An approval workflow routes a business record through defined reviewers, conditions and decisions before a controlled action occurs. It can govern quotations, discounts, suppliers, invoices, purchase orders or payments. The workflow should establish who can decide, what evidence they need and what happens when information changes.
What does an approval workflow define?
- The record and decision being approved
- Approval thresholds and routing conditions
- Required reviewers and separation of duties
- Evidence, comments and supporting documents
- Delegation, escalation and expiry rules
- Actions permitted after approval
How does the workflow operate?
- Validate that the request is complete.
- Calculate the applicable route from policy and record data.
- Notify authorized approvers and preserve their decisions.
- Resolve rejection, revision or escalation.
- Lock or reapprove material changes.
- Release the approved downstream action.
Approval workflow vs. review
A review may provide advice or confirm completeness. Approval grants documented authority to proceed within a defined scope. Systems should not label a view, comment or acknowledgement as approval unless it carries that authority.
What should trigger reapproval?
Reapprove changes that affect the approved decision, such as amount, supplier, beneficiary, currency, discount, scope or payment details. The system should compare versions rather than assume an edited record remains approved.
