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Approval Workflow

Purchase orders require approval before they can proceed. This guide explains how approval limits work, how to submit POs for approval, and how approvers process requests.

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How Approval Works

  1. Creator submits PO for approval
  2. System routes to appropriate approver based on amount
  3. Approver reviews and approves or rejects
  4. If rejected, creator can edit and resubmit

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Approval Limits

Approvers are assigned authorization limits. A PO can only be approved by someone with a limit equal to or higher than the PO total.

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Example Limits

Approval limits are set by system administrators. Contact your admin if you need to check or update approval limits.

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Checking Who Can Approve

Location: PO Detail → Approval section The system shows:
  • Required approval level for this PO amount
  • Who can approve this PO

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For Creators: Submitting for Approval

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Prerequisites

Before submitting:
  • Supplier selected
  • Category selected
  • At least one item added
  • All item quantities and rates entered

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Submit a PO

1

Open the PO

Procurement → Click on PO row
2

Verify PO is in Draft

Check status badge shows Draft
3

Review details

Verify supplier, items, amounts are correct
4

Click Submit

Button in header area
5

Confirm submission

PO sent for approval
What happens:
  • Status changes to Pending Approval
  • PO becomes locked (no editing)
  • Routed to approver based on total amount
  • Approver notified (if notifications enabled)

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After Submitting

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For Approvers: Processing Requests

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Finding POs to Approve

Option 1: Procurement List
1

Go to Procurement

Sidebar → Procurement
2

Filter by Pending Approval

Status filter → Select Pending Approval
3

View your queue

Shows all pending POs you can approve
Option 2: Dashboard Notifications If enabled, pending approvals appear on your dashboard.

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Reviewing a PO

Before approving, check:

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Approving a PO

1

Open the PO

Click on PO row in list
2

Review all details

Check items, amounts, supplier
3

Click Approve

Green button in header or Approval section
4

Add comments (optional)

Any notes for the record
5

Confirm

PO approved
What happens:
  • Status changes to Approved
  • Timestamp and approver recorded
  • Creator notified (if notifications enabled)
  • If linked to sample, material status may update

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Rejecting a PO

1

Open the PO

Click on PO row
2

Review and identify issues

Note what needs to be fixed
3

Click Reject

Red button in header or Approval section
4

Add rejection reason

Explain what needs to change
5

Confirm

PO rejected
Always add a rejection reason. This helps the creator understand what to fix before resubmitting.
What happens:
  • Status changes to Rejected
  • Rejection reason recorded
  • Creator notified
  • PO unlocked for editing

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Handling Rejections

If your PO is rejected:
1

Check rejection reason

PO Detail → Approval section or Activity tab
2

Click Edit

Now available (PO is unlocked)
3

Fix the issues

Update items, amounts, etc.
4

Save changes

Updates saved
5

Click Submit

Resubmit for approval

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Common Rejection Reasons

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Approval History

Every approval action is logged and visible in the PO. Location: PO Detail → Approval section or Activity tab

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History Shows

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Example History

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Approval Notifications

If notifications are enabled:
Notification settings are configured by administrators. Contact admin to enable or disable notifications.

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Status Reference

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Common Scenarios

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Troubleshooting

Cause: PO not in Draft status or missing required fields.Solution:
  1. Check status is Draft
  2. Verify supplier is selected
  3. Ensure at least one item is added
  4. Check all item fields are complete
Cause: You don’t have approval permissions, PO not pending, or amount exceeds your limit.Solution:
  1. Check PO status is Pending Approval
  2. Verify PO amount is within your approval limit
  3. Contact admin if you should have approval rights
Cause: Approver hasn’t reviewed or is unavailable.Solution:
  1. Check who needs to approve (Approval section)
  2. Contact them directly
  3. If unavailable, contact admin for reassignment
Cause: System delay or browser cache.Solution:
  1. Refresh the page
  2. Verify status shows Rejected
  3. Edit button should now appear
Cause: Approver didn’t add reason or viewing wrong section.Solution: Check Activity tab for full history including comments.
Cause: PO total exceeds highest approval limit.Solution: Contact Owner/Director or admin. May need limit increase or PO split.

Creating Purchase Orders

How to create POs

PO Detail Page

Full page reference

Procurement Overview

Module introduction