Approvals in Odoo 18

The Odoo Approvals module is a dedicated tool designed to manage internal approvals efficiently across departments. It centralizes the request and approval process for various business operations such as purchases, payments, travel, leaves, and more. With customizable workflows, multi-level approvals, automation options, and integration with other Odoo apps, it enhances transparency, control, and speed in decision-making.

Work Flow

Key Features

• Centralized dashboard to create, manage and track approval requests
• Custom approval types such as travel, expense, procurement, leave or custom categories
• Ability to assign one or multiple approvers for each request
• Support for marking approvers as required or optional
• Color-coded status indicators for quick understanding of request status
• Option to add detailed descriptions when submitting a request
• Ability to attach supporting documents like receipts, quotes or files
• Internal chatter for collaboration and communication on each request
• Automatic notifications to alert approvers of pending approvals
• Role-based access to restrict or grant approval permissions
• Full audit trail showing who submitted, reviewed, approved or rejected requests
• Smart filters like “My Requests” and “My Approvals” to quickly find relevant items
• Configurable fields based on request type to collect required information
• Locking of request fields once submitted or approved to prevent unauthorized changes
• Integration with Odoo apps like HR, Accounting, Projects, Purchases and Expenses
• Support for conditional approval rules (e.g., amount-based or department-based)
• Sequential or parallel approval flows configurable via Odoo Studio
• Option to automate actions based on approval outcome (e.g., auto-validate, reject or trigger workflows)
• Visibility into all approval stages to monitor bottlenecks and processing times
• Scalable design that supports high volumes of approval requests across teams
• User-friendly kanban and list views for managing and navigating approvals
• Group-based approval assignment for department-level validation
• Dynamic approval routing based on custom logic like amount, product, partner or analytic account
• Ability to duplicate existing requests for faster resubmission or recurring approvals
• Clean interface that allows users to act on approvals directly from their activity or inbox views

Screenshot

Master Management

• Approval Categories
• Products

Approvals Process Management

• My Request
• Approvals to Review
• All Approvals

Approval  Categories

Overview

Approval Categories define the types of approval requests that can be submitted within an organization. Each category acts as a template that sets the structure, required information and approval process for a specific kind of request (such as travel, purchase or expense approvals). These categories help standardize and enforce consistent workflows across different departments and companies.

Process Flow
 

Business Rules

• Each approval request must be linked to one active approval category
• Approval categories are created and managed by authorized administrators only
• Each category is assigned to a specific company and is valid only within that company
• Categories define which fields are required, optional or hidden during request submission (e.g., Document, Contact, Date, Product, Quantity, Amount, Reference, Location)
• Categories can mandate attaching supporting documents before submission if required
• Each category specifies one or more approvers who validate requests
• Approvers may be individuals or roles like employee managers
• Approval sequences (sequential or parallel) are configured within the category and must be strictly followed
• A minimum number of required approvals can be set per category and must be achieved for the request to proceed
• Mandatory approvers must approve requests, optional approvers can review but cannot block the process.
• Only active categories are available for selection when submitting new requests
• Archived categories are hidden but retained for record-keeping
• Requests missing required data or approvals cannot be submitted or advanced in the workflow
• The approval process defined by the category cannot be altered during request creation
• Categories support multi-company setups, allowing company-specific approval rules
• Approval categories provide a framework for auditing, reporting and enforcing uniform approval standards.

Screenshot

Product

Overview

The Product Master in the Approvals module defines the catalog of products that can be referenced in approval requests. It ensures that any product-related approval, such as purchase or asset requests, uses accurate and standardized product information. This helps streamline approvals by linking requests to existing product data.

Process Flow

Business Rules

• Only products registered in the Product Master can be selected in approval requests involving products
• Products must be active and assigned to the relevant company to be valid for approval requests
• Product details such as name, unit of measure, and default price are pulled from the master during request creation
• Products may have specific approval requirements based on category or value set in the Product Master
• Quantity and amount fields related to the product must be filled in approval requests according to category rules
• Changes to product information in the master apply only to new approval requests and do not affect previously submitted ones
• Product master data integrates with approval workflows to enable automated routing based on product attributes (e.g., high-value products may require senior approvals)
• Attachment of product-related documents (spec sheets, quotes) can be required for approval requests involving certain products
• Only authorized users can create or modify products to maintain data integrity within approval requests
• Approved product-related requests can trigger linked business actions, such as purchase orders or asset creation, ensuring consistency across modules

Screenshot

Approvals Process Management

Overview

An approval request enables users to formally submit requests that require review and authorization by designated approvers. The request captures essential details such as subject, requester, relevant dates or periods, location, company, description and assigned approvers. The system routes the request through predefined workflows to ensure proper validation, timely approvals and audit compliance.

Process Flow

Business Rules

• The approval subject must be clearly defined and relevant to the request
• The request owner must be an active user with the proper permissions to submit requests
• The approval category must be set to Business Trip to route the request correctly
• Travel dates must include a valid start and end datetime within an acceptable period
• The trip location must be accurately specified and linked to the company’s operational regions
• The company must be selected correctly, especially in multi-company environments, to maintain proper segregation
• A detailed description must be provided to support the justification of the trip
• One or more active approvers must be assigned, with approval rights for the business trip category
• Upon submission, notification alerts are automatically sent to all assigned approvers
• Approvers have the ability to approve, reject or request additional information or modifications
• All mandatory fields must be completed and validated before the request can be submitted
• Approved requests are locked from further editing to maintain process integrity
• Only users with designated access can create, modify or approve business trip requests
• All approval decisions, comments and timestamps are recorded and accessible for audit and compliance purposes.

Screenshot to submit Expenses to manager

Submitted Expenses
  

Approvals to Review

Overview

Manager’s approval is a critical step in the approval workflow where designated managers review submitted requests, such as business trips, to ensure compliance with company policies and operational requirements. Managers evaluate request details, including dates, location and justification, before granting or denying approval.

Process Flow

Business Rules

• Only designated managers with approval permissions can review and act on approval requests
• Managers receive notifications for pending requests assigned to them
• Managers must verify all mandatory information is complete and accurate before approval
• Managers can approve, reject or request additional information from the requester
• Multiple managers may be involved sequentially or in parallel based on configured approval sequences
• Minimum approval thresholds must be met for the request to proceed (e.g., at least one manager approval)
• Managers decisions and comments are logged and visible in the request history
• Managers cannot edit the request details but can request modifications from the requester
• Escalation notifications trigger if managers do not act within defined timeframes
• Upon final manager approval, the request advances to the next workflow stage or is finalized
• Access to approve requests is restricted to authorized managers only

Screenshot of Approval review

Approved Expenses by Manager

All Approvals

Overview

Managers All Approvals represent the collection of all approval requests assigned to managers across various categories and workflows. This centralized view enables managers to efficiently review, approve, reject or request information on pending approvals, ensuring organizational policies are enforced consistently.

Business Rules

• Managers have access to all approval requests assigned to them based on configured approval categories and workflows
• Approval requests with multiple categories such as business trips, purchases, expenses, etc.
• Managers receive real-time notifications and reminders for pending approvals
• Managers can filter and prioritize approvals by category, urgency or submission date
• Managers must verify that all mandatory request details and attachments are complete before taking action
• Managers can approve, reject or request additional information for any assigned approval request
• Approval decisions made by managers are logged with timestamps and comments for audit trails
• Managers cannot alter request data but can send requests back to submitters for modifications
• Escalation rules apply if managers do not act on pending approvals within predefined timeframes
• Access to the managers approval dashboard and actions is secured and limited to authorized personnel only.

Screenshot