Create approval flows

Approval flows are linked to supplier categories. You can have several approval flows. An approval flow can contain one or more approval steps that must be completed in the predefined order. Typically, one to three steps are included in one flow. By default, a flow has one review and one approval step, but you can configure the review step to be skipped. You can select reviewers and approvers from the list of the users available for the organization in Basware Portal.

Only one approver is necessary to complete one step. You can add additional approvers to a single approval step, and they can act as backup approvers if the primary approver is not available. After all the steps are completed, the supplier will become approved. The approver can reject the request at any step with a mandatory comment. Both reviewers and approvers can return the request to previous users. In this case, they can add comments why the request was returned.

Each supplier record includes an audit trail of usernames, dates, and flow actions executed by users. Logs are kept within the supplier record even though there are no pending flow tasks. Logs are not visible to the suppliers and cannot be exported from Basware Portal. Statuses that are logged:
  • Created
  • Sent to review
  • In review
  • Request for more information
  • Sent to approval
  • Waiting approval
  • Approval started
  • Approved
  • Rejected

To create an approval flow:

  1. As a Company Administrator, click Services.
  2. Under Vendor Information Management, click Vendor Manager.
  3. Click Vendor approval process to expand the section.
  4. On the Approval flows section, click .
  5. Enter the basic details of the flow.
    Flow name
    Name of the new approval flow. Shown on the list of available approval flows.
    Category
    Category of the new approval flow.
    Supplier categories drive the approval flow process. Different supplier categories can have different approval flows.
    Description
    General description of the new approval flow.
    Automatically approve vendors that use this approval flow

    If you select this check box, the supplier is approved automatically when this approval flow is used (that is, when the user creates a supplier proposal using the category that you defined under Category). An invitation is sent to the supplier.

    If you do not select this check box, the supplier proposal goes through the normal review and approve process.

  6. On the Steps information section, click to add a new review step.
  7. Under Step label, enter a name for this review step.
  8. Click Add and enter the name of the person you want to act as the reviewer for this step.
    You can add multiple reviewers for each step.
  9. Click Save to save this step or Cancel to cancel the operation.
  10. On the Steps information section, click to add an additional review step.
    You can add as many review steps as you require.
  11. Click Save.