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Purchase Orders - Approval Workflow
Purchase Orders - Approval Workflow

How to use the PO approval workflow. Setup approval and increase budget tracking. Notify PM, approvers and email approved PO to vendors only

Julien Lavy avatar
Written by Julien Lavy
Updated over 2 months ago

Permissions

Always remember to ensure the correct people have the appropriate permissions to access your company and project data. This can be done per individual or by applying Permission Templates.

In order to set up workflows for Purchase Orders, users will need Edit permissions for Settings


In the Approval workflow, you can set fields to be required either during the β€œcreate” phase, the β€œsubmit” phase or both the "submit & create" phases. Here, the status is managed by the system. Required fields are validated either on creation, submission, or both, depending on your configuration.

For each field, select "Yes" to make it required, and then choose the condition under which the field should be required (on creation, on submission, or both). Select "No" to keep the field optional in the PO. Click "Save" when finished.


Setting up Threshold Levels

By enabling the Purchase Order Approval Workflow in your Company Settings, you gain the ability to establish threshold levels for efficient PO management. Here's how it works in a more accessible way:

  1. Access the Company Settings, go to the "Modules" tab, and navigate to the "Purchase Order" section.

  2. Select the "Approval" of the "Workflow" section to begin configuring threshold levels.

  3. Each level represents a specific range defined by a bottom value and the next level, which is $0.01 less than the top value. For example, you can set three levels: $5,000 to $20,000, $20,000 to $100,000, and over $100,000.

Assigning Users to Each Threshold Level

You can assign users to each level by looking for the "Users" button beside the "Threshold Levels" on the same screen.


PO Approval Workflow

  1. When a PO is submitted, it enters the appropriate threshold level based on its total value, including taxes.

  2. If more than one approver is assigned to a level, only one approval is required.

  3. There are three main roles in the Approval Flow:

  • Editors: users are able to create and submit PO. Users that have "edit" access to Purchase Orders

  • Managers: admin of SiteMax that have more power on the workflow. Users that have "manage" access to Purchase Orders

  • Approvers: users assigned under the Project settings threshold levels. Can approve and reject.

4. The PO will follow the following workflow:

  • If the PO amount is lower than any threshold level OR if the PO is submitted by an approver, the PO will be directly set to Approved.

  • The PO PDF will show the current status and the email functionality will be enabled only once the PO has been approved.

Emails and notifications

  • Accounting emails refer to the emails added under the Project Settings, Purchase Orders screen.

  • Project Manager (PM) refers to the users assigned as the main user under Project Settings, Team & Project structure.

Here's a breakdown of the notifications:

  • Submit - PM and Approver(s) notified on mobile

  • Approve/Reject - PM and Editor notified on mobile and via email; Accounting via email

  • Void (Approved and Processed only) - PM, Editor and accounting notified via email


Note: When on the Approval workflow, only open POs are editable, and only approved POs can be sent to vendors. When a PO is submitted or reset, notifications are automatically sent to the PM and accounting teams and the PO owner is informed when it's approved or rejected.

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