Dynamic Approvals

Decide which documents need approval, at how many levels, by which role and above which amount. Juniors raise documents; seniors release them. The matrix is configured by the administrator per module — levels, roles and amount slabs — and the document posts itself the moment the last approval lands.

The daily routine this module replaces

Before the module, a junior in the towel plant raises a purchase requisition on paper or in a spreadsheet. They walk it to the supervisor’s desk, where it waits until the supervisor is free. The supervisor signs, then hands it to the production manager. The production manager checks the quantities against the loom schedule, initials it, and passes it to the finance desk. Finance verifies the budget code, stamps it, and files a carbon copy. The original is sent to the storekeeper, who creates a manual goods-received note when the yarn arrives. Each step can take half a day; if anyone is absent, the document sits in an in-tray for two or three days.

Sales orders follow a similar loop: the sales clerk writes the order, the credit controller checks the customer’s limit, the dye-house manager confirms capacity, and the plant manager signs off. If the order is urgent, the clerk chases signatures by phone or in person, adding interruptions to everyone’s day. Once signed, the order is typed into the production schedule and the accounting system separately, doubling the chance of a transcription error.

Invoicing is no faster. The accounts clerk pulls the delivery challan, matches it to the sales order, checks the price list, and prepares the invoice. The finance manager reviews it, signs it, and hands it back for posting. If the invoice is for export, the export manager must countersign, adding another day. The whole cycle—requisition to goods receipt, order to invoice—can stretch to a week, even for routine items.

How a document moves through the module

Raising the document

A junior user—storekeeper, sales clerk, or loom supervisor—creates the document in the ERP: a purchase requisition, sales order, or journal voucher. The system assigns a unique number and stamps the creator’s name and timestamp. The document is saved in draft status and appears in the creator’s pending list, but no stock or ledger entries are made yet.

Routing and approval

The module consults the approval matrix for the document type. If the value exceeds the first slab, the document is routed to the first approver’s inbox. The approver sees the document in their approval queue, with the creator’s name, document value, and any notes. They can approve, reject, or send it back with a reason. If approved, the document moves to the next level if the value exceeds the next slab. Each approval is logged with the approver’s name, timestamp, and any comments.

Posting and effect on stock and ledger

Once the final approval is given, the document posts automatically. A purchase requisition becomes a purchase order; a sales order becomes a confirmed order; a journal voucher updates the general ledger. Stock quantities are updated if the document affects inventory—goods receipt, goods issue, or production entry. The ledger is updated with the financial impact: accounts payable, accounts receivable, or expense accounts. The creator receives a notification that the document has posted, and the document is removed from all approval queues.

Example: purchase requisition for yarn

A storekeeper raises a purchase requisition for 500 kg of cotton yarn at £200/kg, total £100,000. The approval matrix for purchase requisitions has three levels: supervisor (£0–£50,000), production manager (£50,001–£200,000), and finance manager (above £200,000). The requisition is routed to the supervisor, who approves it. It then moves to the production manager, who approves it. The finance manager is not required for this value, so the document posts as a purchase order. The stock ledger is updated with the expected receipt, and the accounts payable ledger is updated with the liability.

The reports it produces and the decision each one supports

Report	Contents	Decision it supports
Approval matrix	Document types, approval levels, roles, and amount slabs.	Administrator uses it to verify that the matrix matches the plant’s delegation of authority. If a role changes or a slab is added, the matrix is updated here first.
Approval inbox	Pending documents for the logged-in user, sorted by ageing, with creator, document type, value, and timestamp.	Approvers use it to prioritise their work. A document that has been pending for three days is flagged in red, prompting a follow-up call to the previous approver.
Approval history	Document number, type, creator, approvers, timestamps, comments, and final status (approved, rejected, sent back).	Managers use it to audit the approval chain. If a purchase order is queried, the history shows who approved it and when, and any comments they added.
Ageing of pending approvals	Document number, type, creator, current approver, days pending, and value.	Plant manager uses it to identify bottlenecks. If a single approver has 15 documents pending for more than two days, the manager can reassign some to another user or investigate the delay.

What usually goes wrong when a plant runs without it

Documents sit in in-trays for days. A purchase requisition for dye chemicals can wait a week for the finance manager’s signature, delaying production. The loom schedule is updated manually, so the dye-house manager does not know that the yarn has not arrived until the loom is idle.

Transcription errors creep in. A sales order for 5,000 towels is typed as 500 in the production schedule, leading to a short shipment. The customer complains, and the plant must air-freight the balance at its own cost.

There is no audit trail. If a purchase order is queried, the only record is the signed paper, which may be misfiled. The finance manager cannot prove who approved it or when, so accountability is lost.

Urgent documents are chased by phone or in person, adding interruptions. The sales clerk spends an hour each day walking the plant to collect signatures, time that could be spent on customer orders.

Stock and ledger are updated separately. The storekeeper records the yarn receipt in the stock register, while the accounts clerk records the invoice in the ledger. If the quantities do not match, the reconciliation takes a day, and the month-end stock report is delayed.

No one knows what is pending. The plant manager has no visibility of documents that are stuck. A journal voucher for a utility bill can sit on the finance manager’s desk for a week, delaying the payment and risking a late fee.

Delegation is rigid. If the production manager is on leave, no one can approve purchase requisitions above £50,000. The plant must either wait for the manager’s return or bypass the approval chain, risking unauthorised purchases.

[{"question":"Can we set different approval chains for different document types?","answer":"

The module allows a separate approval matrix for each document type: purchase requisitions, sales orders, journal vouchers, production entries, and more. Each matrix can have its own levels, roles, and amount slabs. For example, a journal voucher for \u20b950,000 may require only the finance manager\u2019s approval, while a purchase requisition for the same amount may require the production manager and finance manager.<\/p>"},{"question":"What happens if an approver is on leave?","answer":"

The administrator can reassign the approver\u2019s pending documents to another user with the same role. The reassignment is logged, and the new approver receives the documents in their inbox. The module does not allow a user to approve their own documents, even if they are reassigned.<\/p>"},{"question":"Can we see who approved a document after it has posted?","answer":"

Yes, the approval history report shows the full chain: creator, each approver, timestamps, and any comments. The report can be filtered by document number, type, date range, or user. The history is retained for the life of the document and cannot be edited.<\/p>"},{"question":"Does the module work for documents raised on mobile devices?","answer":"

The module is web-based and works on any device with a browser. Users can raise, approve, or reject documents on a phone or tablet. The interface is responsive, so it adapts to the screen size. However, the module does not support offline approvals; the device must have an internet connection.<\/p>"}]