The System Defined Invoice Workflow gives every invoice in CMP a built-in path from data entry through payment. You do not have to set up every piece of every step: the steps that just need to work do, and Invoice Setup lets you configure the ones that need more nuance, like approvals. This article covers the workflow steps, how to configure them, and how Funds in Transit tracks a payment until it clears the bank.
Important: Coming Soon. This is an early look, so some details may be added, removed, or changed before the official release. If your account looks different from what's shown here, don't worry! This update is rolling out gradually and will be available to you soon.
Contents
- What the Workflow Does
- Open Invoice Setup
- Workflow Steps and System Statuses
- Configure a Step
- Inherit From a Model or Override
- How Invoices Move Through the Workflow
- Funds in Transit and Paid and Cleared
- FAQ
What the Workflow Does
Instead of building and maintaining an invoice workflow step by step, your invoices follow a consistent, system-defined path. The workflow covers data entry, the check for duplicate invoices, the approval chain, signature approval, payment, and the steps that track a payment until it clears.
You do not need to set up every piece of every step:
- Steps that just work: Backend steps such as the duplicate check, and the steps that track a payment until it clears, work as built, with no configuration required. These steps display as read-only in Invoice Setup.
- Steps that need more nuance: Approvals get the attention they deserve. You choose who approves, when an approval is required, how many approvals are needed, and who is notified.
- Associations you have not configured: These inherit the workflow from their model association, so you can start with what you have and change only what you need.
An invoice that needs extra attention, such as a possible duplicate, an invoice on hold, a declined invoice, or a prepaid invoice that needs review, moves into its own status where the role you assign can review it and decide what happens next.
A consistent workflow means fewer missed approvals, clearer visibility into where each invoice and payment stands, and fewer duplicate or accidental payments.
Open Invoice Setup
Invoice Setup is where you configure the workflow for an association. To open it:
- Click Invoice Setup at the top of Invoice Hub.
The Invoice Setup page opens. - Select an association.
The workflow steps for that association display.
Access to Invoice Setup is controlled by the Invoice Setup permission in Settings > Roles. No role has it by default, so an administrator must grant it. The permission has two options:
- View: Lets you open Invoice Setup and see the workflow steps.
- Add/Update: Lets you change and save the workflow. With View only, the steps display but you cannot change them.
Workflow Steps and System Statuses
Invoice Setup lists the steps in two sections:
- Workflow: The ordered main path every invoice follows: data entry, duplicate check, internal and board approvals, signature approval, ready for payment, send payment, Funds in Transit, and Paid and Cleared.
- System Statuses: The steps an invoice reaches only when a condition occurs: Funds in Transit Review, On Hold, Declined, Possible Duplicate, Prepaid, and Void.
Each step shows its order, name, role, who it sends to, threshold, number of approvals, and status. A step that you cannot change displays a Read Only lock. Some steps run behind the scenes and do not appear on the page.
Configure a Step
What you can change depends on the step:
- Approval steps: Choose whether the approval is made by the association's own roles (Internal) or by the Board. Click Add Approval to add another approval, and drag approvals to reorder them. Only approval steps can be reordered.
- Roles: Click Add role to assign roles to any step that does work, such as an approval. Backend steps, such as the duplicate check, do not take roles.
- Status names: Rename a status to match the terms your team uses.
- Threshold: Set when an approval or signature applies: Always, by Amount, by Fund, or None.
- # Approvals: Set how many approvals a step requires.
- Signature mode: Choose whether electronic secondary approval applies to All Checks or only to Checks Under Sig Threshold Only.
- Notifications: Configure who is notified when an invoice reaches an approval or signature step.
- Funds in Transit Review: Set the number of days after which an invoice in Funds in Transit escalates for review. The page shows this as "Escalates after" a number of days.
Changes are not saved until you save them. If you leave the page or switch associations with unsaved changes, you are asked to keep editing or discard them. After you save, a confirmation message displays.
Note: If you rename a status, the new name applies to all of your associations, even though Invoice Setup is organized by association.
Inherit From a Model or Override
An association that has no configuration of its own inherits the workflow from its model association, and its steps display an Inherited badge. Roles that come from the model are marked "from model." When you change a step for an association, that step becomes its own setting for the association, and the rest continue to inherit. Click Use Model to return a step to the model's setting.
How Invoices Move Through the Workflow
Each invoice moves from data entry to approval to payment. Along the way, the workflow routes invoices that need extra attention:
- Possible duplicates: Invoices that look like duplicates are held for review before they continue. For more information, see the "Invoice Processing: Possible Duplicates" article.
- On hold: Invoices on hold wait until their follow-up date or until the hold is resolved.
- Declined: Declined invoices return to the right person to correct or void.
- Prepaid review: Prepaid invoices that need attention go to a manager. For more information, see the "Pre-Paid Invoice Review" article.
Funds in Transit and Paid and Cleared
After you send a payment, the invoice moves to Funds in Transit and stays open. If the payment has not cleared after the number of days you set, the invoice moves to Funds in Transit Review so you can check it before voiding or paying again. When the payment is reconciled and clears the bank, the invoice moves to Paid and Cleared and closes. If you use a non-integrated bank and a reconciliation is unmatched, the invoice is unlocked and returns to Funds in Transit.
Important: Today, the Paid step closes the invoice. With this workflow, an invoice comes off AP Aging when it moves to Funds in Transit, but the workflow stays open until the payment clears, so you know the vendor has been paid.
FAQ
Q: Does this change how my invoices post to the general ledger?
A: No. The workflow changes how invoices are routed and tracked. It does not change general ledger posting or how payments are sent.
Q: Why is an invoice still open after I paid it?
A: The invoice comes off AP Aging when it moves to Funds in Transit, but the workflow stays open until the payment clears. Then it moves to Paid and Cleared and closes.
Q: Why can't I change a step in Invoice Setup?
A: You might have View permission only, or the step might be locked as Read Only. Ask an administrator for Add/Update permission for Invoice Setup.
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