Approval workflow
What is an approval workflow? The sign-offs, in order, that a document such as a purchase order, expense claim or leave request must get before it takes effect.
In plain words
An approval workflow is the rule for who must say yes, and in what order, before something goes ahead. It replaces "send it to the boss on WhatsApp" with a fixed route that everyone can see.
A worked example
A purchase order rule that you might set. The amounts are yours to choose.
| Order value | Who signs, in order |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹25,000 | Purchase manager |
| ₹25,001 to ₹2,00,000 | Purchase manager, then finance head |
| Above ₹2,00,000 | Purchase manager, finance head, then the owner |
A ₹1,50,000 order waits first for the purchase manager and then for the finance head. Each sign-off is recorded with who gave it and when.
Why it matters
- Cost. Larger spends get a second pair of eyes, and small ones are not held up.
- Deadline. A fixed route shows where an item is waiting, instead of it sitting in one person's inbox.
- Risk. Every approval is recorded with who gave it and when, so there is a trail to show an auditor.
See where a purchase order of yours would wait, step by step.
In Kinnow
How Kinnow handles it
The Approvals designer lets you change a rule in plain words: pick a document type, an optional amount and who should approve, and Kinnow states the rule in one sentence. Before you save, it counts the waiting items whose route would change. Items it cannot work out are labelled "cannot tell", not "unaffected". Items already in progress keep the order they started with.
You can try a stricter rule quietly first, and every version is kept with a one-click restore. The designer is rolling out: the core is built and parts are completing with early customers.
Some limits already exist in the product. A hand-typed journal, and by default any journal of ₹5,00,000 or more, waits for an approver who is not the person who entered it, and you can change that limit. See also the approval inbox.
Questions
What is an approval workflow?
The sign-offs, in order, that a document such as a purchase order, expense claim or leave request must get before it takes effect.
Can I change who approves without calling an IT person?
That is what the Approvals designer is for: you change the rule in plain words and see the effect before saving. It is rolling out, so ask us what is ready for your documents today.
What happens to items already waiting when I change a rule?
Items already in progress keep the sign-off order they started with. Kinnow shows you how many waiting items a new rule would affect before you save it.
Tell us your current approval routes and we will show how they would be set up.