Accounts Payable
Part of Accounts payable software
Comparing bill capture and approval workflows
Compare how supplier bills enter a system, reach the right approver and remain traceable when a charge changes.
Compare capture and approval as connected steps. Capture should turn a supplier document into an accurate, traceable bill candidate. Approval should show who accepted the charge and which version they saw. A fast upload is less useful if a material detail can change afterwards without a clear new decision.
Follow the same incoming bills
Prepare one fictional emailed supplier invoice and one photographed paper invoice. Give each candidate workflow the same supplier, order or contract reference, description, amount and due date. Check where each document lands, who can see it and whether the system creates an unprocessed file, a draft bill or a recorded payable. Note the product, plan, user role and settings shown.
Compare the original document with extracted fields. A reviewer needs to see whether they are correcting a draft, attaching evidence to an existing bill or creating another payable. If the same document reaches two inboxes, search for the first record before saving the second arrival.
| Capture question | What to inspect |
|---|---|
| Entry route | Which email, photo, upload and manual routes reach the review queue? |
| Source view | Can the reviewer see the original beside the extracted fields? |
| Existing record | Can the document be attached to a bill already entered? |
| Correction | Who can change extracted fields, and does the recorded bill retain its source? |
| Handoff | Which action moves the item to bill review or approval? |
A label such as For review need not mean formal approval. Intuit's Australian QuickBooks bill guidance says a user can save a reviewed bill into the Unpaid section, while its plan page lists automated workflows under Advanced. Check the actual route in the subscription proposed to you.
Bill Capture and Approval Workflow Comparison
- Entry Route
- Email, photo upload, manual entry, file import
- Source View
- Original document visible alongside extracted fields
- Existing Record
- Document can be attached to an existing bill or draft
- Correction
- Extracted fields editable; source retained for audit trail
- Handoff
- Manual action or automated trigger moves item to review/approval
Trace the approval decision
State what the approver is deciding: the purchase, the supplier's bill or the release of payment. Check when that decision happens, what evidence the person can see and whether the bill can proceed without it. A purchase approval does not, by itself, confirm that the eventual invoice is accurate.
Follow a bill that agrees with its order or contract, then one with a higher amount or changed supplier payment details. Ask where each exception goes, how a rejection returns to the preparer and whether the reason remains visible.
Change the amount after approval and check whether the earlier approval still applies or a fresh decision is required under the business's policy. An activity log may show an edit without showing that someone accepted the revised charge.
Record the approver's role and the route used when they are absent. Where a small team combines steps, identify the independent check the business requires. Check whether the proposed workflow can carry those decisions and leave them retrievable.
Approval Decision Traceability Process
- Identify decision typeApprove purchase, supplier invoice, or payment release
- Confirm timing and evidence accessApprover sees original document and extracted data before deciding
- Handle exceptionsHigher amount or changed supplier details routed to exception process
- Track rejection and returnRejected bills return with reason visible to preparer
- Manage post-approval changesRevised amounts require new approval; edit logs must show decision status
Compare the result
For each candidate, record works in the proposed plan, requires configuration, needs a manual control or unresolved. Include an ordinary bill, missing document, rejected charge and change after approval. Ask another reviewer to retrieve the source, current bill and decision history without help from the person who entered them.
The workflow is suitable only if the approved bill version remains identifiable when payment is prepared. Record any gap before relying on the route for live bills.
Workflow Suitability Assessment
- Works in proposed plan
- Xero, MYOB Business, QuickBooks Online (Advanced)
- Requires configuration
- Automated routing, role-based approvals, audit trails
- Needs manual control
- Exception handling, reconciliation, final sign-off
- Unresolved
- Post-approval edits without re-approval tracking
