Block and Change Blocked Status for a Vendor

The Block New Vendor Workflow and Vendor Status Change Approval Workflow workflows are used together to block a vendor and then require approval to unblock the vendor. Enabling the Block New Vendor Workflow workflow automatically sets the Blocked field to All when a vendor is created. Then, depending on the settings in the Vendor Status Change Approval Workflow workflow, changing the Blocked field will prompt an approval request.

In most cases, you will not need an approval for each type of change. Therefore, you can set conditions in the Vendor Status Change Approval Workflow workflow to specify which changes to track. For example, if you only want to request approval when the Blocked field is changed from All to any other value, then set the "Blocked" filter to "All" on the condition in the workflow (Blocked: All). If you want request approvals any time the Blocked field is changed, then you do not need to enter conditions.

Vendor Blocking Workflow

The general process for blocking a new vendor with a workflow is:

  1. Create the Block New Vendor Workflow workflow from the template.
  2. Enable the workflow.
  3. Create a vendor.
  4. The Blocked field is automatically set to All but you can still make other changes in the Vendor Card.

Vendor Blocking Status Change Workflow

The general process for requiring approval to change the Blocked status using a workflow is:

  1. Create the Vendor Status Change Approval Workflow workflow from the template.
  2. Choose specific statuses to require approval requests. If all changes need approval, then skip these steps.
    1. On the first line of the workflow, choose (View filter details) in the On Condition field.
    2. In the Event Conditions page, add the Blocked filter and then select the status(es). A change from these statuses will prompt approval requests. For example, to prompt an approval request any time the Blocked field is changed from All or <Blank>, then select both options from the dropdown. You can also set any other filters for the vendors as needed.
    3. Choose the OK button.
  3. Assign the approval user or group of users.
  4. Set the additional authentication if required.
  5. Enable the workflow.
  6. Create a vendor.
  7. The Blocked field is automatically set to All but you can still make other changes in the Vendor Card.
  8. Once you finish your changes, change the Blocked field to an option other than All.
    Enter a comment if necessary and then a message opens stating that an approval request has been sent. The Blocked field is set to Pending Approval and is now uneditable.
  9. If notifications are set up, the approval user(s) receives notification of the approval request.
  10. The approval user opens the Vendor Card page or the Requests to Approve page (using Tell Me) and approves the request, with or without password depending on authentication requirements.
  11. The Blocked field is changed to the selected option in the Vendor Card.

Enter optional or mandatory comments

If Optional or Mandatory is entered in the Comments Requirement field in the Regulatory Affairs Setup page, then the Approval Entry Comment dialog box will open when requesting, cancelling, approving, rejecting, or delegating approval requests. Depending on the setting, a comment can or must be entered to complete the specific approval process.

Cancel approval requests

A user can cancel an approval request by choosing Cancel Approval Request on the Request Approval menu.

Manage approval requests

A designated user can approve, reject, or delegate an approval request by choosing the action from the Approve menu. They can also add any necessary comments for the response to the request.

Designated users can also choose the Lightbulb that opens the Tell Me feature icon, enter Requests to Approve, and then choose the related link. In the Requests to Approve page, they will see their pending approval requests and can manage each request individually. They can choose the Open Record action on the Home menu to view the vendor requesting the change and could then complete the approval directly in the Vendor Card.

View approval entries

The Approval Entries FactBox shows the status of an approval request as well as the number of unfinished approvals, the date and time the approval request was sent, the details of the approval request, and comments added during the approval request process.

To see complete information about the approvals, choose the Approval Entries action on the Request Approval menu.


Feedback
Submit feedback for this page .