"It's just an approval workflow" is the most expensive sentence in procurement software
In the demo, it's three boxes: request, manager, CFO. Everyone nods. Then production shows up with questions the canvas never asked. The questions the canvas never asked The approver left the company last month, and the workflow still points at them. The amount lands exactly on the threshold. Above 10k goes to finance. Is 10k above 10k? The request was approved, then someone edited one line. Does…
A recent demo highlighted the complexities of approval workflows in procurement software. The demo featured three primary components: request, manager, and CFO. However, real-world scenarios often present questions that were not considered during initial design. One such question was the status of the approver who had left the company.
Additionally, the threshold amount for approval triggered different actions, causing confusion. The approval process can be affected by changes made during its execution, leading to uncertainty about which steps are impacted. Role-based approvals and quorum gates added another layer of complexity. The configuration for these workflows is determined by various factors, including the HRIS, which can lead to inconsistent behavior.
To address these issues, one approach is to freeze the workflow conditions at the initiation phase. This ensures deterministic and auditable results while minimizing unexpected edge cases. By leveraging existing systems, such as the HRIS, to determine workflow parameters, the approval process becomes more transparent and less prone to errors.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
