Overview
One of the principal functions of the EPAWeb Position Management system is to permit departments to prepare and electronically route new position and position modification requests. After originating such requests, it often becomes necessary to retrieve the submitted action to determine its status and routing location or to review the action details. The "Search Position Actions" function provides a convenient way to quickly search for and view all position actions whether in progress or completed. To use this function, navigate your mouse to the "Position Mgmt" title on the EPAWeb main menu bar. Selecting this title with your mouse will display the Position Management menu. Continuing to use your mouse, click on the "Search Actions" option.
Position Action History Search Criteria
The Position Action History screen provides the department with the ability to search actions by one of five search criteria including the action serial #, action effective date or action month/year, the position action base department, the position #, or simply action status. Once you are satisfied with your entered search criteria, you click the "Search" button to have EPAWeb perform its search of position action history.
Action Status Search Parameters
When you want to see all actions in action history at a certain status, the Action Status pull-down menu is used to select one of the following statuses: All statuses (default), approved actions, completed actions, disapproved actions, and in progress actions. This can be especially to helpful to see all in progress actions within a single department. Actions move from "approved" status (when an action receives its last needed approval) to "completed status" (when it posts to action history) on a nightly basis. Each night, all of the actions that received their final approvals during the business day are moved to "completed" status and posted to action history.
Action Search Results Screen
After entering your desired search criteria and clicking the "Search" button, EPAWeb displays the action history search results screen. This screen displays a list of all actions meeting your search criteria.
Selecting an Action to View from the Search Results
The action Serial # filed is a hot link which should be clicked to display the particular action of interest. Note that there is a column with a paperclip icon to the right of the action Serial number. This column indicates for each action the prescence of any document attachments. So if there is a number in that paperclip column greater than 0, that tells you how many document attachments are included with the listed action. You need to select a particular action from this search results list to view the action details and to see any document attachments, when present.
Viewing a Selected Action
Once you select an action from the search results list by clicking on the action serial number, the details of the action are then displayed on your screen. The position action type (e.g., EPA Create Position, EPA Modify Position) is displayed in the upper right of your screen above the EPAWeb menu bar.
Action Details
When viewing a specific EPAWeb position action, the system highlights in yellow any fields which represent a change from the last approved set of position attributes for the selected position. For Create Position actions, all fields are highlighted yellow since in the instance of a totally new position, there were no previous position attributes so every field is in essence a new item. When viewing Modify Position actions, the yellow highlighting clearly shows which data fields are changing since the last time the position had been reviewed and approved.
Viewing Attached Documents and Adding Additional Attachments for In-Progress Actions
Toward the bottom of the displayed action details is the "Document Attachments" section. If any attached documents are present, you may view them by clicking on the document name.
Until the action reaches completed status, the action originator or any of the up-line approvers can attach additional documents to the action. This is done by clicking the "Browse..." button to the right of any blank document attachment line and locating the document to be attached on your PC or local network drive. Once you have attached all of the desired additional attachments, click the "Upload" button with your mouse to add the attachments to in-progress action. Attachments may only be deleted by the originator retracting the action while it is still in progress, removing any attachments no longer desired, and then resubmitting the action for approval routing.
EPAWeb displays entry blanks for up to 3 document attachments. Additional attachments can be accomplished by clicking the "Add more attachments" button with your mouse.
Delete, Retract, and Done Buttons for Submitted "In Progress" Actions
When reviewing a previously submitted (e.g., In Progress) action, the Delete, Retract, and Done buttons appear at the very top and bottom of the action display screen. The Delete and Retract buttons are present from the time an action is successfully submitted until the time it receives its final approval and moves to completed status but ONLY for the individual who initially originated the action in the EPAWeb System. Once an action is in completed status, the delete and retract functions are no longer available for that action. Even if another individual in the department shares the same EPAWeb role and access as the person who originated an action, only the originator is able to delete or retract their action.
The Delete button will delete the action and stop it from routing for further approvals. The deleted action is recorded in the position's action history and an FYI notification of the deletion is sent to all approvers to whom the action has routed. This function is used when the originator changes their mind and for whatever reason no longer wishes the action to be processed.
The Retract button stops the action from further routing and returns it to the originator's inbox so that changes can be made to the action and then it can be later resubmitted. An FYI notification is sent to all approvers to whom the action has routed prior to being retracted. This function is isued when the originator discovers an error in the original action or submission or otherwise needs to change on or more position details since the action was first originated.
Printer View Button
The Printer View button may be clicked with your mouse to obtain a formatted printed copy of the displayed action. If you select the Printer View button, a seperate browser window will pop-up apart from the displayed position management screen with a view of the action specially formatted for printing. Once this pop-up window is displayed, use your web browsers normal print function (e.g., File | Print menu selections in many browsers) to send this output to your printer. This action may be retrieved in EPAWeb at any time using the Position Action Search function, so while you may find a printed copy for your files to be helpful, it is not necessary or required.
The Routing/Approval Status Grid
At the very bottom of the displayed action is a grid which shows each required approval stop for the action along with the status of these approvals. Possible statuses including Waiting Approval, Approved, Not Routed, and Not Applicable. This grid is extremely useful for determing precisely where you action is in the routing chain and it is updated in real-time as approvals or disapprovals are accomplished against your action. You can hold your mouse pointer over any of the displayed approval roles and a list of the names of the individuals assigned to those roles will appear. This can be helpful to determine whom to contact in the event a particular approval stop is delayed or you need to request expedited approvals for a particularly time sensitive action.The following is an explanation of the various routing statuses that you may see displayed on the routing/approval status grid -
Waiting Approval: The action is in the inbox of those individuals assigned to the indicated approval role but not yet approved,
Approved: Approval has already been granted for the action at the indicated approval stop.
Not Routed: Action will route for approval once lower level approvals are completed.
Not Applicable: Approval stop isn't applicable for your area or the type of action submitted.
Action History Log
Immediately below the approval status grid is the action history log. This is a sequential log of each routing stop and what occurred at that stop for the submitted action. In combination with the approval status grid, this can be very helpful to track the status of an action including how long it has been waiting at a particular routing stop.
The "Done" Button
When you are finished working with the displayed action, click the "Done" button with your mouse.
