PO Approval Workflow

Configure and manage the approval process for purchase orders.

Approval Configuration

Approval Rules

Define when approval is required:

Approval Levels

Multi-level approval:

Level 1: Department Manager (up to $10,000)
Level 2: Director (up to $50,000)
Level 3: CFO ($50,000+)

Approver Assignment

Configure approvers:

• By role (Manager, Director)
• By user (specific person)
• By department
• Sequential or parallel

Approval Process

Submitting for Approval

1. Complete PO in Draft
2. Click Submit for Approval
3. PO status: Pending Approval
4. Approvers notified

Reviewer Actions

Approver options:

Approval Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant R as Requester
    participant A1 as Approver L1
    participant A2 as Approver L2
    participant S as System

    R->>S: Submit PO
    S->>A1: Notification
    A1->>S: Approve
    S->>A2: Notification
    A2->>S: Approve
    S->>R: PO Approved

For Approvers

Viewing Pending Approvals

1. Dashboard shows pending count
2. Or go to Approvals section
3. See all items awaiting action

Reviewing a PO

1. Open pending PO
2. Review details:
   • Items and quantities
   • Pricing and totals
   • Supplier information
   • Justification notes
3. Take action

Making Decisions

Approve

1. Review complete
2. Click Approve
3. Add optional comments
4. Confirm

Reject

1. Identify issue
2. Click Reject
3. Enter rejection reason (required)
4. Confirm

Request More Information

1. Need clarification
2. Click Request Info
3. Enter question
4. Requester notified

For Requesters

Tracking Approval Status

1. Open submitted PO
2. View approval progress
3. See who has approved/pending

Handling Rejections

When PO rejected:

1. Review rejection reason
2. Revise PO as needed
3. Resubmit for approval

Responding to Questions

When info requested:

1. View request in PO
2. Add response/clarification
3. Submit response
4. Approval continues

Escalation

Automatic Escalation

If approver doesn't respond:

1. Reminder sent after X days
2. Escalate after Y days
3. Manager notified

Manual Escalation

Urgent approvals:

1. Contact approver directly
2. Request delegation
3. Involve management if needed

Approval History

Audit Trail

All actions recorded:

Viewing History

1. Open PO
2. Go to History tab
3. See complete approval trail

Configuration

Setting Up Workflows

Administrators configure:

1. Go to Administration > Workflows
2. Select Purchase Order Approval
3. Define rules and levels
4. Assign approvers
5. Save

Testing Workflows

Before going live:

1. Create test POs at different amounts
2. Verify correct approvers notified
3. Test approve and reject paths
4. Adjust as needed

Related