SAP Travel
Management
Create a Travel Request
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Travel Management Project
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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
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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.
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Why implement a Travel Request System? (1)
Nearly all Faculties and Divisions at Monash use paper-based
Travel Plans that are stored locally.
PaperPaperPaperbased
based
based
Travel
Travel
Travel
Plan
Plan
Plan
Paperbased
Travel
Plan
Paperbased
Travel
Plan
Paperbased
Travel
Plan
Paperbased
Travel
Plan
Paperbased
Travel
Plan
Paperbased
Travel
Plan
Paperbased
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
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Why implement a Travel Request System? (2)
Scope of Monash travel
• In 2008, Monash consumed more than $30m in travel-related
•
costs (around 16,000 trips).
Travel is one of the University’s significant costs.
The problem…
The paper-based process of travel applications is inefficient.
An automated system will greatly improve the travel process.
…and solution
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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).
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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!
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Q
Can an administrator enter travel requests on behalf
of others?
A traveller can enter their own travel request
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.
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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 .
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What are the main travel roles?
Travel roles are terms assigned to the various groups of users in the travel system workflow
Role
Description
Traveller
Raises the domestic or international travel request.
Travel checker
Checks the travel request for accuracy and completeness. May
enter a travel request on behalf of others.
Travel approver
Approves the travel request and related expenditure. Has the
option to escalate the travel request for higher-level approval.
Higher-level approver
Approves only those travel requests that have been escalated to
them.
Supervisor
Supports, or otherwise, high-risk travel to countries with a DFAT
travel advisory Advised not to travel or
Do not travel
Security Manager
Makes a recommendation regarding high-risk travel to the DVC
International.
DVC (Global Engagement)
Approves all high-risk travel.
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Travel Management Project
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
2. High risk
• International travel with travel advisories:
Advised not to travel
Do not travel
No travel advisory exists
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Process-flow for low-to-normal risk travel
The vast majority of University travel will flow from the traveller, to a
travel checker and then to a travel approver.
Traveller saves
and sends
travel request
in ESS
•
Travel checker
(administrator)
checks travel
request
(optional)
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.
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Travel approver
approves travel
request
Higher-level
approver
approves travel
request
(optional)
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Process-flow for high-risk travel
Traveller saves
and sends
travel request
in ESS
Traveller’s
Supervisor
(Head of Org.
Unit)
Security Mgr
(only if
supervisor
supports
travel)
High-risk travel has far more stringent requirements, therefore must
be supported by:
•
•
•
the traveller’s Supervisor
DVC Global
Engagement
Process flow
for low-tonormal risk
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.
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Q
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 highrisk 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).
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Q
How long will it take me to complete a travel request?
Allow 10 to 15 minutes for a simple trip
Complex trips take longer, depending on the number
of destinations
• 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.
See the ‘Minimum fields’ slide for more information
The ESS system will time-out, if idle for more than
30 minutes.
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What information do I need before I begin?
You will need
Your
 Travel itinerary (if available)
 Contact information
 Accommodation information
(if available)
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 should be familiar with
 Monash International Travel

policy
Monash Travel Insurance
policy and exclusion clauses
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Q
Getting started
Log into ESS
• On the Employee Services homepage,
select
• Then, select
Don’t have access to ESS? You may need to
complete an ‘Application for Staff ID’ form
available from HR.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Navigating around the system (1)
Task
Navigation
Enter data
Either type in the field or use the drop-down list. When searching
for a country, enter the first letter of the country.
Move between fields
Either use Tab or click in a field.
Scroll up or down
There are two right-hand scroll bars. Use the inner (blue) scroll bar
to move up or down.
Copy and Paste
In the travel diary, you can copy and paste the institution by selecting
the data to be copied and right-clicking your mouse.
Alternatively, you can use CTRL-C and CTRL-P to copy and paste.
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Navigating around the system (2)
Task
Navigation
Confirm
Click the Confirm button in each section to validate and transfer your
data to lower fields. For example, confirm will transfer your travel
destinations to your travel diary.
Review error messages
Error messages appear at the top of the screen.
If the system appears to hang, scroll up and check if there are any
error messages.
Accept
The Destination, Travel Diary, Contacts and Accommodation sections
have sub-screens presented in a table format.
When in a sub-screen, click Accept to Save the table data and move
to the next section.
Exit
is used to leave the Create travel request function without
saving.
Exit
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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.
Add Destination
• For examples:
Travel Diary
Add Contact at Destination
Add Accommodation
• To display data that has been entered in the above
tables, click the relevant button again.
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Multiple Destinations
• You can add multiple destinations by clicking
the Add Destination 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:
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.
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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 Change cost assignment button.
• If you need to use more than one cost
centre/fund, the system apportions cost using
a percentage distribution, not an absolute
The next slide demonstrates this
amount.
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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
3. Click New Entry
5. Click Check to
validate
2. Change cost
centre and/or
fund (if required)
4. Enter the next
cost centre/fund
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6. ClickYou
Accept
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Review
• When you have finished entering the travel
request, click Review at the bottom of the screen.
• Review performs a final validation of your data.
• After Review, you will be able to Save your data.
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.
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Save
• There are two save options:
1) Save only
2) 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.
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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.
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Print summary of travel request
• In Create travel request function, after you save your request,
click
Display/Print Travel Request Summary
• Alternatively, in the ESS Travel & Expenses page, select My
Trips, click your trip > click Display/Print Travel Request Summary
• 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. The next slide demonstrates this.
Print your trip summary for your family / friends before you travel so
they have your contact information.
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Travel Request Summary PDF form
Click here to email your
summary to someone else
Save your travel request
summary to your local PC
1. If you don’t see the Email icon, right-click on the Adobe toolbar, select
More Tools > Email.
2. You need Adobe Reader 8 or 9 to display the form properly. Reader
updates are available for free from www.adobe.com
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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.
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Checking progress of your travel request (2)
Common workflow status indicators
What the status indicator means
Created - saved and sent
Travel request is waiting for processing by the travel checker or supervisor.
Created – saved only
Travel request has not been workflowed.
Travel admin - checked
Travel request checked by travel checker and travel request has been sent to
the travel approver.
Travel admin – sent back to traveller
Travel checker has requested changes. Traveller must make changes to
proceed.
Travel admin - rejected
Travel checker rejected travel request. No further processing of travel request
possible.
Approver – sent back to traveller
Approver has requested changes. Traveller must make changes to proceed.
After change, workflow is sent to travel checker.
Approver - rejected
Approver has rejected travel request. No further processing of travel request
possible.
Approver - approved
Approver has approved travel request.
Approver - escalated
Approver has escalated travel request for higher-level approval.
Escalated – sent back to traveller
The higher-level approver has requested changes. Traveller must make
changes to proceed. After change, workflow is sent to travel checker.
Escalated - approved
Higher-level approver has approved travel request.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Help
Need further help?
• SAP Help Desk
Email: sapservice@its.monash.edu.au
Phone: 990 51777 (press 2 for SAP)
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