--- title: "Approvals: Project Administrator Guide" url: "https://docs.4hse.com/guides/supplier-management/workflow-supplier-manager" description: "Operational guide for project administrators: how to understand and manage the approval system." --- # Approvals: Project Administrator Guide The **Approvals** system is a feature designed to ensure maximum control over certifications and documents submitted by parties external to the project. In **4HSE**, when a **Supplier**, as the recipient of a **Procedure**, issues a certificate, it is subject to an **approval** process. The certificate issued by the supplier does not immediately validate the associated **Action**, which changes to **Valid** status only after review and confirmation by a project manager (**Admin** or **Manager**). ## 1\. Assigning a Procedure to a Supplier [Section titled “1. Assigning a Procedure to a Supplier”](#1-assigning-a-procedure-to-a-supplier) The project **Manager** can assign a **Procedure** to a supplier, for example to request: - drafting of a DUVRI; - specific maintenance activities; - technical inspections carried out by external parties. In 4HSE, a supplier can be assigned **only Actions of type Procedure**. ![supplier assigned to a procedure](/_astro/workflow-supplier-manager-1.DKOoqhUn_Z68ntY.webp) ## 2\. Receiving an Approval Request [Section titled “2. Receiving an Approval Request”](#2-receiving-an-approval-request) When the supplier, after completing the assigned preventive action, issues a certificate and associates it with that preventive action, the system automatically generates an **approval request**. The associated Action **is not updated immediately**; its status remains unchanged until the review process is completed. ## 3\. Review and Outcome [Section titled “3. Review and Outcome”](#3-review-and-outcome) When an approval request is created, the project manager receives an **automatic notification**. The **Approvals** icon is available on the Desktop and provides access to the list of approvals to manage. ![approvals icon](/_astro/workflow-supplier-manager-2.DK59LWMG_270d1d.webp) For each request, the manager can review: - certificate details; - the attachment uploaded by the supplier. After verification, the manager can proceed in one of the following ways: - **Accept**: the approval is confirmed, the certificate is validated, and the Action in the schedule changes to **Valid** status. The supplier receives a notification with a positive outcome. - **Reject**: if the documentation is incorrect or incomplete, the request is rejected. It is recommended to provide a reason in the **notes** field. The supplier receives a notification with the negative outcome and must submit a new approval request. ## Notifications and Communications [Section titled “Notifications and Communications”](#notifications-and-communications) Each phase of the workflow is supported by an automatic notification system: - the **Project Manager** receives a notification when a new approval request is available; - the **Supplier** receives a notification with the outcome of the request (Accepted or Rejected), including any notes. ## Managing Approval Requests [Section titled “Managing Approval Requests”](#managing-approval-requests) The **Approvals** interface allows involved users to view and manage all approval requests sent or received. The list shows the **complete history of steps** for each request, allowing full traceability of the approval process. ![approvals list](/_astro/workflow-supplier-3.nAZb5ag0_Z1UhTSK.webp) ## Search Filters [Section titled “Search Filters”](#search-filters) The search panel includes the following filters: - **Text search** - **Status**: filters requests based on the overall process status: - **In Progress** - **Completed** - **Step**: filters individual phases of the approval process: - **New** - **Approved** - **Rejected** It is important to distinguish between **step** and **status**: - the **step** represents a single action within the approval process; - the **status** indicates the overall condition of the request. ## Approval Details [Section titled “Approval Details”](#approval-details) Clicking on a row in the list opens the details section, organized into tabs: - **Details**: shows specific information about the approval. - **Events**: lists all executed steps, indicating who performed the action, the type of step, the date, and any notes. - **Attachments**: displays files attached to the approval, such as certificates submitted for validation. Each approval corresponds to one row in the list. When created, the initial **step** is “Creation” and the **status** is “In Progress”. At the end of the process, for example after approval, the row shows the **step** “Approved” and the **status** “Completed”. All historical details of step changes and attachments are available in the **Events** tab. ### Workflow Example [Section titled “Workflow Example”](#workflow-example) 1. The supplier creates an approval request - a step with status **New** is generated - the request is **In Progress** 2. The project manager approves the request - a new step with status **Approved** is generated - the request changes to **Completed** In case of rejection, a step with status **Rejected** is generated. ### List Columns [Section titled “List Columns”](#list-columns) The approvals list includes the following columns: Column Description **Name** Approval name, generally composed of “Approval” + the Action name. **Step** Process phase: **New**, **Approved**, or **Rejected**. **Status** Overall request status: **In Progress** or **Completed**. **Requested by** Email address of the user who performed the step (creation, approval, or rejection). **Dates** Creation and modification dates of the step. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply.