Order approval flow based on cost centers

You can set up order approvals based on cost center. You can set up a single-level approval flow or a multi-level approval flow.

In a single-level flow, orders related to a cost center must be approved if they exceed a value that you specify. You can require approval of all orders.

In a multi-level flow, you create a sequential list of approvers. Approvers in the first sequence approve the order, followed by approvers in the second sequence, and so on. After an approver in each sequence approves the order, the order is submitted for fulfillment by the last-level approver.

You can also associate approval limits with approver sequences. Depending on the value of the order, multiple users must approve the order. For example, you can set up one user who approves orders over $500 but under $1000, a second user who approves orders over $1000 but under $2500, and a third user who approves orders over $2500. If an order for $1250 is submitted, the first and second user must approve the order. If an order exceeds $2500, then all three users must approve the order. Approvers in the last sequence complete checkout.

Each approver sequence can contain more than one approver. The same approver can be included in more than one sequence.

As an order request moves through the approval process, notifications are sent to stakeholders. This table shows a summary of when notifications are sent and who receives them:
Action Notifications
Requestor submits an order for approval Approvers in first approval group receive notification that an order is pending approval.
Requestor cancels request before final approval. Approvers who are currently evaluating an order for approval. For example, if you have two approver sequences, and a user in the first approver sequence has approved the order, then the users in the second sequence receive the cancellation notification.
Approver rejects an order The requestor receives a rejection notification.
Approver approves an order

The requestor receives an approval notification.

Users in the next approver sequence receive notification that an order is pending approval.

If the approver is in the last approver sequence or in the only approver sequence, then the order is submitted. An order confirmation notification is sent to the final approver and the requestor.

When a requestor submits an order that requires multiple approvals, the total number of approvals and the current approval level are displayed in these areas of the web shop:
  • Review and Approval steps of the checkout
  • The My Orders tab on the Dashboard Order For Approval widget Orders and Approvals page
  • The My Orders and For Approvals tabs in the order approval list
  • The Approval Details page

The status timeline shows when orders were sent for approval, approved, rejected, or canceled.

Activation

Complete these tasks in the Business Center:
  • In the Application Properties form, specify true in the Ordering.Cost Center Enabled field and Cost center in the Ordering.Order Approval Flow Mode field.
  • Ensure that approvers are associated with the cost center and assigned to a role that includes the Order Approver feature element.

Limitations

Multi-customer users cannot request or approve orders.

If you use order approval features, you cannot use skip order simulation features.

We recommend that you do not update order approval setup for a cost center that has pending transactions.