Understanding and Configuring Approval Routing in Microix Workflow Modules Modern

Overview

Microix Workflow Modules Modern provides a flexible approval routing system that allows organizations to control how documents are reviewed, approved, and processed.

Approval routing determines who is responsible for approving a document, which approval levels are required, and how the document moves between those levels based on the organization's approval policies.

Approval routing can be configured for different document types, including Requisitions, Purchase Orders, Invoices, Timesheets, Budgets, and other supported transactions.

Organizations can create simple approval processes involving a single approver or more complex workflows that include multiple approvers, dollar amount thresholds, conditional routing, and category-based approval rules.

Important: Approval routing is controlled by the Goto and Else settings, not necessarily by the numerical order of approval levels. Depending on the configured conditions, Microix may skip certain levels or route documents through additional approvals.

How Approval Routing Works

When a user submits a document, Microix determines how the document should be routed based on the configured approval rules.

The general process is as follows:

1. Microix identifies the Organization Workflow (Department) assigned to the document.
2. The system identifies the approval routing configuration for the selected document type.
3. The document is submitted from the Requester level to the first configured approval level.
4. Microix identifies the approver or approvers assigned to the current level.
5. Once an authorized approver approves the document, Microix evaluates the configured routing conditions.
6. The document advances to the next approval level based on the Goto or Else setting.
7. This process continues until the document reaches its final processing level.

Depending on the configuration, certain approval levels may be skipped if they are not required for the transaction.

For example, an organization may require a Manager to approve all Purchase Orders but only require Director approval when the amount exceeds $5,000.

Microix can automatically route lower-value Purchase Orders directly to Accounting while sending higher-value Purchase Orders through the Director before reaching Accounting.

Step 1 — Access Approval Routing Setup

To configure approval routing:

1. Navigate to Maintenance → Organization Workflow.
2. Select the workflow (department) you want to configure.
3. Open the Approval Routing tab.
4. Select the Document Type you want to configure, such as Purchase Order, Requisition, Invoice, or Timesheet.
5. Review the existing approval levels or add new approval assignments as needed.

Note: Approval routing is configured separately for each applicable document type within an organization workflow. Different workflows can have different routing requirements. Use the workflow wizard to copy the setup to another workflow or transaction type.

Step 2 — Understanding the Approval Routing Columns

The Approval Routing screen contains several settings used to control how documents move through the approval process.

Some optional fields may not be applicable to every organization or document type.

Step 3 — Configure Approval Levels and Approvers

Each approval level represents a stage in the document approval process.

Common approval levels include:

Approval level names and numbers may vary depending on the organization's configuration.

Important Considerations

Approval levels do not have to execute in numerical order.

For example, a document at Level 1 can be configured to proceed directly to Level 10, bypassing Levels 2 through 9.

Similarly, a document may require additional approvals depending on its amount or other configured routing conditions.

The Goto and Else columns determine the next destination after an approval is completed.

Administrators should always review these settings when creating or modifying approval routing.

Step 4 — Configure General and Alternate Approvers

Microix allows multiple eligible approvers to be assigned to the same approval level.

For example:

In this configuration, both Robert Smith and Anna Belle Martin are authorized to approve the document.

How It Works

• Both approvers can access and approve the document.
• The first approver to complete the approval advances the document to the next applicable level.
• The second approver is not required to approve the same document.
• The document follows the configured routing rules after approval.

Important: An Alternate approver does not have to wait for the General approver to become unavailable. Both are eligible to approve, and whichever approves first moves the document forward.

This feature helps organizations prevent approval delays when a primary approver is busy, unavailable, or out of the office. If alternate approver, list will show orange dot and if general approver, it will show green dot

Step 5 — Configure Amount-Based Approval Routing

Microix allows administrators to determine which approval levels are required based on the transaction amount.

Amount-based routing is controlled through three settings:

Less Equal, Goto, and Else.

Understanding Less Equal

The Less Equal value represents the amount threshold evaluated when the document is approved at the current level.

• If the document amount is less than or equal to the configured value, Microix follows Goto.
• If the document amount exceeds the configured value, Microix follows Else.
• If Less Equal is $0.00, no amount limit applies and Microix follows Goto, regardless of the document amount.

Example 1 — Simple Approval Without an Amount Limit

In this example, all submitted documents follow the same approval route regardless of their amount.

