Approval Workflows

AccuArk can require manager or administrator approval before certain asset operations are executed. This ensures proper authorization for high-value or sensitive actions and provides an audit trail of who requested, approved, or rejected each operation. Approval workflows are optional — you can enable them selectively for the action types and value thresholds that matter most to your organization.

Actions That Can Require Approval

Four types of asset operations can be gated by the approval workflow:

Asset Transfers

Moving an asset from one location to another. When transfer approval is enabled, the asset remains at its current location until the transfer request is approved. This prevents unauthorized movement of equipment between sites, which is especially important for high-value or regulated assets.

Asset Disposals

Removing an asset from active service through sale, scrapping, donation, or retirement. Disposal approval ensures that valuable assets are not written off or sold without proper authorization. The GL journal entry for the disposal is not posted until the approval is granted.

Asset Acquisitions

Adding a new asset to the system. When acquisition approval is enabled and the asset's value meets or exceeds the threshold, the asset is created in a pending state and does not appear in the active register until approved. This gives management oversight of capital expenditures.

Asset Checkouts

Temporarily assigning an asset to an employee or contractor. Checkout approval ensures that expensive or sensitive equipment (laptops, testing instruments, vehicles) is not checked out without management awareness.

Enabling Approvals

Approval workflows are configured in Assets > Settings (see Asset Settings & Configuration). For each action type, you configure two things:

1. Enable/Disable Toggle — Turn the approval requirement on or off for that action type.
2. Value Threshold — The asset value at or above which the action requires approval.

Threshold Examples

Setting the threshold to $0 effectively requires approval for every action of that type. Setting a higher threshold limits approvals to high-value operations, reducing overhead for routine actions on low-value assets.

How the Approval Process Works

The approval workflow follows a consistent process for all action types:

Step 1: User Initiates an Action

A user performs an action — for example, clicking Transfer on an asset and selecting a destination location. They can also add notes explaining the reason for the request.

Step 2: System Checks Approval Requirements

The system checks whether approval is required by evaluating:

• Is approval enabled for this action type?
• Does the asset's value meet or exceed the threshold?

If both conditions are true, the system proceeds to Step 3. If approval is not required (either disabled or below threshold), the action executes immediately and the workflow ends.

Step 3: Pending Approval Record Created

The system creates an approval request record containing:

• The requesting user's name and ID
• The action type (transfer, disposal, acquisition, or checkout)
• The asset name, number, and current value
• Action-specific details (e.g., destination location for transfers, sale price for disposals)
• The request date and time
• Any notes the requester provided
• Status: Pending

The asset remains unchanged — it stays at its current location, retains its current status, and no GL entries are posted. A notification is generated for users with the Approve Assets permission.

Step 4: Approval or Rejection

An authorized approver reviews the request in the Approval Queue and takes one of two actions:

• Approve — The approver confirms the action. The system automatically executes the original action (completes the transfer, posts the disposal, activates the asset, or records the checkout). Optional approval notes can be added.
• Reject — The approver declines the action with a required reason. The request is cancelled, the asset remains unchanged, and the requester is notified of the rejection and the reason.

Step 5: Execution (Approved Only)

After approval, the original action is executed exactly as if the user had performed it without an approval requirement. For disposals, the GL journal entry is posted. For transfers, the asset's location is updated. For acquisitions, the asset moves to active status. For checkouts, the checkout record is created.

Approval Status Flow

Each approval request follows one of two paths:

• Pending → Approved → Executed — The action was approved and completed successfully.
• Pending → Rejected — The action was declined and no changes were made to the asset.

There is no mechanism to re-submit a rejected request. If the requester still wants to perform the action after a rejection, they must initiate the action again, creating a new approval request.

The Approval Queue

The Approval Queue is the central screen where authorized users review and act on pending approval requests.

How to Access

Navigate to Assets > Approval Queue from the main menu bar. This opens the the Approval Queue form.

Required Permission

Access to the Approval Queue requires the Approve Assets permission. Users without this permission will not see the Approval Queue menu item. Typically, this permission is assigned to Manager, Location Admin, and Super Admin roles.

Queue Display

The queue shows all pending approval requests in a grid with the following columns:

The grid can be sorted by any column and filtered by action type. Pending requests are displayed in chronological order by default (oldest first), ensuring that requests are processed in the order they were submitted.

Approving a Request

Select a pending request in the grid and click Approve. You will be prompted to add optional approval notes (e.g., "Approved per budget meeting 2/20"). Click Confirm to finalize the approval. The action is executed immediately, the request status changes to Approved, and the row is removed from the pending queue.

Rejecting a Request

Select a pending request and click Reject. You must enter a reason for the rejection — this field is required and cannot be blank. Click Confirm to finalize the rejection. The request status changes to Rejected, the requester is notified, and the row is removed from the pending queue.

Viewing History

The Approval Queue includes a History tab that shows all previously approved and rejected requests. This provides a complete audit trail of approval decisions, including who approved or rejected each request, when, and any notes or reasons provided.

Self-Approval Prevention

A user cannot approve their own request. If the same person who initiated the action also has Approve Assets permission, they will see their request in the queue but the Approve button will be disabled for that row. This ensures a separation of duties — the person requesting an action and the person authorizing it must be different individuals.

Notifications

The approval workflow generates notifications at key points:

• When a request is created: Users with Approve Assets permission are notified that a new request is waiting for review.
• When a request is approved: The requester is notified that their action was approved and executed.
• When a request is rejected: The requester is notified of the rejection and the reason provided by the approver.

Notifications appear on the Asset Dashboard and are also visible in the system's notification area.

Tips and Recommendations

• Set thresholds appropriate to your organization. If thresholds are too low, every minor action requires approval, creating bottleneck and frustration (approval fatigue). If thresholds are too high, high-value actions may proceed without oversight.
• Designate specific users as approvers. Rather than giving every manager the Approve Assets permission, designate one or two people per location to handle approvals. This creates accountability and ensures consistent decision-making.
• Review the approval queue daily. Pending requests delay asset operations. A request left in the queue for days slows down transfers, disposals, and other time-sensitive actions.
• Provide clear notes when requesting. Requesters should explain why the action is needed so approvers can make informed decisions without having to track down the requester.
• Provide clear reasons when rejecting. A rejection without explanation leaves the requester unsure of what to do differently. Always explain why the action was not approved.
• Use the history tab for auditing. The approval history provides a complete record of authorization decisions, which is valuable during internal audits and for demonstrating compliance.
• Start with approvals on disposals. If you are new to approval workflows, start by enabling approvals for disposals only. This is the highest-impact action type (removing assets from the books) and benefits most from oversight.

Related Articles

• Asset Settings & Configuration
• Asset Transfers
• Asset Disposal
• Asset Checkout & Return
• Asset Permissions & Roles