Approval Workflows

Deskpadi enforces structured approval chains to ensure that every request, leave application, expense claim, and document passes through the right people before it is actioned. Self-approval is blocked across all workflows — a user can never approve their own submission.

Purchase Request Approvals

The approval chain for purchase requests depends on who submitted the request and which plan tier the organisation is on.

Starter Tier Flow

When a Staff member submits a request on the Starter plan:

When a Department Head submits a request on the Starter plan:

When a Manager submits a request on the Starter plan:

Pro+ Tier Flow

On Pro and Enterprise plans, approved requests route through the procurement team before reaching finance.

Approval Rules

• •Self-approval is blocked — you cannot approve your own request at any stage.
• •The Manager approval threshold is configurable (default: ₦500,000). Requests below this threshold may skip the Manager stage if configured.
• •If a request is rejected at any stage, it returns to the submitter with the rejection reason.
• •Requests can be edited by the submitter only while they are still pending at the first approval stage.

Leave Approvals

Leave requests follow a role-based hierarchy to ensure that every leave application is reviewed by someone with appropriate authority.

Approval Hierarchy

• •Staff leave is approved by their Department Head.
• •Department Head leave is approved by their Manager.
• •Manager leave is approved by a Super Admin.
• •HR staff leave is approved by the HR Head.
• •HR Head leave is approved by a Super Admin.

Bulk Approval

Approvers can select multiple pending leave requests and approve or reject them in a single action. This is particularly useful for Department Heads managing large teams.

Delegation

Managers can delegate their leave approval authority to another Manager or Department Head for a specified time period. During delegation, both the delegate and the original approver can process requests. Delegation automatically reverts when the specified period ends.

Expense Claim Approvals

Expense claims follow a similar chain to purchase requests but are initiated after the expense has already been incurred.

Each claim must include receipts or supporting documentation. The Finance Officer verifies the claim against policy limits before the Finance Head authorises payment.

Document Approvals

Documents in the Document Control module (Pro+ plans) move through a review and approval lifecycle.

• •Any user can create a document and submit it for review.
• •Reviewers are assigned when the document is submitted — they can comment and request changes.
• •Once all reviewers have signed off, the document moves to Approved status.
• •Approved documents are locked from editing. A new revision must be created for changes.

Maintenance Request Approvals

Maintenance requests for fleet vehicles follow an approval chain before a technician is assigned.

Budget & Purchase Order Approvals

Budget Approvals

Department budgets are created by Department Heads or Managers and must be approved by the Finance Head before they become active. Budget amendments follow the same approval path.

Purchase Order Approvals

On Pro+ plans, Procurement Staff generate purchase orders from approved requests. Each PO must be approved by the Procurement Head before it is sent to the vendor.

Job Requisition Approvals

Job requisitions (available with the Recruitment add-on) are submitted by Department Heads or Managers and must be approved by the HR Head before the position is published.

Real Estate Approvals

The Real Estate add-on introduces several specialised approval workflows for construction and project management.

Site Plans

Site plans are created by Site Engineers and approved by the project Manager or Super Admin before work begins.

Bills of Quantities (BOQ)

BOQ submissions are reviewed by the project Manager and then approved by the Finance Head for budget allocation.

Submittals

Material and design submittals are reviewed by the project Manager or designated reviewer before approval.

Subcontracts

Subcontract agreements require approval from the project Manager and Finance Head before execution.

HSE Permits

Health, Safety, and Environment permits must be approved before any hazardous work can commence on site.

Payment Applications

Contractor payment applications are reviewed by the Site Engineer, approved by the project Manager, and then processed through the finance disbursement queue.

Approval Escalation Settings

To prevent bottlenecks, Deskpadi supports configurable escalation rules for pending approvals.

• •Reminder notifications are sent to the approver after a configurable number of hours (e.g., 24 hours).
• •If the approver still has not acted after a second configurable period (e.g., 48 hours), the request automatically escalates to the next person in the chain.
• •Escalation targets are determined by the role hierarchy — for example, a request stuck at the Department Head level escalates to the Manager.
• •Super Admins can configure reminder and escalation intervals from the Organisation Settings page.
• •Escalation events are logged in the audit trail for accountability.