Requester → Manager → Accounting → Documents Approved

Because each Less Equal value is $0.00, there are no amount-based conditions, and the Else column is not used.

Example 2 — Approval Routing Based on Dollar Amount

Assume an organization has the following approval policy:

• Manager approval is required for all Purchase Orders.
• Director approval is required when the amount exceeds $1,000.
• CFO approval is required when the amount exceeds $5,000.
• All approved Purchase Orders must proceed to Accounting.

The routing can be configured as follows:

How Documents Are Routed Based on Amount

Microix uses the configured Less Equal, Goto, and Else settings to determine how many approval levels a document must pass through based on its amount.

Purchase Order for $750 — One Management Approval

Requester → Manager → Accounting → Documents Approved

Because $750 is less than or equal to the Manager's $1,000 approval threshold, the document proceeds directly to Accounting after Manager approval. Director and CFO approvals are not required.

Purchase Order for $3,000 — Two Management Approvals

Requester → Manager → Director → Accounting → Documents Approved

Because $3,000 exceeds the Manager's $1,000 approval threshold, the document must first be approved by the Manager before proceeding to the Director. Since the amount is within the Director's $5,000 approval threshold, the document proceeds to Accounting after Director approval.

Purchase Order for $12,000 — Three Management Approvals

Requester → Manager → Director → CFO → Accounting → Documents Approved

Because $12,000 exceeds both the Manager's $1,000 threshold and the Director's $5,000 threshold, the document must receive approval from all three levels: Manager, Director, and CFO, before proceeding to accounting.

Important: Understanding Cumulative Approval Routing

When configuring amount-based approvals, Microix does not bypass lower approval levels simply because the document amount exceeds their approval authority.

Instead, each required approval level must approve the document before it advances to the next level specified by the routing conditions.

• Lower-value documents require fewer approval levels when their amounts fall within the configured approval thresholds.
• Higher-value documents require additional approval levels as their amounts exceed the thresholds.
• Goto determines the next destination when the amount is within the current level's approval authority.
• Else directs the document to an additional approval level when the amount exceeds the current level's approval authority.

This ensures that higher-value transactions receive all required management approvals while lower-value transactions can be processed more efficiently.

Note: The exact approval sequence is determined by the configured Goto and Else destinations, allowing organizations to customize routing according to their approval policies.

Step 6 — Configure Category-Based Approval Routing (Optional)

In addition to amount-based routing, organizations may use approval categories when different funding sources, account segments, or document attributes require different approval paths.

For example, an organization may require different approval routing depending on the Fund, Grant, Project, or other account segment associated with a transaction.

Categories may also be used with User Defined Fields when supported by the configured workflow.

Example

An organization may want:

• General operating expenses reviewed by the department Manager.
• Grant-related expenses reviewed by an authorized Grant Manager.
• Certain specialized transactions routed through additional approval levels.

Administrators can configure the appropriate approval categories and routing rules to accommodate these requirements.

Note: Category-based approval routing is optional. Organizations without specialized routing requirements can use the General category for standard approvals.

Step 7 — Configure Final Approval Notifications

The Final Approval checkbox controls when Microix notifies the requester that their document has been approved.

This setting is important for organizations that distinguish between management approval and subsequent accounting processing.

For example, an organization may consider a Purchase Order approved once the Manager completes the approval, even though the document must still proceed to Accounting for additional processing.

When the appropriate Final Approval setting is enabled, Microix uses that configuration to determine when the requester should receive the approved-document notification.

Important

The Final Approval checkbox is not the same as the Documents Approved level.

Step 8 — Enable Approval Directly From Email (Optional)

The HTML Approver checkbox allows an approver to approve a document directly from the email notification without logging into the Microix application.

When this option is enabled for an approval assignment, the approver can use the approval functionality provided in the email notification.

Benefits

• Reduces the time required to approve routine transactions.
• Allows authorized approvers to respond without opening the Microix application.
• Helps reduce approval delays for users who primarily work from email.
• Provides a convenient alternative to approving documents within the application.

Configuration

1. Open the Approval Routing configuration.
2. Locate the approver assignment.
3. Enable HTML Approver.
4. Save the configuration.

This setting is optional and can be enabled for selected approvers according to the organization's approval policies. This option should not be set if the approver is required to view attachments or make changes to the document. 

NOTE: This feature is purchased separately

Step 9 — Understanding Accounting and Final Document Processing

Accounting is typically one of the last stages of the approval process.

