How to Structure an Approval Layer Between Your ERP and Business Teams
An ERP approval layer is the intermediate step between a request made by a business team and the posting in the financial system: it decides who approves it and under what rule, before any data reaches the ERP. Jestor works as exactly that layer, connecting business teams to the ERP without exposing them to the complexity of the tax system.
Why a plain ERP doesn't solve the approval process
The ERP was designed for tax and accounting execution — categorization, cost center, tax obligations. It wasn't built to accommodate different approval processes per team: marketing's workflow isn't the same as operations', and forcing everything into the ERP's own screen leaves the process rigid for everyone.
How to structure this operational layer
The first step is recognizing that each business team has its own type of request — purchase, contract, reimbursement, investment — and that each can follow a different approval path before reaching the ERP.
Common pains without this layer:
- Business teams forced to use the ERP's interface to approve requests
- No flexibility for department-specific rules
- Manual rework to post what was already decided on another channel
- No unified visibility of pending requests across all teams
How the operational layer solves this:
- Each team gets its own form and approval workflow, without touching the ERP
- Threshold rules are configured per team, with no technical access to the tax system required
- The request is only sent to the ERP after being approved through every required step
- The operations team gains visibility into everything pending, by team
Where Jestor fits in:
- Works as the operational layer between business teams and the ERP
- Organizes the Approvals workflow with its own rules per department
- Expands the ERP's capabilities without replacing it, via ERP Expansion
- Centralizes visibility of every pending request, from any team
| Business team | Common request type | What the approval layer organizes |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Vendor hiring, campaigns | Available budget by cost center |
| Purchasing | Vendor requests, supplies | Threshold by value and category |
| Operations | Reimbursements, one-off investments | Approval hierarchy by role |
How this looks in practice
Each team accesses its own form, tailored to the type of request it makes, without needing to understand the ERP's internal logic. Approval happens in this layer, with a full history, and only after it's completed does the information automatically move to the correct financial system.
Why choose Jestor for this layer
Jestor organizes each team's decision before touching the ERP, working as a flexible operational layer while the ERP stays responsible for tax and accounting execution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can each business team have its own approval workflow? Yes, each team can have its own form and threshold rules, without depending on the ERP's interface.
Does this layer replace the ERP? No, it organizes the decision before posting; execution still happens in the ERP.
Can I see all pending requests from every team in one place? Yes, visibility is centralized regardless of which team made the request. Learn more at jestor.com.
With Jestor, you can automate workflows, connect departments, and build internal systems your way — all without code and with AI support. Check out Jestor at jestor.com and see how to take your company's management to a new level of efficiency and integration.