How to Use Epicor® BPMs to Create Automated Approval Workflows

Manual approval processes often lead to bottlenecks, missed deadlines, and inconsistent decision-making. That’s why many businesses turn to Epicor® BPMs (Business Process Management) to automate approval workflows within their ERP system.

In this guide, Epicforce Tech explains how to build efficient, rule-based automated approval workflows using Epicor® BPMs, tailored to your business logic and compliance needs.

What Are Automated Approval Workflows in Epicor®?

Automated approval workflows allow organizations to enforce structured review and authorization steps for key transactions—like purchase orders, quotes, invoices, and journal entries—directly inside Epicor®.

Using BPMs, you can create triggers, conditions, actions, and notifications that:

• Identify when an approval is needed

• Route the transaction to the right person

• Track status updates

• Prevent unauthorized processing

Why Use BPMs for Approvals?

Here’s how Epicor® BPMs improve the approval process:

• Standardizes authorization steps

• Reduces approval delays

• Ensures segregation of duties

• Prevents unauthorized transactions

• Improves audit readiness

Epicforce Tech recommends approval automation as a core component of ERP governance, especially for financial controls.

Step 1: Define the Approval Scenario

Before configuring anything in Epicor®, map out:

• What triggers the approval? (e.g., PO over $5,000)

• Who needs to approve it? (e.g., department head)

• What actions should occur after approval/rejection?

• What notifications should be sent?

Pro Tip: Start small. Automate one high-impact scenario first (e.g., Sales Quote Approval).

Step 2: Choose the Right BPM Type

You’ll typically use:

• Method Directives: For transaction-based triggers (e.g., Update, Pre-Update, or Post-Update methods)

• Data Directives: For field-level conditions on tables (e.g., POHeader, QuoteHed)

Step 3: Set Conditions for Triggering the Approval

Use conditional logic to define when an approval is required.

Example Use Case:
Trigger approval if a purchase order total exceeds $5,000 and it hasn’t been approved yet.

This ensures the workflow only activates when needed.

Step 4: Block Further Action Until Approved

Use the “Raise Exception” action or a custom flag to halt the process if not approved.

Example: Prevent the PO from being processed or printed until it receives approval.

This ensures compliance and maintains workflow discipline.

Step 5: Assign Task for Approval

Use Epicor®’s Task Maintenance system:

• Create a task type (e.g., “PO Approval”)

• Link it to the BPM

• Assign to the designated user/role (e.g., Department Manager)

Epicforce Tech recommends using user groups and roles to make task routing scalable and manageable.

Step 6: Send Notification to Approver

Add an email action in the BPM:

• Include details of the transaction (e.g., PO number, amount)

• Add a link to the task or record

• Set expectations (e.g., “Please approve within 24 hours”)

Tip: Use dynamic tokens like [OrderNum], [VendorID], or [Amount] for clarity.

Step 7: Capture Approval or Rejection

Use UD fields or Epicor’s built-in fields to record:

• Approval status (Approved, Rejected, Pending)

• Approver’s user ID

• Timestamp of approval

This ensures a full audit trail.

Step 8: Re-Enable the Transaction Post-Approval

Once approved:

• Update the Approved field to true

• Allow the transaction to proceed

• Optionally send a confirmation to the requester

For rejected transactions:

• Halt processing

• Notify the requester with the reason

Step 9: Log the Workflow Actions

Maintain a record of:

• Who approved what

• When they approved it

• What was approved

Use Epicor’s logging tools or UD tables for this. Epicforce Tech emphasizes this step for audit and compliance tracking.

Step 10: Test Thoroughly in a Pilot Environment

Before going live:

• Simulate all possible paths (approval, rejection, no response)

• Test user roles and permissions

• Review email delivery and task assignments

Optional: Add Escalation Logic

If an approver doesn’t respond within a set time:

• Escalate to the next level

• Send reminder emails

• Flag it for manual review

You can use a scheduler or another BPM to trigger this escalation.

Best Practices from Epicforce Tech

• Keep workflows lean. Don’t overcomplicate with too many conditions.

• Use UD fields wisely. Don’t overload base tables.

• Limit emails. Avoid alert fatigue with smart filtering.

• Document everything. Include screenshots and logic flow for training and audits.

• Keep approvers informed. Make it easy for them to take action.

Common Approval Use Cases in Epicor®

• Purchase Order Approvals

• Sales Quote Approvals

• Journal Entry Approvals

• Customer Credit Limit Approvals

• Supplier Onboarding Approvals

• Project Budget Change Approvals

Conclusion

Creating automated approval workflows in Epicor® using BPMs ensures consistency, compliance, and efficiency across your ERP. It removes guesswork, reduces delays, and enables accountable, auditable decision-making.

At Epicforce Tech, we help companies implement robust, scalable BPM workflows customized for their business needs—ensuring governance without sacrificing agility.