Presentation
Intervia wanted to establish a clear and automated approval flow for expense reports in Zoho Expense. The objective was to manage two distinct categories of expenses: project-related expenses and non-project expenses, while ensuring the involvement of the right approver at each stage.
The existing approval process was manual, inconsistent, and time-consuming. It created confusion whenever multiple expense types appeared in a single report, leading to delays and occasional errors.
Executive Summary
Intervia is a forward-looking company focused on operational efficiency and compliance. By optimizing its Zoho Expense approval workflows, Intervia sought to clarify expense management, ensure proper oversight by project heads and approvers, and improve coordination with the payroll department.
The implemented solution introduced clear rules for the different types of expenses, combined approval rules for mixed reports, and addressed exceptional cases where roles overlapped. This not only improved approval speed but also reinforced internal accountability.
Problem Statement and Key Challenges
The main challenge was to design an approval process capable of:
-Differentiating between project-related and non-project expenses.
– Managing combined scenarios where multiple expense types were present in the same report.
– Handling exceptions when the project head was also the report submitter.
– Ensuring timely payroll processing after approvals.
Previously, the absence of a unified and automated workflow resulted in:
– Delays in approvals when the wrong approver was contacted first.
– Misalignment between project heads, direct approvers, and payroll.
– Increased manual follow-ups to monitor approval progress.
Evaluation of the Problem
Cofinia’s team conducted a detailed analysis with Intervia’s administrators. The process included:
– Reviewing current approval practices for each type of expense.
– Mapping typical and exceptional scenarios.
– Testing submissions using a dedicated admin account and the delegation process
– Documenting approval flows under different configurations to identify gaps and overlaps.
The evaluation revealed that a clear sequencing of approvals, based on expense type, was essential to ensure both speed and accuracy.
Proposed Solution
A structured approval flow was designed in Zoho People:
– Project-related expenses → Approval by the project head, then by the payroll department.
– Non-project expenses → Approval by the direct approver, then by the payroll department.
– Mixed expense reports (both types) → Approval by the project head, then by the direct approver, then by the payroll department.
– Exception case: If the project head is also the report submitter for their own project, the flow becomes: project head, then direct approver, then payroll.
Implementation
The implementation took place in several steps:
– Configuring role-based approval rules in Zoho Expense.
– Creating test reports for different scenarios.
– Assigning project heads and approvers for validation.
– Simulating submissions for:
• Project-related expenses.
• Non-project expenses.
• Mixed expense reports.
• Exceptional cases with overlapping roles.
– Refining the rules to ensure payroll always received approved reports last.
Results
The optimized approval flows allowed for:
– Faster processing: expenses now reach the payroll department without delays caused by incorrect approver.
– Clear accountability: project heads and direct approvers know exactly when their input is required.
– Reduced manual tracking: Zoho Expense automatically triggers the right sequence based on the expense type.
– Consistency across scenarios: even complex mixed reports follow a predictable and compliant path.
Intervia now benefits from a simplified and transparent expense approval process that supports both operational efficiency and financial accuracy.
