About this resource

2. About this resource • This resource sets out the concepts for creating and submitting a travel request. • There is no prerequisite learning required. Key Look out for hints and tips, wherever you see this symbol Look out for important information, marked with an

3. What is the Travel Request system? • The travel request is an automated system for requesting approval for travel. • It replaces the paper-based “Travel Plan” referred to in Monash’s Staff International Travel Policy. • The system is located in Employee Self Service (ESS). • Travel requests are work-flowed in the system for approval, much like leave requests, except they may have a different approval path.

4. Why implement a Travel Request System? (1) Nearly all Faculties and Divisions at Monash use paper-based Travel Plans that are stored locally. Paper-based Travel Plan Paper-based Travel Plan Paper- based Travel Plan Paper- based Travel Plan Paper- based Travel Plan Paper- based Travel Plan Paper- based Travel Plan Paper- based Travel Plan Paper- based Travel Plan Paper- based Travel Plan This disparate storage of paper-based travel information makes it difficult for the University to get a central view of travel, which is useful for: • Contacting staff in the event of an emergency • Managing travel to high-risk destinations • Negotiating strategic contracts with travel providers • Measuring Monash’s internationalisation aim • Measuring carbon emissions from travel

5. Why implement a Travel Request System? (2) • In 2008, Monash consumed more than $30m in travel-related costs(around 16,000 trips). • Travel is one of the University’s significant costs. Scope of Monash travel The problem… The paper-based process of travel applications is inefficient. An automated system will greatly improve the travel process. …and solution

6. Who can complete the Travel Request process? • Employees of Monash. • Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students travelling for Monash purposes, such as postgraduates who have been awarded a travel grant. • Monash Adjuncts • Others travelling for Monash business purposes, such as contractors, consultants, honoraries. All users must have a staff ID (personnel number).

7. Travelling HDR students • Travelling HDR students are subject to both Monash International Travel Policy and Monash Research Graduate School (MRGS) policy. • Travelling HDR students must complete an Application to Study Away form. PhD and MPhil students submit the Application to the MRGS.  Masters by Research students must submit the application to their Faculty. • Approval to travel in the SAP Travel System does not mean that the HDR student is approved for travel by MRGS. It is very important that the HDR student is aware of this. The system sends email notifications to the traveller. Please verify that the HDR student is auto-forwarding their staff mail to their student mail, otherwise they may not receive any system messages!

8. Can an administrator enter travel requests on behalf of others? A traveller can enter their own travel request Q or An administrator can enter a travel request on behalf of someone else, if they have that person’s staff ID (personnel number) and have the necessary authorisation.

9. When do I complete the Travel Request process? • The process may be used for both domestic and international travel. • International travel requests should be lodged at least four-six weeks prior to travel, to allow time for any medical advice and/or vaccinations. • There is no prior time requirement for domestic travel .

10. What are the main travel roles? Travel roles are terms assigned to the various groups of users in the travel system workflow Advised not to travel Do not travel

11. What is the process-flow? There are two process flows, depending on whether travel is deemed as: 1. Low-to-normal risk • All domestic travel • International travel with travel advisories: Be alert to own security Exercise caution High degree of caution • International travel with travel advisories: 2. High risk Advised not to travel Do not travel No travel advisory exists

12. Process-flow for low-to-normal risk travel Travel approver approves travel request Higher-level approver approves travel request (optional) Traveller saves and sends travel request in ESS Travel checker (administrator) checks travel request (optional) The vast majority of University travel will flow from the traveller, to a travel checker and then to a travel approver. • If a cost centre does not have a travel checker, the system will workflow the travel request to all travel approvers within the cost centre. • If a cost centre has a travel checker, the checker can select the travel approver from a list of approvers for that cost centre. • The travel approver determines whether to pass the travel request ‘up the line’ for higher-level approval.

