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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2024-08-23
Delegate Business Process Initiating Actions

Delegate Business Process Initiating Actions

Configure delegation routing restrictions and the users to whom tasks can be delegated in your tenant.
Enable business process delegation on the business process security policy.
Configure the
Request Delegation Change
 business process security policy.
Security:
Business Process Delegation
 domain in the System functional area.
You can delegate the initiating action of certain business processes. The delegate can be any user who is part of the security groups specified in the
Who Can Start the Business Process
 section on the business process security policy.
Delegation differs from reassignment because it doesn’t remove responsibility (ownership) for the task from the user it was initially assigned to.
  1. Access the
    Manage Delegations
     task using one of the following methods:
    • In My Tasks, click
      Manage Delegations
      .
    • Access
      My Delegations
       and click
      Manage Delegations
      .
    Business process administrators can access the
    Manage Delegation Settings
     report and click
    Request Delegation Change
     to delegate on a worker’s behalf.
  2. As you complete the task, consider:
    Option
    Description
    Begin Date / End Date
    Specify a
    Begin Date
     and an
    End Date
    , if the tenant is configured to require end dates.
    Example: Delegation begins at 12:00:01 AM on the
    Begin Date
     and ends at 11:59:59 PM on the
    End Date
    . To delegate for a single day, enter the same
    Begin Date
     and
    End Date
    .
    Delegation begins and ends according to the time zone of the delegator. Example: if the delegator and the delegate are both in Central Europe, delegation will begin and end at the specified times in Central European Time. However, if the delegator is in San Francisco, and the delegate is in Central Europe, delegation will begin at 9:00:01 AM on the
    Begin Date
     and end at 8:59:59 AM on the day following the
    End Date
     in Central European Time.
    Use Default Alternate
    The
    Use Default Alternate
     check box is only visible if you select the
    Apply Routing Restrictions during Delegation
     check box on the
    Edit Tenant Setup – Business Processes
     task.
    (Optional) Select the
    Use Default Alternate
     check box (selected by default). Workday populates the
    Alternate Delegate
     field with the primary manager of each delegate, and automatically adds the primary manager of each new delegate that you add.
    Alternate Delegate
    If the
    Use Default Alternate
     check box isn’t selected, you can specify one from this prompt.
  3. Select the business process that you want the delegate to initiate on your behalf using the
    Start On My Behalf
     prompt.
  4. As you complete the rest of the task, consider:
    Option
    Description
    Do My Tasks On My Behalf
    Select whether to delegate My Tasks items:
    • For all Business Processes
    • For a specific Business Process
    • None of the above
       (removes the delegate’s ability to do My Tasks items, while retaining their ability to initiate specific business processes on the worker’s behalf).
    Retain Access to Delegated Tasks within My Tasks
    (Optional) Clear this check box if you don't want the user to get notifications and access the tasks from their own My Tasks as usual. If you select the check box to retain access, then either the user or the delegate can complete each task.
    When you select the
    For all Business Processes
     or
    For Business Process
     options for a new delegation configuration, Workday enables the
    Retain Access to Delegated Tasks within My Tasks
     check box by default. For existing delegation settings that don't have the
    Retain Access to Delegated Tasks within My Tasks
     check box selected, Workday enables the check box when you update the row to select the
    For all Business Processes or For Business Process
     options.
    Delegation Rule
    (Optional) You can apply a
    Delegation Rule
     to the business processes you're delegating. When you select
    For all Business Processes
     or specific business processes, configured delegation rules that are applicable to the business processes display in the
    Delegation Rule
     prompt. See Concept: Delegation Rules.
    Attachments
    (Optional) Business process administrators can attach any supporting files, such as an email message accompanying the requested delegation change, to be included as part of the business process event. You can:
    • Drag and drop files into the
      Attachments
       section of the business process toolbar.
    • Use the
      Attachments
       icon to select one or more files to attach to the business process event.
    Workers can view attached files associated with the event in the
    Attachments
     column on the
    Delegation History
     tab of the
    My Delegations
     report.
  5. To add more delegations, add a row to the delegations grid by clicking the
    +
     icon, and then repeat steps 3 through 10. When you finish setting up your delegations, click
    Submit
    .
    To stop a delegation, remove the row associated with the delegation from the grid, and then click
    Submit
    .
Delegations might require reviews and approvals depending on how Workday is configured and which tasks you’re delegating. Both the worker and either the delegate or the alternate delegate receives confirmation notifications when the delegations go into effect.
For the duration of the delegation, the delegate receives any tasks that would have been directed to the original worker for allowed business processes, as well as any related process notifications, including alerts. Delegates can also request reassignment for any delegated tasks, but they can’t delegate any delegated tasks to another worker. Example: When a business process is sent back to the
Initiation
 step and awaiting the delegate to take action, the delegate can reassign the
Initiation
 task in their My Tasks to another worker.
When the delegate performs the task after they
Switch Account
 to act on behalf of the delegator, Workday knows that the current user is acting as a delegate and, for the scope of this task, the security is evaluated for the original owner. The business process type delegation configuration might have specified additional permissions for the delegation.
When you delegate the creation of an item, your delegate has access to all of your history for that item. Example: When you delegate the creation of expense reports, your delegate can copy all of your existing expense reports.
You can view your delegation history on the
Delegation History
 tab when you access the
My Delegations
 report.