Transforming a high-volume financial request process with a scalable, workflow-driven application

A centralized Non-PO application that streamlines request creation, dynamically routes approvals, provides visibility into every request journey and connects approval with Finance Reconciliation.

HIGHLIGHTS

OVERVIEW

The Non-PO application enables Branch and Functions users to create and submit financial requests through a centralized digital process.

Each request follows an approval journey based on its value, with the applicable authorization levels determined automatically. Once the required approvals are completed, the request moves to Finance Reconciliation.

The application provides stakeholders with visibility throughout the lifecycle — including the exact approval path of an individual request, its completed stages, current stage and remaining stages.

This creates a connected process from request creation through final reconciliation, while giving users the information they need at every stage.

THE CHALLENGE

System Rigidity & Costly Change Cycles

The bank relied on an existing enterprise system to manage Non-PO requests. Changes or modifications to the process could involve significant configuration and development effort, cost, and dependency on specialized teams. This made it difficult for the finance team to quickly adapt the process and maintain a user-friendly experience as requirements evolved.

User Licensing & Operational Cost

Supporting users across 700+ users created a significant licensing and operational cost challenge. The business needed a more focused solution that could support a large and distributed user base without making the Non-PO process unnecessarily expensive to operate.

Dynamic Approval Journeys

Non-PO requests do not all require the same level of authorization. The approval path changes according to the value of each request, requiring flexible, rule-driven routing that can apply the appropriate authorization levels while maintaining process control.

End-to-End Lifecycle Visibility

With requests moving across business users, multiple approval levels and Finance Reconcile, stakeholders need to understand where a request has been, where it is now, who is responsible for the next action and what remains to be completed. A clear view of the complete request journey is essential for tracking and accountability.

Role-Based Operations Across Multiple Teams

Business users, approval teams and Finance Reconcile have different responsibilities throughout the Non-PO lifecycle. The process therefore requires role-specific access, work views and actions, ensuring each team sees and manages the records relevant to its responsibilities.

Controlled Rework Without Losing Process Context

Requests may need to be denied and returned for correction before being resubmitted. The process needs to support this rework while preserving the history and context of previous actions, rather than treating the resubmitted request as a completely new transaction.

High-Volume Processing & Process Control

The Non-PO process operates at significant volume across a distributed organization. Maintaining consistent data capture, validation, routing, access control, tracking and accountability becomes increasingly important as transaction volumes and participating teams grow.

THE GOAL

The solution provides a centralized process that:

• Standardizes request creation

• Automates approval routing based on request value

• Provides visibility into each request's approval journey

• Gives users role-specific work views

• Supports controlled correction and resubmission

• Maintains a complete record of activity

• Connects approval with Finance Reconciliation

  
  

THE SOLUTION

A workflow built around every individual request

The Non-PO process combines structured data capture, business rules, dynamic routing and record-level visibility into one connected workflow.

Structured request creation

Branch and Functions users create Non-PO requests through a centralized application.

The application captures invoice details, vendor information, currency, commodity, cost centre, line items, amounts and supporting documentation.

Vendor information is integrated with IDStax, enabling users to search and select vendors while populating the relevant vendor information.

The application uses 149 active commodities for controlled commodity selection.

Validation and data control

Business rules validate key information as the request is created.

Invoice details, vendor information, currency, amounts, commodity and GL mapping, tax and cost-centre information are handled through defined validations and automated calculations.

This helps ensure that requests enter the approval process with structured and consistent information.

Dynamic approval routing

The workflow automatically determines the applicable approval journey based on the request amount.

Not every request passes through every approval level. The workflow determines the applicable path for the individual request.

FLOW VISUALIZER

Making every request journey visible

A key capability of the application is the Flow Visualizer, which provides users with a visual representation of the exact approval journey for the individual request.

Instead of showing only the current status, the visualizer provides visibility across the entire journey.

PAST

Completed approval stages and actions that have already taken place.

PRESENT

The active stage and the user or group currently responsible for the request.

FUTURE

Pending stages and the users or groups who will take action next.

This gives stakeholders an immediate understanding of:

Where has the request been?
Where is it now?
Where does it go next?

When a request is corrected and resubmitted, the previous approval journey remains available for reference, providing continuity between the earlier and current flow.

ROLE-BASED WORK MANAGEMENT

The application provides users with work views aligned to their responsibilities.

Branch and Functions users focus on the requests they create, while Finance Authorizer, DCFO, CFO, DCEO, CEO and Finance Reconcile users have work views that surface records requiring action by their respective groups.

Users can also access the broader records available to their role when required.

This allows each stakeholder to focus on the records that require their attention, without losing access to the wider process context.

CONTROLLED REWORK

Requests can be returned for correction when information requires changes.

Users can update the relevant information and resubmit the request, while the application retains the activity and history associated with the record.

This creates a controlled rework cycle:

The previous journey remains available when the request enters a new approval cycle.

FINANCE RECONCILIATION

Once all applicable approval stages are completed, the request moves to Finance Reconcile.

The Finance Reconcile team reviews the approved request and completes the reconciliation process.

This connects the entire journey:

VISIBILITY & CONTROL

The application provides the tools required to manage requests throughout their lifecycle.

Search & Filter

Users can locate requests using Record ID, Invoice Number, Vendor ID, Vendor Name and Equivalent MMK Amount, with additional filtering by status, dates, invoice dates, cost centre and reconciliation date.

Notes

Users with access to a request can add notes that are visible to other users with access to the record.

History

The application maintains the actions, status changes, comments and edits associated with each request.

Document Access

Request information and history can be downloaded when required.

Together, these capabilities provide a single source of truth for each Non-PO request.

THE IMPACT

From fixed approval sequences to dynamic journeys

Each request follows the approval path applicable to its value.

From limited visibility to complete journey awareness

Users can see the past, present and future stages of an individual request through the Flow Visualizer.

From fragmented responsibilities to focused work management

Each user group receives a work view aligned with its responsibilities.

From uncontrolled rework to traceable resubmission

Corrections and resubmissions remain connected to the request's history and previous journey.

From approval to completion

The process connects request creation, authorization and Finance Reconciliation within one digital workflow.

Non PO Process at a glance

FLOWSTAX

The Non-PO process demonstrates how FlowStax supports complex financial workflows that need to adapt to individual business transactions.

By combining structured data capture, business rules, dynamic approval routing, role-based work management, Flow Visualization, controlled rework and end-to-end traceability, FlowStax provides a flexible digital framework for managing the Non-PO lifecycle.