13. Process-flow for high-risk travel Security Mgr (only if supervisor supports travel) DVC Global Engagement Traveller saves and sends travel request in ESS Traveller’s Supervisor (Head of Org. Unit) Process flow for low-to-normal risk • High-risk travel has far more stringent requirements, therefore must be supported by: • the traveller’s Supervisor • the University’s Security Manager, and • the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global Engagement) • Once high-risk travel has been processed by these agents, it then workflows in accordance with the low-to-normal risk process path.

14. How does the system determine the roles? • Each Faculty/Division has a custom transaction where they can nominate who their travel checkers, travel approvers, and higher-level approvers are per cost centre. • The system will determine the traveller’s supervisor (for high-risk travel only) from the organizational unit the traveller belongs to; this is typically the Head of Department. • The system determines other roles such as the Security Manager and the DVC (Global Engagement). Q

15. How long will it take me to complete a travel request? • Before you begin, make sure you have enough time to complete the request. • You can Save a partly completed travel request, however, the minimum fields must be filled in before you can save. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for a simple trip Complex trips take longer, depending on the number of destinations Q See the ‘Minimum fields’ slide for more information The ESS system will time-out, if idle for more than 30 minutes.

16. What information do I need before I begin? You can add accommodation details later if you don’t have them when you begin, however, you will need at least one destination contact. You will need Your • Travel itinerary (if available) • Contact information • Accommodation information (if available) You should be familiar with • Monash International Travel policy • Monash Travel Insurance policy and exclusion clauses

17. Getting started • On the Employee Services homepage, select • Then, select Log into ESS Q Don’t have access to ESS? You may need to complete an ‘Application for Staff ID’ form available from HR.

18. Once I’m in the Travel request screen, how do I find more information? Click on the ‘More Information’ links Use the scroll bars to see all of the ‘More information’ message

19. Links to DFAT Travel Advisories Click on DFAT Travel Advisories The Smartraveller website will open in the Travel Request ESS screen. You must search Smartraveller for your destination country.

20. Link to VisaLink Click on VisaLink In the Create Travel Request screen, use VisaLink for information purposes only. Please discuss your visa requirements with your travel agent. After your travel request has been approved, you can purchase visas from Visalink, or the travel agent may organise any visas on your behalf.

21. Navigating around the system (1)

22. Navigating around the system (2) Confirm Accept Exit

23. Understanding the use of tables • Some data is entered into tables that are located behind buttons. • Click the relevant button, to enter data in the table. • For examples: • To display data that has been entered in the above tables, click the relevant button again. Add Destination Travel Diary Add Contact at Destination Add Accommodation

24. Multiple Destinations • You can add multiple destinations by clicking the button. • You will be presented with a table where you may need to change the arrive and depart dates and the city/country. For example: Add Destination Remember to select the appropriate DFAT level of each country you are travelling to. There is a link to DFAT at the top of the table.

25. Changing the cost centre / fund (1) • The cost centre/fund will default from your HR master data record. • You can change the cost centre/fund by clicking the button. • If you need to use more than one cost centre/fund, the system apportions cost using a percentage distribution, not an absolute amount. Change cost assignment The next slide demonstrates this

26. Changing the cost centre/fund (2) An example of a 50/50 cost centre/fund breakdown Accounting Object is always “All” 1. Change the percentage breakdown 2. Change cost centre and/or fund (if required) 3. Click New Entry 4. Enter the next cost centre/fund 5. Click Check to validate 6. Click Accept

27. Changing the cost centre/fund (3) • The cost breakdown is shown in the cost assignment section of the Travel request. • A Travel request only results in estimated costs. • Actual costs are posted to cost centres and funds when your travel expenses are settled post-trip. At the travel request stage, it is unlikely that you need a finite breakdown of costs as this will be done post-trip when you settle your travel expenses.

28. Minimum fields • Before you can Save a travel request, you must complete the minimum (mandatory) fields. • Mandatory fields are marked with a red asterisk * • Some fields are mandatory depending on your action. For example, if you enter a cash advance, the system requires a reason for the cash advance.