For example, a Purchase Order may follow this route:

Requester → Manager → Accounting → Documents Approved

At the Accounting level, an authorized user may perform the required accounting review before advancing the document.

When the document reaches the final processing destination, Microix provides the applicable option to transfer the transaction to MIP Accounting, depending on the document type and workflow configuration.

Some workflows may use a separate final processing level, such as Level 9, and not necessarily use level 10 Accounting.

Important

The final destination should be configured appropriately for each document type.

Reaching the final processing level does not necessarily mean the transaction has already been transferred to MIP Accounting. The applicable transfer process must still be completed.

Step 10 — Save and Test Approval Routing

After configuring approval levels, approvers, and routing conditions, administrators should test the workflow before allowing users to process production transactions.

Recommended Testing

1. Save the approval routing configuration.
2. Create a test document using the applicable workflow.
3. Submit the document and verify that it reaches the expected first approval level.
4. Approve the document and confirm that Microix follows the configured Goto or Else destination.
5. For amount-based workflows, test transactions both below and above the configured thresholds.
6. When multiple approvers are assigned to the same level, verify that the first approval advances the document.
7. Verify that requester notifications are generated at the intended Final Approval point.
8. If HTML Approver is enabled, test approval from the email notification.
9. Confirm that the document reaches the expected final processing destination.

If the routing does not behave as expected, return to the Approval Routing configuration and review the Less Equal, Goto, Else, category, and approver assignments.

Best Practices for Approval Routing

Keep Approval Routing Simple

Configure only the approval levels necessary to satisfy your organization's policies.

Adding unnecessary levels can increase approval delays and create more configuration complexity.

Use Alternate Approvers to Reduce Delays

Assign alternate approvers to levels where approval delays are likely.

Because either the General or Alternate approver can approve, this reduces dependency on a single individual.

Use Dollar Thresholds Where Appropriate

Amount-based approval routing allows organizations to require higher-level authorization only when necessary.

For example, smaller purchases can proceed directly from Manager approval to Accounting, while larger purchases can require additional management review.

Review Goto and Else Carefully

Do not assume that documents automatically follow numerical approval level order.

Always verify where each approval level routes the document.

Use $0.00 for Unlimited Routing

When there is no amount limit, configure Less Equal as $0.00.

Microix will follow the Goto destination regardless of the document amount, and Else will not apply.

Configure Final Approval Notifications Appropriately

Determine when the organization considers a document approved and configure the Final Approval setting accordingly.

This ensures requesters receive approval notifications at the intended point in the process.

Test Changes Before Regular Use

Whenever approval routing is modified, test different transaction amounts and routing scenarios to confirm that the updated configuration follows the organization's approval policies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Microix always route documents through approval levels in numerical order?

No. Microix uses the configured Goto and Else conditions to determine the next approval level. Documents may skip levels when those levels are not required.

Can two approvers be assigned to the same approval level?

Yes. Multiple eligible approvers can be assigned to the same level using General and Alternate categories. The first approver to approve the document advances it to the next applicable level.

Does an Alternate approver have to wait until the General approver is unavailable?

No. Both the General and Alternate approvers are eligible to approve the document.

What happens when Less Equal is set to $0.00?

A value of $0.00 indicates that no amount limit applies. Microix follows the configured Goto destination regardless of the document amount. Else does not apply.

Can a document skip approval levels?

Yes. For example, a document can move directly from Level 1 to Level 10 if its routing configuration specifies Level 10 as the next destination.

What is the purpose of the Final Approval checkbox?

It determines when Microix notifies the requester that the document has been approved. It does not necessarily represent the final processing destination.

Can approvers approve documents without logging into Microix?

Yes. When HTML Approver is enabled, the approver can approve directly from the email notification without logging into the application.

Does reaching the final level automatically transfer the document to MIP Accounting?

Not necessarily. The final processing level provides the applicable transfer option, depending on the document type and configuration. The transfer process must still be completed.

Summary

Microix Workflow Modules Modern provides flexible approval routing that can be tailored to each organization's business policies.

Administrators can configure approval levels, assign multiple approvers, establish dollar amount conditions, route documents according to funding or category requirements, and determine when requesters receive approval notifications.

The most important configuration settings to understand are Less Equal, Goto, and Else, because these determine how a document advances through the approval process.

By properly configuring and testing these routing rules, organizations can ensure that transactions receive the required approvals while avoiding unnecessary processing delays.