Modify Approval Paths

Modify Approval Paths allows you to establish the groups of individuals whose approval is needed for Purchase Orders and Check Requests to be finalized.

Modify Approvals

You are setting up a user hierarchy that must give consent for a Purchase Order or Check Request to be approved. You also define which users have the right to create Purchase Orders and Check Requests using each approval path.

You can define which approvers have more authority, which users have the right to create Purchase Orders and Check Requests using each approval path, and the dollar limit of automated approvals, all by creating custom approval paths. Approval paths can be as broad or as specific as you like. Set up an approval path for specific kinds of purchases (e.g., office supplies), or by department (e.g., Youth Department, Music Department).

Note: There is a Task Role security option under Purchasing Management for Purchase Order Approval Override. This option allows a user to grant final approval when the person designated as the final approver is not in the office. A user set up with this particular right can approve any purchase order at any time, regardless of the chosen path.

Approval Paths Grid

The Approval Paths grid contains the Description of each existing Approval Path.

1. Click the Edit icon or double-click any path in the grid to edit it.
2. Click Add New Approval Path to add a new Approval Path.
3. Click the Delete icon to delete an existing Approval Path.

Note: You can delete Approval Paths only if they have not yet been used in the Purchasing Management application.

Approval Paths > Update

Approval Paths > Update allows you to add or edit an Approval Path.

Modify Approval Paths

1. Enter the Name of the approval path.
2. Select Active if the approval path is active.
3. Select Use for Request Approval Path to enable purchase order requests to be submitted for approval for the selected person or group. This option is only available if "Use Payment Approval Process" is selected in Company Information.
4. Select Use for Payment Approval Path to enable purchase orders to be submitted for payment approval for the selected person or group. This option is only available if "Use Payment Approval Process" is selected in Company Information. See Payment Approval Process for more information.

There are two tabs: Allowed Users and Approval Path.

Allowed Users Tab

The Allowed Users tab specifies which users are allowed to view or create Requisitions using the Approval Path.

1. Drag users from the List of All Users column to the Assigned User(s) column.

Tip: Drag users between columns rather than using the >> and << buttons, which move all users.

Note: If the Assigned User(s) column is left blank, all users can view and create Requisitions for the Approval Path.

Note: If a user is granted the Approval Override permission in Security Setup, they can approve any Requisition for which they are an Allowed User.

Approval Path Tab

1. Drag the first user from the Available Users column to the User(s) in the Approval Path column. This is the initial person who must approve the Requisition. The specified user displays Start With in an inactive drop-down list by their name.
2. Specify a dollar amount in the provided field if desired. Requisitions that total less than this amount are automatically approved by the specified user.
3. Continue adding users to the Approval Path by dragging them from the Available Users column. Drag users vertically within the User(s) in the Approval Path column to change the order of their approval. The topmost user is the first to approve the Requisition and has the least authority.
4. For each subsequent user, select Or or Ends with from the drop-down list.

When a user is set to Or with another user in the Approval Path, only one of them needs to approve the Requisition for it to move forward. If you have a user set to Ends with and you add another user beneath them, their drop-down list changes to Then. The final user in the Approval Path is set to Ends with unless you only have one person in the path. The Requisition does not become a Purchase Order or Check Request until the final approver has approved it.

Note: If the User(s) in the Approval Path column is left blank, users can approve their own Requisitions.

Note: In the example below, Diana has to approve every Requisition. Once she has approved it, if the total is less than $20, it is automatically fully approved. If the total is $20 or more, then either David or Matt must approve the Requisition. Once either David or Matt has approved the Requisition, it is sent to Stephen for final approval if the total is $100 or more. If the total is less than $100 then the Requisition is automatically finalized.

Note: Users farther down in the path can skip previous approvers. In the example above, Stephen could open the Requisition and override the approvals of Diana, David, and Matt.

Save or Cancel Changes

1. Click Update to save your changes and return to the Approval Paths page.
2. Click Reset to undo all changes since the last time the Approval Path was updated.
3. Click Cancel to discard all changes and return to the Approval Paths page.

Updated June 05, 2026 16:23