Flexible Approval Rules – Exclude Specific Users from the Approval Workflow
Expense's Flexible Approval Rules allow organizations to create intelligent approval workflows based on internal accounts such as projects, cost centers, departments, or other dimensions. With the latest enhancement, administrators can now exclude specific employees from these advanced approval flows and instead route their reports directly to their designated approver. This provides greater flexibility and ensures that approval workflows align with organizational structures and approval policies.
What Are Flexible Approval Rules?
Flexible Approval Rules allow expense reports to be routed automatically based on selected internal accounts.
Examples include:
- 📁 Projects
- 📊 Cost Centers
- 🏢 Departments
- 📍 Business Units
Instead of all reports following the same approval path, Expense can determine the appropriate approver based on the accounting information entered on the report.
✅ This helps automate approvals and reduce manual administration.
What's New?
Exclude Users from Advanced Approval Flows
Administrators can now identify employees who should not follow the Flexible Approval Rules workflow.
When a user is excluded:
- ✅ Their reports bypass the advanced approval flow
- ✅ Reports are routed directly to the approver specified in their user profile
- ✅ Internal account approval rules are ignored for that individual
This allows organizations to create exceptions without changing the overall workflow structure.
Common Use Cases
Management Teams
Executives and senior managers may require a dedicated approval process.
Example:
- A management team member submits a report
- The report is sent directly to their assigned manager or approval chain
- Project-based approval rules are skipped
✅ Ensures a consistent management approval process.
Internal Projects
Some employees work across multiple projects and should not enter project-based approval loops.
Benefits include:
- Reduced duplicate approvals
- Faster processing
- Simplified workflows
✅ Reports reach the correct approver immediately.
Special Approval Exceptions
Organizations may have users who require unique approval handling, such as:
- Board members
- Finance personnel
- Executive assistants
- Consultants
✅ Flexible workflows can accommodate special business requirements.
💡If user has already submitted for some reason, deny accounting and re-submit it so it will go through the right flow with the new changes.
How to Exclude Users from the Flexible Approval Flow
Open Internal Accounts
- Navigate to:
Administration > Internal Accounts
- Select the internal account where Flexible Approval Rules are enabled.
✅ The account settings will open.
Open the Exclusion Settings
- Select the tab:
Excluded from Advanced Approval Flow
✅ You can now configure workflow exceptions.
Select Employees
- Choose the employee(s) you want to exclude.
- Save your changes.
✅ The selected employees are excluded from the advanced approval workflow.
How Approval Works After Exclusion
Once an employee has been excluded:
- The employee submits a report.
- Expense bypasses the Flexible Approval Rules for that user.
- The report is routed directly to the approver defined under:
Administrate > People
✅ Approval follows the user's personal approval configuration.
Benefits of User Exclusions
Full Approval Control
Adjust approval routing for individual employees without affecting other users.
Reduced Complexity
Avoid unnecessary approval steps for specific roles or functions.
Faster Processing
Reports reach the correct approver immediately.
Greater Flexibility
Combine advanced approval rules with user-specific exceptions.
Better Organizational Alignment
Ensure approval workflows reflect actual reporting structures.
💡 Best Practice Tips
Review Executive Approval Flows
Exclude managers and executives if they should always follow a dedicated approval path.
Limit Exceptions
Only exclude users when there is a clear operational or compliance-related reason.
Document Your Approval Process
Maintain clear documentation of approval responsibilities and exceptions.
Test Workflow Changes
Submit a test report after configuration changes to confirm the routing works as expected.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What happens when a user is excluded from the advanced approval flow?
Their reports bypass the Flexible Approval Rules and are sent directly to the approver assigned in their user profile.
Where do I configure excluded users?
Navigate to:
Administrate > Internal Accounts > Excluded from Advanced Approval Flow
Does this remove approval requirements?
No. The report still requires approval, but it follows the employee's personal approval setup instead of the flexible workflow.
Can I exclude multiple users?
Yes. Multiple employees can be added to the exclusion list.
Can Flexible Approval Rules and exclusions be used together?
Yes. User exclusions are designed to complement existing approval rules and provide greater workflow flexibility.
Summary
- ✅ Exclude selected users from Flexible Approval Rules
- 📁 Configure exclusions under Administrate > Internal Accounts
- 👤 Route reports directly to approvers assigned on employee profiles
- ⚡ Reduce unnecessary approval steps
- 🏢 Ideal for management teams, project exceptions, and special approval scenarios
- 🚀 Create more flexible, efficient, and customized approval workflows in Expense