Changing approver of active work item...

Margaret A Hilsbos 227 posts since Mar 15, 2004

Changing approver of active work item in n-step workflow May 26, 2009 10:35 PM
Is there a standard approach with the n-step approval workflow (WS14000133), to re-route a work item that is
in one user's inbox, when that user has been replaced in the approval chain?
We are using SRM 5.0. I am new to SRM and the n-step workflow but otherwise very familiar with SAP
Workflow. Normally with an organizational assignment in a SAP workflow step, I would simply "re-execute
agent rules", and that is a task I might be able to assign to an administrative user outside IT. But it appears
with the n-step workflow, because the agent is determined in a prior step and passed to the approval step by a
container element, that this process first requires editing the container in the technical view of the work item. I
don't think that we would give that capability outside of IT.
Does SRM have a standard way of handling this other than editing the container?
Thanks,
Margaret

Rob Dielemans 2,879 posts since Apr 25, 2006

Re: Changing approver of active work item in n-step workflow May 27, 2009 8:06 AM
Hi Margaret,
In the case of users not working anymore or a similar situation SAP has provided us with the transaction SWIA
Here you are allowed to forward the workitem to someone else (it's the fifth button from the left called
Administrator forward Shift F12)
Alternatively you could use a replacement for the user, either from his own inbox (SBWP) goto menupath
Settings>Workflow settings>maintain substitute
Or you can use FM RH_SUBSTITUTES_LIST to do it for the user.
Kind regards, Rob Dielemans

Margaret A Hilsbos 227 posts since Mar 15, 2004

Re: Changing approver of active work item in n-step workflow May 27, 2009 4:07 PM
Rob,

Generated by Jive on 2014-10-27+01:00

1

Changing approver of active work item...

Thank you for your response. I suspect yours is the best answer as far as what SAP has provided. However
in the SRM workflow when the work item is forwarded, the container is not updated for the Approvers List.
So where we are using the approvers list in a webdynpro screen it will now be inaccurate. Also there will be
no check whether the user to whom the item is forwarded is actually in the approval list. I was hoping for a
"re-execute agent rules" type of answer so the workflow would be updated to show the new approver as the
selected agent, and that would also force the updating of the responsibilities before updating any workflow
instances.
However, the administrator forward approach is a good stopgap method, if we can figure out the minimal
authorizations and a simple procedure to give the business user who will do this process.
I'll leave this question open for a little while to see if any other ideas are proposed.
Margaret

Rob Dielemans 2,879 posts since Apr 25, 2006

Re: Changing approver of active work item in n-step workflow May 28, 2009 8:12 AM
Hi Margaret,
Nice to see some well constructed feedback for a change.
There are other options available though.
1.Restart the process
You set the active workflow to logically deleted and use transaction SWUE to create the same event.
this will in effect restart the process, take heed with changes already done in the previous flow.
2: Manually change the container elements
View the workitem in the transaction of your choice like SWI1
Click the workflow log.
Click on the workflow which containers you want to change
Then use menupath goto-->Technical workitem display (CTRLSHIFTF6)
Then use menupath Edit-->Change (CTRLSHIFTF3)
And then change the container element for the approvers by hand.
The second option I actually had to do for a different scenario once for thirtysomething workitems and I strongly
disadvise it.
Kind regards, Rob Dielemans
Edit: sorry forgot that you already mentioned the changing of containers bit in the OP

Generated by Jive on 2014-10-27+01:00

2

Changing approver of active work item...

Edited by: Rob Dielemans on May 28, 2009 8:11 AM

Margaret A Hilsbos 227 posts since Mar 15, 2004

Re: Changing approver of active work item in n-step workflow May 29, 2009 3:22 PM
Thanks Rob.
I think we don't want to do option 1 because then anyone who previously approved will have to approve it
again. The business wants to avoid that.
I agree on option 2 that it is something we wouldn't want to do manually. (I don't want to do it and I don't want
to give those authorizations to the person who should be doing it.)
I'm going to propose the administrator forward approach and identify the "features" of doing it that way. The
only alternative will be to write a custom program to do option 2, and unless the volume is very high, the cost
won't be justified, I think. But then if the volume is very high for this situation, I think they should consider that
there is another problem!
Thanks again for your suggestions!

Antish Awootar 410 posts since Dec 12, 2008

Re: Changing approver of active work item in n-step workflow Jul 1, 2009 4:43 PM
i have developed a program for automatic approver change if you're interested.

Kapil Arora 142 posts since Oct 18, 2006

Re: Changing approver of active work item in n-step workflow Jun 28, 2010 5:39 PM
Hi Antish,
Can you please provide this program. It will be really helpful. Thanks
Regards
Kapil

Generated by Jive on 2014-10-27+01:00

3