The new WFA engine requires all approvers to be set up as system users. All current non-system approvers will automatically be converted to system users. This conversion will be triggered as soon as you save the Approval Settings configuration. See Approval Workflow for details on configuration. These approvers will not receive an email system login invite as they are already system users. 

Non-system approvers will have the following assigned to them during migration:

• A new profile called ‘Non Finance Approver’ with a ‘Business User’ type at entity and group level (restricted permissions to PO and PI listing screens). 
  • Note that if you want approvers to start accessing the system, change this profile as it's a restricted, non-editable default profile by design. It will not be possible to edit the profile's permissions or send a password setup link. Instead, create a new profile, configure its permissions and assign it to the migrated users. See Create & Manage Users for more details.
• If the budget holder approval type was used previously, then the new approver will have the ‘Budget holder’ flag enabled in the Approvers setup screen.  
• If the approver was using the mobile app, then the approver will have the Mobile checkbox ticked under the new Approval Preferences.

Migrating results in the following:

• When you save the Approval Settings configurations, the Purchase Approver screen will disappear. The Approver setup tab will be renamed to Bulk Payments Approvers.
• In Company Details & Settings > Approval Settings, Purchase Approval Settings will disappear. Instead, these settings along with additional ones will appear in the Workflow setup screens. Batch Payment Settings will remain.  
  
• In addition, customers using the legacy WFA Supplier type will no longer see the default approver option in the Supplier account settings screen. Instead, approvers will also be managed in the new workflow.

When a new workflow is activated, all documents pending approval in the legacy Workflow approval engine will be assigned an ‘Action Required’ status, meaning they must be redirected to the new engine by re-submitting them manually for approval.

To do this, navigate to the Purchase Orders and/or Purchase Invoices listing screens, find the documents with ‘Action Required’ status (by filtering Approval Status column), and click on Re-submit for approval against each document. 

Overview of Document statuses

See Approve with Approval Workflow for full details on statuses. 

Do approvers have set limits associated with them like in the legacy workflow?

No. Limits are now set in the workflow steps. This means that the same approver can have different limits in different workflows, offering you greater flexibility.

In this example the same approver has different levels in two different workflows:

Can I still have external approvers that approve via email?

To use the new Approval Workflow, all external approvers will need to be set up as system users. We will handle the automation for you when you switch over. However, they can continue approving via email without the need to log in.

Can I test this in a sandbox before going live?

Yes, contact the onboarding or support team at support@accountsiq.com.

Do I need to start using the workflows as soon as I create them?

No, saved workflows will have a Draft status and will not impact existing legacy workflows. However once you activate a draft, the new workflow will  become active and immediately render the legacy version unavailable. This is irreversible.