How to set up an approval structure

This article explains how purchase order approval works and how to set up an approval structure. 

How approval works

The approval structure in CostTracker follows the budget that is selected when purchasing.

First, a Company threshold can be set, where all purchase orders with values lower than the company threshold will be automatically approved. If you do not need an approval process, then you can set this threshold high and purchase orders will be automatically approved. This is set under Settings --> Company (Approval limit)

If the purchase order value exceeds above the Company threshold, the purchase order follows a step-by-step approval process based on the following mechanism:

• Each Budget is linked to one or multiple Budget responsible user(s) with assigned approval limit(s). If multiple budget approvers are added, the purchase order will first go to the one with the lowest approval limit, then the next lowest approval limit, and so on.
• If the value of the purchase order exceeds the approval limit for the budget responsible(s), the purchase order will require approval by the Department responsible
• If the value of the purchase order exceeds the approval limit for the department responsible, the purchase order will require approval by an Administrator. An administrator can, if needed, approve any PO (e.g. in case of illness, holidays, etc). 

How to set user approval limits

User approval limits are set up under Settings --> Users.

Select the user and insert the limit.

How to set up departments and departments responsible

Go to settings --> Departments

Here you can add a department and assign a responsible approver (Note! the user needs approval role to be selected)

How to set up budgets and budget responsible

Go to settings --> Budgets

In order to add multiple budget-responsible users, select the users that are applicable by selecting the symbol to the right of each user (as displayed below) and selecting Save.

Approval of own purchase order

You can allow users with approval rights to approve their own purchase orders up to their own limits. User has to be in the approval flow of the selected budget to be able to approve their own POs. This can be enabled under Settings --> Company (Check Allow approval of own PO's)

Note! After sending for approval, the user will still need to enter their PO and actively select "Approve".