The Overall Process of Travel Management 

Purpose

The goal of this process is the complete, integrated management of all processes involved in a business trip and the travel expenses incurred. The process includes the entire procedure of requesting and planning a trip, accounting the travel expenses and the correct taxation in Payroll Accounting (HR), correct posting of the travel expenses in Financial Accounting (FI), and clearing in Controlling (CO) or Funds Management (FI-FM) according to the allocation-by-cause principle.

Process Flow

The overall process can last a relatively long time, with the actual trip representing the focal point in this process. The following gives an example of the process flow in decentralized organization in which the traveler represents the central figure. Other forms of organization are, of course, also conceivable. For more information, see the unit Roles in Travel Management.

 

Travel request

  1. The traveler uses the R/3 System to submit a travel request to the relevant superior. The travel request supplies the superior with information such as the date, destination, and purpose of the trip, the transportation and accommodations required, the requested advance and the estimated costs for the trip.

    2. See also: Travel Request (Travel Manager), Trip Status (other entry scenarios)

  2. The superior can approve the request, send it back for corrections, or reject it.

    3. See also: Approve Travel Request (Travel Manager), Approval of Trips

  3. If an advance is requested and approved, there are the following options for payment:

The paid amounts in the first three cases are, however, also forwarded for posting to financial accounting.

See also: Scenarios of Advance Payment

Travel planning

  1. After a travel request has been approved, the traveler determines the available travel services (flight, hotel, car rental; in Germany also: train) in a travel plan and books them online in the R/3 System. The reservation takes place via a Global Distribution System (GDS), that must be connected with the R/3 System. During selection and booking of services, the system checks the consistency of the entries with the company's travel policies, which are stored in Customizing for Travel Management. At the same time it takes any existing enterprise-specific rates and rebate agreements into consideration during booking.

    2. See also: Travel Planning, Entry Scenarios of Travel Planning

  2. When the traveler has recorded the travel plan, the booking code (PNR) is entered in the processing queue of the travel agency that is connected with the company. The travel agency checks the correctness and consistency of the booking.
  3. If changes are made to the booking outside of the R/3 System, they are transferred to the R/3 System in a synchronization process.

    4. See also: Synchronization Between SAP Travel Planning and the Reservation System

  4. The travel plan is also transferred to the relevant superior for approval. As soon as the superior has approved the travel plan, the travel agency can issue the ticket and the trip documents and send them to the traveler.

    5. See also: Approval Process of Travel Planning

    Travel expenses
  5. After the trip has been taken, the traveler completes his or her travel expense report, including all necessary data and documents. The system takes all the statutory and enterprise-specific specifications stored in Customizing into consideration and checks the consistency of the entries with these specifications.

    6. See also: Travel Expenses, Trip Data Entry (Travel Expenses)

  6. The expenses department checks the travel expense report and the original documents and receipts. Now the travel expense report is sent to the superior for approval, who can then release it for settlement.

    7. See also: Approval of Trips

  7. As soon as approval is granted, the trip is settled in the R/3 System: On the basis of the trip provisions set for the relevant traveler, the system determines the travel expense results, especially the amount for reimbursement. To determine the reimbursement amount, you can choose between per diem/flat rate reimbursement and reimbursement according to individual receipts for meals, accommodations and travel costs; for all other categories, reimbursement on the basis of individual receipts must be used.

    8. See also: Settlement of Trips

  8. The travel expense results are prepared to suit the method of payment chosen and made available to the corresponding components (Financial Accounting, Payroll Accounting, Controlling Funds Management) with the appropriate additional information.

    9. See also: Transfer to Accounting, Transfer to HR Payroll Accounting, Transfer to Data Medium Exchange (DME)

  9. The payment of reimbursement amounts can now take place as follows:

The travel expense results are always, however, transferred for posting to Financial Accounting. Transfer of amounts to Controlling takes place via Financial Accounting.

  1. The traveler receives a travel expense statement with the relevant trip data and the corresponding settlement results.

See also: Forms for Travel Expense Statements

Result

A single, complete record of the facts of a business trip has been made in the R/3 System. The travel planning data was recorded in the system for approval or reservation purposes. The documents were issued on the basis of the reserved travel services. The R/3 System has accounted the travel expenses incurred by the trip and forwarded them for further processing in Financial Accounting, Controlling, Funds Management and, if necessary, Payroll Accounting.

 

See also

For more information on the interactive process of Travel Management, see the relevant ASAP documentation.