Expenses and approvals

Coding once, approving properly, and getting costs onto the project that incurred them.

Why expenses arrive late and coded loosely

Because claiming is a chore with no deadline. The receipt is in a coat pocket, the claim is filed at quarter end, and the month it belongs to has already been reported.

And because approval is often a formality — a manager approving forty lines they cannot possibly assess.

Expenses and approvals, in three chapters

Designing the route

Route by budget ownership, not by seniority. The person who owns the cost centre is the one who can tell whether a claim is reasonable.

Set limits that the system enforces and exceptions that route higher. A policy that relies on people remembering it is not a policy.

Read next

Expenses and approvals, answered.

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