Mifumo

Approvals

Maker-checker on the documents you choose. People who can't approve submit, an approver posts or sends back with a reason, and nothing reaches the books before approval.

Getting started

Approvals are off until an admin turns them on for a kind of document. Once on, people who can't approve only submit that document, and an approver posts it.

  1. Open Settings, then Roles and approvals. You need a role that can manage users and roles.
  2. Under Approval flow, tick each document that needs approval before it posts.
  3. Press Save approval settings.
  4. Check who can approve. Each document's switch says who approves it. Admin and Manager approve everything; a custom role approves a document when it has the Approve tick on that document's row in the role grid.

People who can approve post directly, so they are never slowed down. Only the work of others waits.

How to

Choose which documents need approval

  1. Open Settings, then Roles and approvals.
  2. Under Approval flow, tick the documents you want checked. The list depends on your plan and modules, and can include:
    • Purchase orders
    • Supplier bills
    • Expenses (paid straight from cash or bank)
    • Supplier payments
    • Invoices
    • Manual journals
    • Customer receipts (money received from a customer)
    • Delivery confirmations (transport: offloading date and POD)
    • Payroll runs (HR: post and pay)
    • Vehicle sales: customer payments received, and adjustments to an invoice
  3. If you like, set amounts next to a document, in your base currency:
    • Only from: smaller amounts post straight away. For example, payments only need approval from TSh 500,000.
    • Approver's own up to: above this, even an approver's own entry waits for a second approver. For example, a manager's own payment over TSh 5,000,000 needs another approver. Leave them blank to check every amount.
  4. Press Save approval settings.

Per diem requests, salary advance requests and petty cash requests are always approved before an accountant pays them, so they are not in the list.

Let a custom role approve

  1. Open Settings, then Roles and approvals.
  2. Open the role under Your roles, or make one under New role.
  3. In the role grid, tick Approve on each document this role may approve (for example Bills, Supplier payments, Journal, Payroll, Receipts). A role that approves bills does not approve journals unless that is ticked too. Rows marked Needs approval are the ones switched on under Approval flow. Ticking the Approve heading ticks it for every section.
  4. Press Save or Create role.

Give the role to people on the Users page.

Submit a document for approval

  1. Fill in the invoice, bill, purchase order or other document as usual.
  2. Where the button would say Approve and post, it says Submit for approval. Press it.
  3. The document waits as Awaiting approval. Everyone who can approve is tagged in Mentions so they see it.

For a payment or journal, what you typed is kept exactly as entered and posted only once it is approved.

Approve or send back a request

  1. In the sidebar, open Mentions and approvals, then the Approvals tab. The Waiting tab lists what is waiting for you.
  2. Click the item to open the document, or open Details to see what was entered.
  3. Press Approve and post to post it to the ledger.
  4. Or open Reject, type a Reason and press Send back.

The person who submitted it is told the outcome. If posting fails, for example because the period is closed, the request stays waiting and you see why.

Withdraw a request you submitted

  1. Open Mentions and approvals, then Approvals.
  2. Find your request under Waiting and press Withdraw.

You can then change the document and submit it again.

Fix a request that was sent back

  1. Open Mentions and approvals, then Approvals, and choose Decided. The reason is shown next to Rejected.
  2. Open the document, make the change, and press Submit for approval again.

See the approval history

  1. Open Mentions and approvals, then Approvals, and choose Decided.
  2. Each row shows whether it was approved, rejected or withdrawn, who decided, when, and the reason.

Every approval, send-back and override is also kept in the audit trail.

Settings

Approval settings are on Settings, then Roles and approvals.

Some modules have their own approval choices on their settings pages, such as Approve rent invoices straight away in Property settings. When your invoices need approval, those invoices go for approval either way.

Questions

Can I approve my own request?

No. Another approver has to. Only the account owner can decide their own request, and it is recorded as an override.

Why didn't my invoice ask for approval?

Your role can approve, so you post directly, or the invoice is below the Only from amount. Approval only applies to people who can't approve, unless the amount is above Approver's own up to.

Who is told when something is waiting?

Everyone who can approve in the company is tagged in Mentions. The person who submitted it hears when it is approved or sent back.

Can I approve from my phone?

Yes, in the Mifumo phone app. Open Account and security, press Mifumo on your phone, then Pair a phone and scan the code with the app. The app shows what is waiting, and you can approve or send back from there.

What does the account owner see?

Everything waiting for approval in the company. The owner can approve or send back any request, including their own and anything waiting on another approver.

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