This article is applicable to finway users with access rights based on all role templates.
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finway evolves into a complete Purchase-to-Pay (P2P) platform
With the new Purchase-to-Pay (P2P) features in finway, you can now create, approve, and manage purchase orders directly in the system ā from the initial need to final payment.
ā¹ļø In September 2025, finwayās former purchase requests were replaced by purchase orders (POs), including the option to link purchase orders with invoices. At this time, workflow configuration for purchase orders is not yet available; this functionality will be introduced in Q4 2025.
Video Tutorials
Watch short videos covering each step here.
Please note: the videos are in German
Create a Purchase Order
Create purchase order | Send purchase order for approval | Purchase order awaiting delivery
Budget Requests and Purchase Approvals
Purchase order approval | Purchase approval & role permissions | Admin viewing rights | Completion and delivery status
Create an Invoice Request
Invoice request | Pre-Accounting | Link to purchase order
Link Invoice Request with Purchase Order
Upload invoice / invoice request | Link invoice to purchase order | Complete purchase order
Create Purchase Order with finway Card
Create Purchase Order | Add supplier & create finway card | Submit & approve order | Use card for online purchase
Getting Started & First Use
You can access the new purchase order features directly from your dashboard.
Click the Ā»NewĀ« button and select Ā»Purchase OrderĀ«
The purchase order will open in a drawer ā a sliding panel from the right-hand side that doesnāt cover your main view completely.
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Start a Purchase Request
Option 1: Start from scratch - Enter all purchase details manually. If you donāt provide a purchase order number, finway will automatically generate a unique one.
Option 2: Upload a PO document - Upload your document and let the AI-powered OCR extract the information to prefill the form.
ā¹ļø Tip: Use the PO upload with our AI-powered OCR to save time and avoid typing errors.
2. Assign Items & Costs
Add your items (products or services) or review the automatically extracted data.
Allocate costs either at the purchase order level or at the line-item level.
If you allocate on Purchase Order level, all items will automatically be assigned the same - saving clicks.
A validation check ensures that all required fields are filled in.
3. Save Purchase Order as Draft or directly Submit
Save as Draft: Drafts remain accessible to you and can then be edited later. Drafts are visible only to the requester, not to others.
Submit: finway automatically determines the responsible approver based on the cost center assignment. For different cost centers on item level, the cost center linked to the item with the highest amount determines the next approver.
4. Approval
ā¹ļø Important: with the first Purchase-to-Pay (P2P) features no Workflows can be configured for Purchase Orders.
Assignment of Approver
The next approver is determined automatically according to the following rules:
Default: When you open a purchase order, the approver is initially set to the requesterās superior.
No superior available: If the requester has no superior assigned, the companyās fallback approver is selected.
Global cost center: If a global cost center is specified in the request, the responsible person for that cost center becomes the approver.
Multiple cost centers at item level: If different cost centers are defined at item level, the approver will be the responsible person for the cost center with the highest cost share.
The approver can:
Approve the PO: click on Ā»ApproveĀ«
Reject the PO: click on Ā»RejectĀ« (with a reason - note: rejections cannot be undone).
Request Changes for the PO: click on Ā»Request ChangesĀ« in case the PO has missing or wrong data
ā
When a PO is in status "awaiting approval", the PO will be shown on the dashboard of the respective approver to have a joint overview of all To-Dos.
Approved purchase orders appear in the Ā»ProcurementĀ« tab on your dashboard.
Rejected POs will still be shown in the overview table.
5. Review by the Procurement Team
Authorized procurement team members review the purchase order.
Once confirmed by procurement, the purchase order is no longer editable.
Why?
To ensure a consistent data set
To meet compliance and audit requirements
To avoid deviations with suppliers or accounting
6. Enter & Match the Invoice
Depending on your company setup, this step can be completed either by the finance team or by the original requester.
Steps:
Select the relevant PO and click on Ā»Add invoiceĀ«
Create an invoice request and upload the invoice. There you will see that the order is already linked. You can select additional POs using the plus symbol. Then click Ā»Link itemsĀ«
Match the invoice line items with the purchase order line items. Select the relevant item on the invoice and the corresponding item on the purchase order.
If you have multiple purchase orders linked, change view of purchase orders by clicking on the purchase order number.
You can also unlink individual or all links by clicking on the Ā»unlinkĀ« icon.
The 2-way match ensures that ordered items and invoiced items match before payment is made.
ā¹ļø The automated linking of purchase orders with invoices provides the following overviews:
A single purchase order is billed through multiple invoices (e.g., down payment plus final payment)
Multiple purchase orders are consolidated into one collective invoice
Watch here the PO and invoice matching (in German):
7. Ā»Purchase OrderĀ« Menu
In the new Ā»Purchase OrdersĀ« menu, youāll find an overview of all purchase orders and their processing status.
8. Ā»ProcurementĀ« Dashboard Tab
The new Ā»ProcurementĀ« tab in the dashboard provides an overview of all submitted and approved purchase orders.
