Approvals

What is the Approvals Module?

The Approvals module provides configurable, multi-level approval workflows that ensure every significant financial and procurement action is reviewed and authorized before it takes effect. Approval rules are defined by document type and monetary threshold, allowing organizations to enforce governance policies ranging from simple single-approver setups to complex multi-level chains for high-value transactions. Every approval or rejection is logged with timestamps, comments, and the approver's identity, creating a full audit trail.

How It Connects

Direction	Module	Relationship
In	Purchase Orders	POs exceeding the configured threshold are routed for approval before being sent to suppliers
In	Invoices	Supplier invoices (especially those with match exceptions) require approval before posting
In	Customer Quotations	Outbound quotations with special pricing or high value require sales management sign-off
In	Supplier AVL	Adding new suppliers to the Approved Vendor List requires compliance/management approval
Out	Email / WhatsApp	Approvers receive notifications when items are pending their review
Out	Dashboard	Pending approval counts appear on the KPI dashboard
Out	Reports	Approval cycle times feed into the Procurement Cycle Time report

Step-by-Step Guide

Configuring an Approval Workflow

1. Navigate to Admin > Settings > Approval Workflows.
2. Click New Workflow.
3. Select the Document Type: Purchase Order, Invoice, Customer Quotation, or Supplier AVL.
4. Define the Threshold Tiers. For example:
   • Tier 1: Amount up to 10,000 — Procurement Manager approval.
   • Tier 2: Amount 10,001 to 50,000 — Procurement Manager + Finance Manager.
   • Tier 3: Amount above 50,000 — Procurement Manager + Finance Manager + General Manager.
5. For each tier, assign the Approver Role or a specific User.
6. Set the Approval Order: sequential (one after another) or parallel (all at once).
7. Enable or disable Auto-Escalation (optional): if an approver does not act within a configurable number of hours, the request escalates to the next level.
8. Click Save Workflow.

Submitting a Document for Approval

1. Create or finalize the document (PO, Invoice, Quotation, or Supplier record).
2. Click Submit for Approval.
3. The system evaluates the document amount against configured thresholds and routes it to the correct approver(s).
4. The submitter sees the status change to Pending Approval.

Reviewing and Acting on an Approval

1. Navigate to Approvals > Pending or click the pending approvals count on the Dashboard.
2. Open the approval request to review the full document details.
3. Review line items, amounts, supplier/customer information, and any attached documents.
4. Choose one of the following actions:
   • Approve — optionally add a comment, then confirm.
   • Reject — a comment is mandatory when rejecting.
   • Request Changes — send back to the submitter with specific feedback.
5. If multi-level approval is configured, the document advances to the next approver after each approval. It is only fully approved once all required levels have signed off.

Key Fields Explained

Field	Description
workflow_type	The document category this workflow applies to: PO, Invoice, Quotation, or Supplier AVL.
threshold_amount	The monetary boundary that triggers this approval tier. Documents at or above this amount require this level of approval.
approver_role	The system role (e.g., Procurement Manager, Finance Manager) assigned as approver for this tier.
approval_order	Sequential (approvers act one after another in order) or Parallel (all approvers act simultaneously).
status	Current state of the approval: Pending, Approved, Rejected, or Changes Requested.
comments	Free-text field for the approver to explain their decision. Mandatory on rejection.
escalation_hours	Number of hours before an unactioned approval automatically escalates to the next level. Set to 0 to disable.
audit_trail	System-generated log of every action: who acted, when, and what decision was made.

Tips & Best Practices

TIP

Keep your approval tiers aligned with your organization's delegation of authority (DOA) matrix. This ensures Tawridy enforces the same governance rules your finance team already follows.

TIP

Use the Pending Approvals Dashboard as your daily starting point. It aggregates all items awaiting your action across POs, invoices, quotations, and supplier requests in a single view.

WARNING

Rejected documents cannot be resubmitted automatically. The submitter must revise the document based on the rejection comments and submit a new approval request. Always provide clear rejection reasons.

• Enable auto-escalation for time-sensitive procurement to prevent bottlenecks when approvers are unavailable.
• For supplier AVL approvals, attach compliance documents (trade license, certificates) to the approval request so the reviewer has everything needed to make a decision.
• Review approval cycle times in the Reports module to identify bottlenecks and optimize your workflow tiers.
• Use parallel approval for peers at the same level (e.g., Finance and Compliance) and sequential approval for hierarchical chains (e.g., Manager then Director).

FAQ

Q: Can I have different approval workflows for different departments? A: Yes. You can create multiple workflows for the same document type with different threshold amounts and approver assignments. Assign workflows to specific departments or cost centers.

Q: What happens if an approver is on leave? A: If auto-escalation is enabled, the request will escalate after the configured time period. Alternatively, an Admin can reassign pending approvals to a delegate from the Approvals management screen.

Q: Can a document bypass approval? A: Only if its amount falls below the lowest configured threshold for that document type. If no threshold is defined, no approval is required for that document type.

Q: Are approval actions auditable? A: Yes. Every approval, rejection, and escalation is logged with the user, timestamp, and comments. This audit trail is immutable and available under the document's Approval History tab.

Q: Can I set approval workflows based on criteria other than amount? A: Currently, approval routing is primarily amount-based. However, you can create workflows that always trigger (threshold of 0) for specific document types like Supplier AVL, ensuring every new vendor addition is reviewed regardless of value.