Introduction to Workflows in Winvoice
Winvoice's rule engine automates an invoice's lifecycle through your organization from arrival to final posting. Instead of managing each invoice manually, you can set up intelligent rules that pre-code lines, route invoices to responsible stakeholders, build multi-tier approval chains, and conduct automated financial reviews.
In Winvoice, workflows are structured into three distinct workflow types under the Workflows menu, mirroring the three phases of an invoice in the system:
The Three Workflow Types in the Product
| Product Tab | When is it triggered? | Scope | Primary Purpose | Unique Parameters & Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incoming | Directly upon import & interpretation | Entire invoice | Pre-code, set payment terms, distribute for approval, or auto-approve | Supplier, buyer reference, invoice type (debit/credit), posting template, direct auto-approval |
| Approval | When a coding line is approved | Individual line (line-by-line) | Build approval chains, amount thresholds, and escalations | Previous approver, line amount, specific account/project per line, supplier default approver |
| Review | When all lines have finished approval | Entire invoice | Finance department final review before ERP export | Total amount, sample audit checks, assign specific final reviewer/accountant, tags |
Common Principles for All Workflows
Regardless of which workflow type you are configuring, all workflows in Winvoice share the same foundational mechanics:
1. Priority Order (Top to Bottom)
Workflow rules are always evaluated in the order they appear in the list, from top to bottom:
- First Match Wins: When an invoice or line is evaluated, the first workflow whose conditions are satisfied executes.
- Reorder Workflows: You can easily adjust priorities by dragging and dropping workflows up or down in the list.
- Place Specific Rules on Top: Always place granular rules (e.g. for a specific supplier and threshold) higher in the list than general fallback rules.
2. The Condition Builder ("When should it happen?")
Each rule defines the trigger criteria:
- Always Applies: The workflow triggers on all invoices/lines regardless of content (ideal as a catch-all at the bottom of the list).
- And-Conditions (Within the same group): All conditions in the group must be satisfied simultaneously for the rule to trigger.
- Or-Conditions (Between groups): Creates alternative condition groups. The rule triggers if either Group 1 or Group 2 is satisfied.
3. Override Settings (Override)
Each workflow includes an Override existing values setting:
- Enabled: The workflow's actions replace values previously interpreted by the system or assigned in earlier steps.
- Disabled: The workflow's actions only populate fields that are currently empty, leaving existing values intact.
Deep Dive into Each Workflow Type
Explore our detailed guides to configure each workflow type:
- Incoming Workflows: Automate ingestion, interpretation, template mapping, and touchless approvals.
- Approval Workflows: Build secure approval chains, amount limits, and multi-tier routing per coding line.
- Review Workflows: Set up final finance control, sampling audits, and pre-booking checks.
- Four-Eyes Principle: Ensure that at least two distinct individuals sign off on every document.