How to set up an approval matrix

How to set up an approval matrix

Accessing the approval matrix and adding Approvers
  1. In the main menu, select your Organisation.
  2. Go to Approval workflows under Workflows and settings:
          
  1. Open the relevant approval workflow, or create a new one.
  1. Navigate to the step and click on the selectedImg icon to open the approval matrix:
       
  
  1. Add other Approvers by clicking on ADD AN APPROVER in the approval step:
     
  1. Alternatively, add Approvers via the approval matrix:
    

  1. Once you've added all Approvers, including a Default Approver if needed, specify the conditions that will determine who approves what. 


Setting approval conditions
The tables below list the fields you can use to define approval conditions in the approval matrix. These vary depending on your platform and the document type.

Requests will be routed to the Approvers based on the values specified for the different fields. During the approval matrix setup, you can use either the Match condition/alternative rules, or negative conditions for each Approver.

For Xero approvals 

Field in the
approval matrix            
Level in the document            
Workflows, where applicable
Total AmountHeaderPurchase Order, Bill, Batch Payment, AP Credit Note, AR Credit Note, Sales Invoice, Airwallex Batch Payment, Manual Journal
RequesterN/APurchase Order, Bill, Batch Payment, Contact, Airwallex Batch Payment, Manual Journal
SupplierHeaderPurchase Order, Bill, Batch Payment, AP Credit Note, Airwallex Batch Payment
Tracking CategoryItemPurchase Order, Bill, AP Credit Note, AR Credit Note, Sales Invoice, Manual Journal
AccountItemPurchase Order, Bill, AP Credit Note, AR Credit Note, Sales Invoice, Manual Journal
ItemItemPurchase Order, Bill, AP Credit Note, AR Credit Note, Sales Invoice
TaxItemPurchase Order, Bill, AP Credit Note, AR Credit Note, Sales Invoice, Manual Journal
BrandingHeaderPurchase Order
Bank AccountItemBatch Payment, Airwallex Batch Payment
CustomerHeaderAR Credit Note, Sales Invoice

For QuickBooks Online approvals 
Field in the
approval matrix
Level in the document
Workflows, where applicable
Total AmountHeaderPurchase Order, Bill, Expense, Journal Entry
RequesterN/APurchase Order, Bill, Expense, Vendor, Journal Entry
VendorHeader, ItemPurchase Order, Bill, Expense, Journal Entry
Product/ServiceItemPurchase Order, Bill, Expense
CategoryCategoryPurchase Order, Bill, Expense, Journal Entry
LocationHeaderPurchase Order, Bill, Expense, Journal Entry
ClassItem, CategoryPurchase Order, Bill, Expense, Journal Entry
CustomerItem, CategoryPurchase Order, Bill, Expense, Journal Entry
EmployeeItemJournal Entry
Payee: VendorHeaderExpense
Payee: CustomerHeaderExpense
Payee: EmployeeHeaderExpense
Payment AccountHeaderExpense
Payment TypeHeaderExpense
Payment MethodHeaderExpense


For Oracle NetSuite approvals 
Field in the
approval matrix
Level in the document
Workflows, where applicable
Total AmountHeaderBill, Expense
RequesterN/ABill, Expense
VendorHeaderBill, Expense
AccountExpense LinesBill, Expense
Expense CategoryExpense LinesBill, Expense
ItemItem LinesBill, Expense
DepartmentExpense Lines, Item LinesBill, Expense
ClassExpense Lines, Item LinesBill, Expense
LocationExpense Lines, Item LinesBill, Expense


For Stand-alone approvals 
Field in the
approval matrix
Level in the document
Workflow, where applicable
AmountHeaderAll stand-alone workflows
RequesterN/AAll stand-alone workflows
Any custom fieldHeaderAll stand-alone workflows


Once you've set the conditions, users will be assigned as an Approver when a request fulfils the specified criteria, for example:
selectedImg

  • Joanna will be added as an Approver if one of the Accounts in the Bill matches Expenses
  1. Nicolas will approve requests with a total amount of/over 5000 GBP, or if the Account matches Rounding Gain/Loss irrespective of the amount

Approval rules
In the approval matrix, you can specify the rules that determine which Approvers will be selected for each particular approval request. Such conditions are set based on the data fields available in your workflow, such as Total Amount, Requester, Vendor, Supplier, Account, etc.

Total amount

The Total Amount field is available for all platforms and supports the following condition types:
  • Under (<): this rule applies to values below a specified threshold

For example, Ashley approves requests for less than 1,000 GBP. Any request up to 999.99 GBP is routed to her:        

          

  • Over or equal (≥): this rule includes the specified value and applies to anything above it

For example, George approves requests with a total amount of 1,000 GBP or more:

         

  • Between (≤ N <): this rule includes a lower limit but no upper limit

For example, Harry approves requests between 1,000 and 5,000 GBP. George approves all requests from 1,000 GBP upwards.
So, requests with a total amount of 1,000 and up to 4,999.99 GBP go to both Harry and George. Requests with a total amount of/higher than 5,000 GBP go only to George:

        

Other field types

For most other fields, you can typically apply the following rules:


  • Any: this Approver is selected if the field has an Any value

          For example, Nicole is set to approve any request, regardless of the amount or Requester:

          

  • Matches: this Approver is selected if a field matches a specific value or set of values

For example, John is set to approve requests from the Suppliers ABC Furniture or Basket Shop:

     

  • Does Not Match: this Approver is selected if the field does not match the specified value

For example, Manon is set to approve requests if the customer is not Berry Brew or Boom FM:

Completing the approval matrix setup
To complete the approval matrix setup, click on DONE:


From there, you can further refine your approval matrix by adding Default Approversalternative rulesnegative rules, or by copying rules from one user to another to handle a more complex approval logic.

These additional options help tailor the approval workflow to your organisation’s needs.

For a quick overview on how to set up the approval matrix, check out this video: 

For a more in-depth step-by-step guide, check out this video:


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