Lesson 2 of 5
Working in My Inbox
8 min
Approvers do not hunt for documents. The workflow brings the task to them. In SAP S/4HANA the place it arrives is the My Inbox app on the SAP Fiori launchpad, and on a phone or tablet through the same app. Notifications on the launchpad (and by email, where configured) tell the approver that something is waiting.
Anatomy of a task
Open My Inbox and you see a list of tasks on the left and the selected task on the right. The task title names the document, for example "Approve Purchase Order 4500002210". The detail area shows the key data the scenario provides (supplier, amount, items), any attachments, comments from earlier steps and, usually, a link that opens the document itself in its own app. Filters and sorting let an approver with many tasks group them by type or due date.
The task shows a summary chosen by the scenario. It may not show everything that matters: the account assignment on item 3, a changed delivery address, a text that says "urgent, no quote obtained". Approvers should open the document from the task when the amount or risk justifies it. An approval given from the summary alone is an approval of the summary.
| Action | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Approve | Completes the step positively; the workflow moves on or the document is released | You have checked the document and agree |
| Reject | Completes the step negatively; the workflow ends or follows its exception handling | The document should not proceed as it is |
| Claim / Release | Claim reserves a task sent to several people so only you process it; Release gives it back to the group | Shared tasks, to avoid two people working on the same item |
| Forward | Sends this one task to another person | Someone else is better placed to decide this item |
| Suspend | Hides the task until a date you choose | You are waiting for information |
| Add comment / attachment | Records your reasoning or supporting files on the task | Always on a rejection; often on an approval with conditions |
| Show log | Displays the workflow history: steps, agents, decisions and times | Checking who did what, and as test evidence |
- Do I have enough information to decide?Yes → open the document and check it · No → add a comment asking for it, or suspend the task until a date
- Should someone else decide this item?Yes → forward it with a comment · No → decide it yourself
- Does the document meet policy and budget?Yes → approve · No → reject with a clear reason
- Will others need to know why?Yes → add a comment or attachment before you decide · No → decide
Reject well
A rejection is a message to the requester. "Rejected" alone forces them to guess. Most scenarios let the approver enter a comment, and good practice is to always do so: what is wrong and what would make the document acceptable. At Contoso, Dan's rule for finance approvers is one sentence of reason and one sentence of next step, for example "Price is 12% above the contract with Lakeside Components. Please reference contract 4600000123 and resubmit."
What happens after a rejection depends on the scenario. For a purchase order, rejection typically leaves the document unreleased; the buyer can change it, and saving the change can start a new approval. For journal entry verification, a rejected entry goes back to the requester to correct and resubmit. Read the exception handling defined in the workflow so you can tell users what to expect.
My Outbox and history
Completed and suspended tasks are visible in My Outbox (or in the completed-tasks view of My Inbox, depending on the release and setup). From there an approver can see what they decided and display the task and workflow logs. The requester can usually see the approval status and history on the document itself, for example on the purchase order in the Manage Purchase Orders app.
What would you do?
Maria, the order-to-cash key user, receives an approval task for a credit memo request she does not understand. The amount is large, and her manager, who normally handles credit memos, is in the office today. What is the best action?
- Approval tasks arrive in My Inbox on the Fiori launchpad and mobile devices.
- Core actions are approve, reject, claim, forward and suspend, plus comments, attachments and the log.
- Always give a reason and a next step when you reject.
- Open the document itself when the risk justifies it; the task shows only a summary.
- Completed tasks and their logs stay visible in My Outbox, and requesters can follow approval status on the document.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. A task was sent to three buyers. What does Claim do?
2. Which action hides a task until a later date while you wait for information?
3. What should every rejection include?
4. Where can an approver see tasks they have already completed?