AI4RA Tip of the Week #11

What is the Prior Approval Requirements Tracking workflow?
The Prior Approval Requirements Tracking Workflow reads through agreement documents and produces a comprehensive Prior Approval reference document. It extracts information on activities that require sponsoring agency authorization, including budget-related approvals, scope and timeline changes, and administrative approvals.  

The Workflow produces a structured text reference which can be downloaded as a markdown, PDF, Word Doc, CSV or JSON file. The document features an Approval Procedures table that relays governing conditions (threshold, documentation, authority, timeline, and consequences), and a list of any approvals waived or delegated under the agreement terms and conditions. 

Why this matters for Research Administrators 
Prior approval requirements are scattered across award notices and various terms and conditions that are often linked in an agreement. Missing a prior approval requirement can lead to taking an action (like adding a subaward, approving foreign travel, or making significant changes to a budget) without first receiving required sponsoring agency or entity authorization. The consequences range from accidentally permitting disallowed costs to receiving an audit finding or other agency or project specific consequences. 

This workflow gives you a single, reliable reference document that captures prior approval requirements in one place. With this resource your team will know exactly when to stop and request sponsor sign-off before proceeding. 

How to use this resource 

1. Upload your award documents to Vandalizer. Drag your agreement documents into Vandalizer and organize them into a folder. Vandalizer reads the text (using optimized character recognition software) from each file so the information is machine-readable and ready to process.
2. Find the workflow. Navigate to the Library tab, then the Explore tab, then filter by Workflows. 
   Select and run the Workflow. Select the Prior Approval Requirements Tracking Workflow and run it across an agreement or batch of agreements.
3. Download your results. Your prior approval reference document is available to download as a structured output. Use it throughout the project period as your go-to guide for when sponsor authorization is required or add agency amendments and run it again to get up to date information on prior approval requirements. 

How can I learn more about this topic?  

• AI4RA Office Hours – Occurs every fourth Tuesday at 11 AM PST and includes live Q&A and demos (https://ai4ra.uidaho.edu/#events).  
• Workflow Architect Certification – Vandalizer internal course which teaches you to become a certified workflow builder. Click on the bubble in the lower right corner.
• Support – Click the Support button in the top‑right corner of Vandalizer or submit a request via the AI4RA contact page (https://ai4ra.uidaho.edu/contact/). 

Share your questions or success stories  
Post them to the AI4RA community forum (https://groups.ai4ra.uidaho.edu/g/main/topics). Your tips help the whole research‑admin community thrive.