29. Completing the Travel Diary (1) • The system will automatically propose a preliminary travel diary. • This travel diary may be updated later. • Only the Institution or conference is entered; while activities and times are selected from a drop-down list. • If the activity is either: personal leave, public holiday, in transit, incidental day or field trip, then institution /conference name is not required. • It is possible to have multiple activities on the one day.

30. Completing the Travel Diary (2) • If the trip is greater than 30 days, then the institution and activity are not required entry. • For 30 day + trips, it may be more efficient to prepare a manual travel diary and attach it to the travel request. • For long trips, it is acceptable to provide a date range, rather than account for activities on a daily basis.

31. Completing the Travel Diary (3) • If it is a domestic trip of less than 6 days, the travel diary is not mandatory. • Just click the Travel Diary button and then click Accept to accept the default data. It is not mandatory to complete any other fields. • However, please check with your departmental travel administrator or approver as they may need this information prior to approving your request.

32. Review • When you have finished entering the travel request, click at the bottom of the screen. • Review performs a final validation of your data. • After Review, you will be able to Save your data. Review It is important NOT to click Exit on the bottom of the page if you want to save your work. If you Exit, you will lose your data.

33. Save • There are two save options: 1) Save only • Save and send • Save only, saves your trip but does not workflow it to the next person. • Save and send, saves your trip and workflows it to the next person in the process. Use Save only and then contact your travel checker (administrator) to verify the cost/centre fund for your travel request.

34. Upload attachment • You can upload any number of attachments to the travel request. • You must Save only or Save and send before you see the upload attachment screen. Check with your travel administrator whether your department has any special requirements for attachments. The system is currently not accepting Microsoft 2007 documents. Please save any attachments down to a 2003 file, or convert them to a PDF.

35. Print summary of travel request • In Create travel request function, after you save your request, click • Alternatively, in the ESS Travel & Expenses page, select My Trips, click your trip > click • The travel request summary will open as an Adobe Reader document (PDF) within the ESS window. • This uses Adobe functionality such as Save,Print and Email; therefore you can save the PDF and email it to someone else, or you can print it for your records. Display/Print Travel Request Summary Display/Print Travel Request Summary The next slide demonstrates this. Print your trip summary for your family / friends before you travel so they have your contact information.

36. Travel Request Summary PDF form Click here to email your summary to someone else Save your travel request summary to your local PC • If you don’t see the Email icon, right-click on the Adobe toolbar, select More Tools > Email. • You need Adobe Reader 8 or 9 to display the form properly. Reader updates are available for free from www.adobe.com

37. Checking progress of your travel request (1) • In the ESS Travel and Expenses page, select My trips. • The Workflow Status column shows the result of the last agent in the workflow process. These arrows allow you to sort your trips by trip number, start date, destination and workflow status, depending on which column you’ve clicked on.

38. Checking progress of your travel request (2)

39. Checking progress of your travel request (3) • ESS is the front-end user interface that communicates with the back-end SAP system. • The Processing Status indicates where the travel request is in the back-end system. Processing Status mainly provides information for travel administrators

40. Checking progress of your travel request (4) As well as using the system status indicators to tell what stage your travel request is at, the system will also send you emails to advise you – right through the workflow process.

41. Checking progress of your travel request (5) A travel administrator can also run an SAP report called “Where is my Workflow” (transaction ZF9P) Please ask your departmental finance person and/or travel administrator if you have any queries.

42. Finishing up When you have finished entering or reviewing your travel requests, please log off your ESS session. Just click The number of open sessions slows down the response time for all ESS users, that’s why it’s important to log off your ESS session when finished.

43. Related information Frequently Asked Questions – Travel Management project’s website http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/procserv/travel/project/index.html Strategic Procurement’s travel website http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/procserv/travel

44. Help Need further help? • SAP Help Desk Email: sapservice@its.monash.edu.au Phone: 990 51777 (press 2 for SAP)