Routing to roles

Prerequisites

If your organization uses routing to roles, the following setup is required:

  • Invoice approval roles

  • Invoice routing categories to be used in the invoice routing rule. Invoice routing categories include a list of Invoice Approval Assignments.

  • Invoice approval codes defined with the Assign Approval Using Roles option, the list of roles that can approve, in the order they are to be routed, and, optionally, with maximum amounts they are allowed to approve

  • Invoice routing rules that include these approval codes

  • Resources assigned to one or more roles and invoice routing categories

    Note: 

    More than one resource can be assigned the same role/invoice routing category.

How are the invoices routed?

  1. An AP processor needs to enter an Invoice Routing Category on the invoice.

  2. AP Invoice Automation finds a matching invoice.

  3. The approval code is displayed. The AP processor has the chance to change the approval code before submitting the approval.

  4. AP Invoice Automation evaluates the invoice approval code and routes the approval to the first approver (or approvers if more than one resource fits the criteria).

    The system matches the invoice routing category on the invoice and the first role on the invoice approval code with all resources assigned to that role and invoice routing category and creates a work unit for each resource that meets the criteria.

  5. Each approver receives a work unit in his or her inbasket.

    Note: 

    If multiple resources meet the criteria, any of the resources can approve the work unit. Once a resource takes action on a work unit, the work unit disappears from the inbasket of the other resources.

  6. An approver can access his work units through one of the following manners:

    • If the resource record includes an e-mail address and the option to receive a notification if an invoice awaits approval, the resource will receive an e-mail with a link to Invoice Approval, which is a web page containing a subset of the resource's inbasket, with only the invoices that the resource is responsible for.

    • If the resource accesses his or her notifications in Infor Rich Client, the notifications for the work units contain a link to Invoice Approval.

  7. To take action, the approver opens the work unit. A summary of the invoice appears. The approver cannot change the invoice. The approver can only enter comments and update distributions, depending on the Finance Group setting.

    • If the approver approves the invoice, the invoice is routed to the next approver on the approval code.

    • If the approver rejects the invoice, the invoice is returned to the AP processor as rejected. The AP processor can make changes and resubmit the invoice for approval.

    • If the approver reassigns the invoice to another resource, the invoice is routed to that resource.

  8. Once the last approver approves, the invoice status will be either Approved or Sent for Payment, depending on the Finance Group setting.