How Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 Incorporates Flexibility to Smooth Transaction Approval Process

One of the more exciting new features of Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 is its new workflow functionality. It allows multiple levels of approval, and approval routing, for transactions.

Easing the approval process becomes especially important during the emerging climate of financial cutbacks, when increasing numbers of critical financial decisions must be made under urgent time pressures. For an initial release, the workflow functionality is surprisingly full featured and flexible. This is due to the underlying foundation of Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server (MOSS).

The fact that Dynamics GP's workflow runs on top of MOSS means that companies are able to leverage their in-house Sharepoint expertise and don't have to worry about learning an unfamiliar process for customization. The requirement of MOSS for using Dynamics GP's workflow does add complexity to the initial setup, but it provides a robust foundation for better control over other advanced features like Excel Services, Excel Reporting and Reporting Services.

Approval workflow functionality is available out of the box for Sales Transactions, Quotes, Credit Limit Overrides, GL Batch Approval, Payables Batch Approval and Purchase Orders. One of the big benefits of GP's workflow functionality is that users don't need GP to approve transactions. Transaction details can be viewed in MOSS and approved in Outlook, MOSS or Dynamics GP.

In a typical scenario, a user submits a transaction, perhaps with a clarifying note and, optionally, with an urgency level. Submitting the transaction routes an email to a first approver, who opens the email and can follow a link to MOSS to review the full transaction. The first approver could then approve the transaction directly from the email. This first approval triggers an email request to a final approver, who might choose to login to MOSS and approve directly from there. ...