Getting Started
You've seen from previous pages that the Administrative Task Authorization Tool is used to grant signatory privileges to members of the University. In the past, this was done using the paper-based Signature Authorization Form which was completed each year by department heads for their respective departments.
So what changed?
There was a need for the University to be able to easily track signatory delegation from department heads to other employees as well as a need to easily be able to verify hand-written signatures on paper forms. Also, there was a need from other departments to be able to tie their own applications into the authorizations being granted on Signature Authorization forms.
The first step was to create a system to track and view hand-written signatures and permissions. Purchasing developed a system to accomplish this and has been using it for the 2006/2007 Signature Authorization Form. The system made viewing and searching for signatures and permissions much easier, however because the forms were scanned in, the permissions were not easily extractable themselves.
In a joint effort between UITS and the Purchasing Department, a team was set up to design a new tool that would provide the features we've had previously, but would include many more features that were not previously available.
Some of the new features include:
Online granting of privileges
Department Heads can now login to the tool, search for employees, and grant them privileges online.
Online viewing and revokation of privileges
Department Heads can view, make changes to, and revoke privileges that they have previously assigned.
Workflow Processing
All requests are routed through a workflow process. When a Department Head grants privileges to an employee, they'll receive an email notifying them that their action is required. At the same time a request is routed to the Purchasing Department to approve the privileges granted. When the grantee completes the process Purchasing will approve the privileges and an email will be sent to the grantee notifying them that the process is complete. More information on Workflow can be found in the Workflow Process Training Section.
Search by Grantee's Name
Previously viewers could only search by Department or Department Head Name. Now they may search by grantee name which will bring up all privileges granted to that employee.
Delegation of privilege assignment
Department Heads can assign an individual as a delegate which enables them to assign privileges on their behalf for that particular department. This is useful for department heads that have many departments and/or many grantees.
Renewals
At the beginning of each academic year, there will be an open enrollment period for renewals. Department Heads can renew/approve permissions that they've previously assigned for another year. This eliminates the need to complete the full process each year as was the case with the paper Signature Authorization Forms.
Now that you've got some background on what the ATA Tool does, continue to the main training menu and check out some more specific training topics.
