Resources » Approval Workflow Builder

Approval Workflow Builder

The approval workflow builder helps you size a purchase-approval workflow before you roll it out. From your monthly PO volume, the share that needs approval, the number of approvers per approval and the minutes each takes, it computes how many approval actions and approver hours the workflow will generate each month and year — so you can right-size tiers and thresholds instead of drowning approvers.

A good approval workflow controls risk without grinding buying to a halt. Set the threshold too low or add too many tiers and approvers spend hours rubber-stamping trivial orders. This tool sizes the workload of a proposed workflow so you can design tiers and thresholds that are proportionate.

What this calculator asks for

• Purchase orders per month
• Share requiring approval (%) — POs above your approval threshold.
• Approvers per approval — Number of approval tiers per PO.
• Minutes per approval (min)

How it works

• Purchase orders requiring approval per month = purchase orders per month × share requiring approval.
• Approval actions per month = purchase orders requiring approval × approvers per approval.
• Approver hours per month = approval actions per month × minutes per approval ÷ 60.
• Approver hours per year = approver hours per month × 12. Raising the threshold or removing a tier reduces this workload.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many approval tiers should a purchase workflow have?

Match tiers to risk, not habit. Low-value, catalogue purchases often need one approver or none; high-value or non-catalogue spend warrants more. Every extra tier multiplies the approval workload, so add tiers only where the value at stake justifies the delay and effort — this tool shows the cost of each one.

Where should I set the approval threshold?

Set it so routine, low-risk purchases flow through with minimal friction while material spend gets scrutiny. If most of your POs currently require approval, the threshold is probably too low. Raising it and using pre-approved catalogue pricing is usually the biggest workload reduction available.

Can Lapasar Mall run these approvals for me?

Yes. Lapasar Mall supports multi-step approval workflows with budgets and cost centres, so the tiers and thresholds you design here can be enforced automatically on every order, with a full audit trail.

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