Approvals and Decisions
Approval actions change the status of a document or workflow task. Depending on the module, actions can approve, reject, forward, request correction, or complete a processing step.
Before approving, users should verify the document, metadata, amount, responsible area, and any module-specific checks.
Common Decision Types
| Decision | Typical meaning |
|---|---|
| Approve | Confirms the document or step and moves the workflow forward. |
| Reject | Declines the document or sends it back according to workflow rules. |
| Request correction | Sends the document to another person or team for correction. |
| Forward | Transfers responsibility to another user or group. |
| Complete | Marks a non-approval task as done. |
| Cancel | Stops or aborts a process, if allowed. |
The exact labels can differ by module and customer configuration.
Before Approving
Users should verify the relevant information before approval.
For general documents, check:
- correct document,
- complete metadata,
- readable preview,
- correct client or project,
- comments or previous decisions,
- attachments or relations.
For invoices, also check:
- supplier,
- amount,
- currency,
- due date,
- accounting assignment,
- tax information,
- responsible accounting area,
- previous approval steps.
Why a Decision Button May Be Missing
An expected button may be missing because:
- the document is in the wrong lifecycle state,
- the user is not the current assignee,
- the user lacks write permission,
- the user's role does not allow this transition,
- the workflow requires another step first,
- mandatory metadata is missing,
- the task is already completed,
- the view is read-only.
If the document is visible but the action is missing, the issue is usually not read permission but workflow or write permission.
Comments on Decisions
Some decisions require or allow a comment. Use comments to explain why a document was rejected, forwarded, or corrected.
Good decision comments are factual and specific:
- "Cost center missing; returned to accounting."
- "Approved after checking delivery note."
- "Forwarded to project owner for budget confirmation."
Audit Trail
Decisions are normally written to the audit trail. This ensures that later users can see who approved, rejected, corrected, or forwarded the document and when the action happened.
For compliance-relevant approvals, the audit trail is part of the business record.