of the group.

Below example will triger step1 approval task to responsible project manager when sales unit=P1110 and document net value >200,000,000.00 USD， or if the credit status is Limit Exceeded, the approval task will be sent to the responsible.

Note, the approver has to have the sales order work

More exampls of the condition maintenance, see help document:Create and Edit an Approval Process

Edit Validity: For example,

In the validity screen, remove the Unlimited Validity tick from the current active process, this will enable the field 'Valid To Date'. Miantain the value as 2020-02-25 14:05 UTC+0.

In the Draft process row, maintain Valid From Data as 2020-02-25 14:04 and tick the Umlimited Validity option. This will make the Valid To Date to 9999-12-31 11:59 UTC+0. 

The new approval process is now with status Scheduled. And according to such validity, system will automatically switch to the new approval process when the time arrives 2020-02-25 14:04 UTC+0.

Note that:

1, There need to be one and only one process with Unlimited Validity ticked.

2, No time gap is allowed between processes, you can use 'Check' button to check if validity period contain gap or overlap. Modify the period if error detected.

Get more help from online help documentations:

Approval for Sales Order

Approval Processes

Approvals Quick Guide

Create and Edit an Approval Process

Related KBA:

KBA 2822628 - Supported Approval Processes in CRM documents

KBA 2807601 - Sales Order Approval Notifications are not Sent for the Approver.

KBA 2638158 - Approval Notes missing in the Sales Documents

KBA 1658313 - Sales Order Approval is Not Supported for B2B and A2A Orders

Multi-Step Approval; Approval Process for Sales Order , KBA , SRD-CRM-ORD , Orders & Contracts , How To