Overview
The Intake workspace is where requests for new work and funding are reviewed and decided. Approving a request for new work converts it into an initiative.
The workspace handles these types of requests:
Request type | Origin | Decided through |
Approval request (intake request) | Submitted through Submit a request or the Idea Portal. | The approval workflow assigned to the request. |
Funding request | Created when an initiative owner selects Apply for Funds on a financial plan, or raises the budget of a baselined plan. | The funding policy that matches the amount requested. |
Baseline amendment | Created when a new baseline is captured, for example one adopted from a scenario. The active baseline stays the reference until the amendment is approved; declining leaves it untouched. | The budget approval route. |
Key terms
Term | Definition |
Phase | The request's position in the intake lifecycle: Intake, Validation, Prioritization, Awaiting approval and Converted. A request can also end as Declined or Deferred, or be Archived. |
Lane | The review track, assigned from the request's estimated cost: Fast track (under $50,000); Standard (under $500,000); Strategic ($500,000 and above); Reject? marks a request recommended for rejection. |
Owner | The person responsible for moving the request forward. A request without an owner is marked Unowned. |
Approval workflow | The states an intake request moves through, and who decides in each state. Workflows are set up in Configuration → Intake. |
Funding policy | The rules that decide who approves a funding request, based on the amount. Set up in Configuration → Funding Policies. |
Permissions
Role | Access to intake requests |
Super Admin, PMO Admin | Manage |
Portfolio Manager, Portfolio Owner, Initiative Manager, Initiative Owner | View and edit |
Executive, Viewer | View only |
Approving a step also requires being a decider on that step, as defined by the workflow or funding policy. For more information, see Roles, Spaces and Access.
Intake workspace tabs
Select Intake in the left navigation. My Requests, at the top right, opens your own submitted requests.
Tab | Purpose |
Queue | All requests you can access, with Request, Type, Requester, Owner, Phase, Lane, Est. cost and Submitted. Filter by phase, lane and type, or select Awaiting my approval or Unowned. Select Submit a request to create one. |
Pipeline | A board with a column for each phase from Intake to Converted, each with a request count. Each card shows the current step, lane and who the request is with |
Review | Only the requests awaiting your action, with the review type, current stage, action needed, owner, lane, estimated cost and submission date. |
Dashboard | A Funnel by phase, the Lane mix, and Needs attention counts. |
Approval Workflows | Access to the workflow builder. For more information, see Intake workflows and funding policies. |
Request page
Select a request to open it:
Header: the header shows the title, the requester and submission date, the owner (or Unowned) with Reassign, and the lane;
The ⋮ menu contains Archive and Delete:
Archived requests appear under the Archived phase filter in the Queue:
Tabs
Tab | Intake request | Funding request |
Record | The Business case (with its completion status), the Original request, Attached documents and each business-case field, such as Summary, Problem, Desired outcome, Related OKRs, Beneficiaries, Estimated cost, Effort, Urgency and Priority. Select Add comment next to a section to comment on it. | Funding requested (amount, plan and Open the initiative →) and the Funding approval panel. |
Funding history | - | The request's funding history. |
Decision trail | A record of every decision and approval step. | A record of every decision and approval step. |
Comments | Comments on the request. | Comments on the request. |
Decide on an intake request
The workflow panel at the top of the request shows the workflow and its version, each step, the current step and who it's Awaiting
Open the request and review the Record tab;
If you're a decider on the current step, choose an option under Your decision. The options depend on the workflow; for example, Move to Prioritization, Reject or Move to Intake (to return the request for more information).
Approval history shows the decisions made so far, and the full record is on the Decision trail tab.
When the final step is approved, SPM converts the request into an initiative, records the decision and, where your organization's WorkBoard connection supports it, creates a WorkBoard scorecard.
Decide on a funding request
The Funding approval panel names the funding policy and version that routed the request, for example policy v5 · active · $12,000. Each step shows its approver (a role, such as the initiative owner, or a named person).
Select Reassign this step to assign it to someone else.
On the step awaiting you, enter a Rationale (required).
Select Approve, Defer or Decline.
A rationale is required for every decision. Your role's funding limit, set in Configuration → Funding Policies, must cover the amount requested.
When a funding request is approved, the initiative is funded, and its financial plan is baselined.
Notifications
Approvers receive notifications for new approval requests and related events, including SLA reminders (Sla nudge, Sla escalation and Intake workflow state sla). Notification preferences are set in Preferences → Notifications, under Approvals & intake and Mentions & comments.