How to Resolve Common Issues with Approval Workflows in Procurify
Approval workflows in Procurify are essential for ensuring that requests are reviewed and approved by the right individuals. However, misconfigurations or overlapping settings can lead to issues such as duplicate approvals, incorrect routing, or unintended approvers. This article provides a comprehensive guide to resolving these common issues and optimizing your approval workflows.
Overview of Approval Routing
Approval routing in Procurify is determined by a combination of triggers, sequence numbers, and group configurations. Each approval group is activated based on specific conditions, such as department, account code, or custom fields. Sequence numbers dictate the order in which groups are triggered, with lower numbers being prioritized.
Common Issues and Resolutions
1. Duplicate Approvals
Duplicate approvals often occur when multiple approval groups are configured with overlapping triggers or identical approvers. Resolution:
Review your approval routing groups by navigating to
Settings > Manage Approval Routing.Use filters (e.g., department, account code, location) to identify overlapping groups.
Adjust or delete redundant groups to ensure only the intended group is triggered. For example, if both 'Affiliates' and 'Marketing' groups have the same approvers and triggers, modify the triggers or remove one group.
2. Incorrect Routing
Requests may route to unintended approvers or groups due to misconfigured triggers or sequence numbers. Resolution:
Verify the triggers for each approval group by navigating to
Approval Group > Edit Triggers.Ensure that custom fields, such as 'Freight', are correctly configured (e.g., set to 'No' if required).
Adjust sequence numbers to control the order of routing. Lower sequence numbers are processed first.
3. Multiple Groups Triggered
Requests may pass through multiple approval groups if the triggers match multiple conditions. Resolution:
Restrict triggers on unintended groups or remove conflicting conditions.
Use sequence numbers to prioritize the intended group. For example, if a requisition triggers both 'HQ Lab Approvers' and another group, ensure only the correct group matches the request’s values.
4. Approvals Restarting
If an approver edits key fields (e.g., account code, department) during the approval process, the routing may restart. Resolution:
Avoid editing routing-impacting fields mid-approval. If changes are necessary, ensure approvers are aware that the routing will restart.
5. Delegated Approvals Not Visible
Delegated approvals may not appear if the correct settings are not enabled. Resolution:
Ensure the setting to display all existing pending approvals to the delegate is activated. Without this, only newly delegated approvals will be visible.
Configuring Approval Groups
Setting Up Triggers
Navigate to
Approval Group > Edit Triggers.Add or modify conditions to ensure only the intended requests trigger the group. For example, set 'Capital Purchase Y/N' to 'Yes' or 'No' as needed.
Using Sequence Numbers
Assign sequence numbers (1–10) to approval groups to control their order. Lower numbers are processed first.
Configuring Hierarchical Approvals
Remove thresholds for approvers who should always review requests.
Disable the self-approve setting to prevent requesters from approving their own steps.
Create a separate final approver group for high-value requests, such as those requiring CEO approval.
Troubleshooting and Best Practices
Identifying Problematic Groups
Use filters in
Settings > Manage Approval Routingto identify all groups triggered by a request.Review the results for redundancy or misconfiguration and adjust as needed.
Avoiding Unintended Triggers
Tighten conditions on approval groups to prevent unrelated groups from being triggered. For example, ensure that account codes or departments do not overlap unintentionally.
Understanding Changes to Routing
Updates to approval routing groups only apply to newly submitted requests. Existing requests will follow the previous settings.
Conclusion
By understanding and configuring approval routing settings effectively, you can resolve common issues and ensure a smooth approval workflow in Procurify. Regularly review your approval groups, triggers, and sequence numbers to maintain an efficient and error-free process.