Approval workflows are triggered when defined conditions are met. Common triggers include order value, extended line item value, and unit price. If any condition is met, the order is sent for approval.

For example, orders under $500 may be automatically approved, while orders of $500 or more require approval.

As a flexible and powerful feature, this article is intended to explain how it works and highlight common use cases, rather than provide an exhaustive list of all possible scenarios.

There are two types of approval workflows: order workflows and budget workflows. While both are used to control how orders are approved, they are triggered in different ways.

An order approval workflow is:

For example, if an order exceeds a set value, it will be routed for approval to the users you have assigned. This gives you control over how orders are reviewed based on specific criteria.

A budget workflow is:

To create a new order approval workflow, start by navigating to the Approval Workflows section within Customers. From here, you can create a new workflow and begin configuring the rules and approvers that will control how orders are reviewed.

Next, configure the workflow details

In the workflow settings, you can configure optional settings that control how approvals behave, including denial reasons, order splitting, and notification preferences.

In workflow steps, you define when approval is required and who is responsible for approving orders.

To set up a budget workflow, start by navigating to the relevant budget area within your account. Budget workflows are configured as part of budget setup and can be applied at the user, cost centre, department, or account level, depending on how you need to manage spending.

Budget workflows are created automatically when a budget is configured, so no separate workflow setup is required.

The relevant budget areas are:

When a budget is exceeded, it acts as the trigger for the approval workflow. The workflow is initiated when a user, department, cost centre, or account goes beyond its allocated budget.

To ensure the workflow functions as expected, make sure to select the correct approver when creating the budget. Providing a clear and descriptive name will also help simplify ongoing administration.

Budget workflows can also be shared across multiple budgets. For example, an account may have several cost centres, each with its own budget. While the budget values may differ, they can all use the same approval workflow if the approval chain is consistent. This allows you to manage approvals centrally while maintaining separate spending limits across different areas of the business.

To reuse an existing approval workflow, start entering the email address of the approver. If a matching workflow already exists, you can select it instead of creating a new one.

To help you get the most out of the approval workflow feature, we’ve put together a few practical examples that demonstrate how it can be configured for different scenarios. Whether you’re setting up a simple one-step approval or a more complex, multi-stage process, these examples are designed to give you a clear starting point and highlight common patterns. Use them as a guide to tailor workflows that fit your team’s specific needs and streamline your approval processes.

A basic workflow where every order requires approval, applied to all users on an account. Ideal for enforcing a universal approval process.

A targeted workflow for specific users, where only orders above a defined value require approval. Useful for applying stricter controls to selected users.

A tiered workflow where different approval levels are triggered based on order value. Higher-value orders require additional approvals.

A structured approval process where orders must pass through each step in sequence. Lower-value orders are handled at the first level, while higher-value orders require approval at multiple levels.

An approval workflow based on order value thresholds, where orders are sent for approval when they exceed a defined amount.

A simple account budget where approval is triggered once the total spend exceeds a defined limit.

FAQs

A workflow defines when approval is required and who is responsible for approving orders. Each workflow is made up of conditions, which determine when approval is triggered, and steps, which define who approves and in what order.

An approver is a user responsible for reviewing orders. They can approve or reject orders and may be part of one or multiple workflows.

Each workflow contains one or more steps. A step defines both the approval condition and the users assigned to approve the order.

Steps can be configured as mandatory or optional. Mandatory steps must be completed if triggered, while optional steps can be skipped if a higher step applies. For example, if a workflow includes a $500 optional step and a $2000 mandatory step, an order of $2500 will only trigger the $2000 step.

Pre-approval rules allow certain orders to bypass approval. This can include contract items, quick list items, or orders placed by an approver. These rules help reduce unnecessary approvals. When abled, orders containing only items from these lists would not need approval.

When order splitting is enabled, carts containing a mix of contract and non-contract items can be divided into separate orders. The remainder of the

order is then evaluated independently against the workflow rules.

Budgets can automatically trigger approval when limits are exceeded. Orders within budget will not trigger the workflow, while orders that exceed the budget will require approval. Budget calculations include both actual and pending spend, and budgets reset based on the configured period.

A user budget is a spending limit assigned to an individual user. All orders placed by that user count toward the budget, and approval is required when the budget is exceeded.

An account budget is a spending limit created at account level. It can be applied to all users on the account or to specific users only, depending on how you want to manage spending. Approval workflow is triggered when the defined budget is exceeded.

A cost centre budget is a spending limit assigned to a specific cost centre. Users can select a cost centre when placing an order, and all spend linked to that cost centre is tracked against its budget. Approval is required when the budget is exceeded.

A department budget is a shared spending limit for a group of users assigned to a department. All orders from users in that department count toward the same budget, and approval workflow is triggered when the budget is exceeded.

Linked workflows allow an additional approval step to be triggered after an initial approval. For example, a manager may approve an order first, followed by an executive. Linked workflows are limited to a single step and cannot be chained together.

Approval notifications can be configured to notify approvers, send reminders, and include additional recipients through a CC email.

Approvers can review and manage orders in Orders → Awaiting Approval, where they can approve, reject, or view order details.