Getting Started
Your First Workflow
Build a real purchase order approval flow from scratch — step by step.
What we're building
A four-step purchase order approval flow. When a PO is raised (manually or from your ERP), it goes to the procurement officer, then to a manager if over £5,000, then dispatches a supplier notification automatically.
| Step | Type | Assignee |
|---|---|---|
| PO Submitted | Request | Procurement officer |
| Finance Review | Approval | Finance team (if PO > £5,000) |
| Manager Sign-off | Approval | VP Operations |
| Supplier Notified | Notify | Automatic |
Open the canvas
Click the Waypoints icon in the left sidebar.
Give it a name: Purchase Order Approval.
This is the canvas. Nodes on the left panel can be dragged onto the grid. Arrows connect them.
Build the flow
Drag a Request node onto the canvas. Label it 'PO Submitted'. This is the trigger — someone starts the flow here, or your ERP sends a purchase_order_created webhook event.
Drag an Approval node. Label it 'Finance Review'. In the settings panel: Assignee = Finance Role. Condition = only if PO value > 5000. Deadline = 24 hours.
Drag another Approval node. Label it 'Manager Sign-off'. Assignee = VP Operations. Deadline = 4 hours. Escalation = after deadline, notify Head of Procurement.
Drag a Notify node. Label it 'Supplier Notified'. Channel = Email. Template = 'Your PO {po_id} has been approved. Expected delivery date: {delivery_date}'.
Hover over each node to see its connection handle. Drag from Request → Finance Review → Manager Sign-off → Supplier Notified. Add a bypass arrow from Request → Manager Sign-off for POs under £5,000.
Click Activate in the top right. The flow is live.
Test it
This runs the flow without sending real notifications. You'll see each step light up as it progresses.
Go to Operations dashboard. Click New Request. Select Purchase Order Approval. Fill in PO details. Submit.
As the Finance role or Manager, you'll see the pending approval in your dashboard. Approve it and watch the next step activate.
Every action is logged with who did it and when. Open the flow run to see the full timeline.
Connect to your ERP
Once your flow works manually, connect it to your ERP so purchase orders automatically trigger the flow. See the Connecting Your ERP guide for the n8n setup. The webhook event type is purchase_order_created.