Approve time entries automatically against scheduled shifts
What is plan-based automatic approval used for?
Plan-based automatic approval is used when time entries should be approved automatically based on criteria related to scheduled shifts.
This can save managers time because they do not have to approve every time entry manually. Instead, managers can focus on entries with deviations or those requiring manual review.
Plan-based approval is particularly suitable when employees:
- are active in the planning module
- have scheduled shifts in the operational plan
- normally record time in accordance with the scheduled shift
Where do you create the automation job?
When creating the job, select the job type Hours - Approval.
Select the subtype Plan when automatic approval should be assessed against scheduled shifts.
If approval should not be based on scheduled shifts, you can use General approval instead.
Click Next.
The General tab
Give the automation job a descriptive name.
You can also add a comment to explain what the job is used for.
A clear name makes the job easier to understand later, especially if you have several automation jobs.
The Selection tab
Under Selection, select the employee groups to which the job should apply.
The automation job can only approve time entries for employees who belong to the employee groups you add.
The Conditions tab
Under Conditions, specify the requirements that time entries must meet to be approved automatically.
For example:
- the time entry must match the scheduled shift
- the hours worked must be within the specified tolerance
- the recorded times must be within the specified tolerance of the shift's start and end times
- the entry must meet the requirements for time categories and dimensions
Time entries that do not meet the conditions will not be approved automatically.
Specify the days for which time entries should be approved.
By default, all days are selected. This means that time entries can be approved on any day from monday through sunday.
Select what days the entries should be approved.
You can also choose to skip approval on:
- public holidays
- custom days, such as the Wednesday before Maundy Thursday
Approval Period
Under Approval period, specify how far back in time the job should approve time entries.
Examples:
- From 3 days ago through 1 day ago, inclusive
The job approves time entries for the previous three days. - From 2 days ago through 2 days ago, inclusive
The job only approves time entries for the day before yesterday.
The Schedule tab
Under Schedule, select when and how often the automatic approval should run.
This determines whether the job runs at a specified time each day or at fixed times each hour.
Activate the job
Once the automation job has been configured, you can activate it.
Click the green Activate option on the automation job row to run the job automatically according to the selected frequency.
Test the automation job
To test the job without activating it, click the green Run option on the automation job row.
The job runs once immediately without being scheduled to run automatically in the future.
How can you tell that time entries were approved automatically?
When a time entry is approved by an automation job, the approval is displayed as Auto-X. Hover over the approval icon on a registration to see who approved the entry.
X is the ID number of the approval job.
This makes it easier to see which automation job approved the time entry, especially if you have several approval jobs running.
Edit the automation job
To make changes to an automation job, you must first deactivate it.
Click the green Deactivate option on the automation job row.
You can then make the necessary changes.
Once you have finished making changes, click Activate to run the job automatically again.
Important information
Several fixed conditions are always checked before time entries are approved automatically.
Time entries are not approved if:
- absence is registered for the day
- the time entry does not have a time category
- the time category is inactive
- the entry is not linked to a shift
- the employee is not active in the planning module
Frequently asked questions
What does plan-based automatic approval of time entries mean?
It means that Capitech Flow can approve time entries automatically when they meet criteria based on scheduled shifts.
What is the difference between general and plan-based approval?
General approval uses the criteria in the automation job. Plan-based approval assesses time entries against scheduled shifts in the operational plan.
Do employees need to be active in the planning module?
Yes. For plan-based approval, the employee must be active in the planning module and have scheduled shifts.
How can you see which job approved the time entries?
Automatically approved time entries are marked with Auto-X, where X is the ID number of the automation job. Hover over the approval icon to see who approved the entry.
Why was the time entry not approved automatically?
Common reasons include the employee not being active in the planning module, the employee not having a shift, a missing time category or required dimensions, or the entry not meeting the conditions in the automation job.