What is an approval matrix?
An approval matrix is a table of who may approve what. Rows are usually spend bands or categories, columns are roles, and each cell says whether that role approves, must also sign, or is not involved.
Example
| Amount | Team lead | Finance | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to $500 | approves | ||
| $500 to $5,000 | approves | approves | |
| over $5,000 | approves | approves | approves |
A $1,200 monitor order needs the team lead and finance. A $7,500 order needs all three. A $90 keyboard needs only the lead, and if the lead is the requester, the order moves up.
In Atta
The matrix is a workspace's approval rules. approversFor(amountCents, rules) turns an amount into the list of approvers, and that list becomes the approval chain. Both entry points, the agent parking a request and the form, use the same function, so the rules mean the same thing either way.
A workspace with no rules, no budget and no roles set is solo: the person is the approver. Those inputs are optional on purpose, which is how one product runs with different defaults for a solo buyer and a team.
Purchase approvals shows how bands become chains.
Keeping it small
Every extra column is another person who gets interrupted. Start with the bands where the risk changes, such as the amount a team lead may sign alone, and add a column only when a past purchase went wrong for lack of one.
Questions
How many bands should a matrix have?
Three or four is common. More bands add steps without changing who really looks at the purchase.
Related
- What is an approval chain?An approval chain is the ordered list of people who must approve a purchase before it goes ahead. Definition with a worked example and how Atta runs it.
- What is a purchase approval workflow?A purchase approval workflow is the set of steps a purchase request goes through before money is spent. Definition and a worked example.
- Purchase approval softwareSet approval limits per role and build approval chains by amount. Approvers answer from Slack, WhatsApp or the app, and nothing is paid until the last step clears.