Work Order Approvals (Beta)

Control work order spend with approval workflows

Work Orders instruct contractors to complete specific jobs. Use Work Order Approvals to add spend control so another person reviews high-value work before you send it to the supplier. This section helps you set up a clear approval path that fits your business rules.

This feature is available for Pro and Enterprise customers. To learn more, contact your Account Manager or leave a contact request.

Open Approvals settings

1. Open Settings from the overflow menu at the top of the screen.
2. Select Approval Workflows under Automation to view existing workflows.

Image context: The Approval Workflows page lists any workflows already created.

Create a new workflow

1. Select Create a new workflow.
2. Enter the workflow details:
   • Provide a clear name.
   • Add a description (optional).
   • Select the companies the workflow will apply to.
   • Select Work Order Approval for the Approval Type.
3. Select Create and save.

Image context: The workflow form shows name, description, companies, and approval type.

Define approval conditions

1. Select Add a step to create the first step in the workflow. A modal opens.
2. Enter a step name (optional).
3. Choose the Field on the work order. Select Budgeted cost (currently the only supported field).
4. Choose the Operator, such as greater than (>).
5. Enter the Budgeted cost value that triggers this step.
6. Add another condition if you need it (optional).

Assign approvers

1. Choose who will approve at this step by selecting a Role, specific Users, or a Team.

Only users with permissions for all companies included in the workflow appear as approvers.

Set escalation rules

Use escalation when the first-line approver may be absent.

1. Enter the number of hours to wait before escalating to a second approver.
2. Select the escalated approver(s) from the dropdown. Only users with permissions in all selected companies appear.
3. Select Save.

Image context: The step editor shows conditions, approvers, and escalation settings.

You can add more steps to the workflow. Repeat the same process for each step you need.

Publish the workflow

1. Confirm the workflow is saved as Draft.
2. Change the status from Draft to Published.
3. Select Save workflow.

Image context: The workflow status controls appear at the top of the workflow.

Edit or delete workflows to keep rules current

Update or remove workflows as your approval rules change. Use the workflow menu to make quick edits or remove outdated flows.

1. Open the Approval Workflows page.
2. Open the menu to the right of the workflow you want to change.
3. Select Edit to update the workflow or Delete to remove it.

Image context: The workflow row menu includes Edit and Delete options.

Submit work orders to trigger the approval flow

Create your Work Order, then choose how to save it so the right approval path begins. If you need help creating a work order, use Creating Work Orders.

1. Create the Work Order using the standard workflow.
2. Review all details on the Work Order.
3. Choose one of these options:
   • Save as Draft
   • Save and Approve (if you have permission)
   • Save and submit for approval

Saving and Approving approves the Work Order immediately and bypasses the approval workflow.

To prevent users from bypassing approval workflows, remove the ability to approve work orders in user roles. See the permissions section below.

Approve or reject work orders with full context

Approvers receive an email when a Work Order needs review. Approvers can open the approval directly or work from the Approvals page inside Re-Leased.

1. Open the approval in one of two ways:
   1. Use the link in the Work Order approval email and sign in to Re-Leased.
   2. Open the overflow menu at the top of Re-Leased and select Approvals.
2. Use the approval screen to:
   1. Review the Work Order details.
   2. Approve or Reject the Work Order.
   3. Leave a comment on the approval step.
   4. View the timeline of events for creation and approval.

Image context: The approval screen displays Work Order details, actions, comments, and the timeline.

Approved Work Orders appear as Completed in the Work Order approvals table.

Image context: The approvals table shows Completed status for approved items.

Manage permissions to prevent bypassing approvals

Control who can approve Work Orders without going through a workflow by updating role permissions. Remove the approval permission to force routing through approval steps.

By default, existing users who can create Work Orders can also approve them without an approval workflow.

1. Open Settings, then Company & Users, and select Maintain User Roles.
2. Select the role you want to edit.
3. Expand Dashboard Permissions.
4. Toggle Can approve maintenance work orders on or off as needed.
5. Scroll to the bottom and select Save User Role.

If you deselect the permission, users with this role cannot change a Work Order status to Approved.

Users added to an approval workflow can approve Work Orders even if this permission is disabled.

Image context: The role permissions screen shows the Can approve maintenance work orders setting.

Regional Terminology Note: We use Asia-Pacific/European terms in this article for consistency. In some regions, Work Orders appear as Purchase Orders. If you work in North America, read “Work Order” as “Purchase Order.” For more regional variations, see the Regional Terminology Guide.