Predefined Approval Workflows
in Stampli Invoice Processing
Predefined workflows automatically assign invoices to specific approvers based on specific criteria.
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How Stampli supports Predefined Approval Workflows
Stampli’s Predefined Approval Workflows enable accounts payable teams in complex organizations to create and maintain fixed workflows that automatically assign invoices to specific approvers based on predefined criteria. This ensures compliance with strict approval processes while reducing manual effort.
The old way: predefined approval workflows without Stampli
Without Stampli, maintaining these processes can be challenging, requiring significant manual effort to route invoices correctly. Many companies maintain their routing rules manually in dense spreadsheets, which require considerable effort both to leverage as a user as well as to maintain as an admin.
Stampli’s approach
While most companies benefit from Stampli’s dynamic workflows, the Predefined Approval Workflows feature is an invaluable tool for complex organizations with strictly defined processes, helping them streamline their invoice approval process and maintain compliance.
Key features
Workflow builder
Create and maintain fixed workflows using an interface based on criteria for invoice fields, reducing the complexity of typical workflow setup.
Multi-criteria approver assignment
Assign specific approvers based on up to 5 invoice field values, such as vendor, company, amount, and department.
Flexible field types
Support for drop-down list, yes/no, and numerical field types, and table fields.
Approval controls
Enforce controls at the time of approval assignment, ensuring compliance with strict approval policies.
Fixed or flexible configurations
Choose between fixed configurations (approval workflows fully hardcoded) and flexible configurations (approvers can be added/removed during coding/routing).
Predefined Approval Workflows FAQ
How do Predefined Approval Workflows differ from Stampli's more typical dynamic workflows?
Stampli’s dynamic workflows route invoices to the right approvers based on historical patterns. Predefined Approval Workflows allow you to create fixed approval chains in advance based on specific invoice criteria.
Can I assign approvers based on any field on the invoice?
You can assign specific approvers based on up to 5 invoice fields, including vendor, company, amount, department, and custom fields.
What types of fields are supported for building approval workflow criteria?
Stampli supports using drop-down lists, yes/no fields, numerical fields and table fields as criteria for defining approval workflows.
How are approval controls enforced with Predefined Approval Workflows?
Approval controls are enforced at the time an invoice is assigned to the workflow. This ensures invoices adhere to your predefined criteria and approval policies.
Can I use Predefined Approval Workflows for some invoices and Dynamic Workflows for others?
No, the entire account uses either Predefined or Dynamic workflows. This cannot be set on an individual invoice basis.
Can approvers be added or removed from a Predefined Approval Workflow once an invoice is assigned?
It depends on how you configure the workflow. You can choose to allow approvers to be added/removed during invoice coding and routing (we call this “flexible workflows”), or lock the workflow so no changes can be made after assignment (we call this “fixed workflows).
Learn more about
Predefined Approval Workflows in Stampli
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