AI app guides
Build an expense approval app with separate submitter and reviewer roles
Keep supporting information, approval decisions and payment status distinct throughout the expense workflow.
Zocri · 2 min read · Sources checked
Map the people and decisions
OWASP recommends granting only the permissions needed for a task and validating authorization for each request. For an expense app, begin with a submitter, an authorized reviewer and whoever records payment. The business must decide whether any person may approve their own expense. Put that rule in the brief rather than assuming a generic admin account is sufficient.
Ask the policy owner which information is required: date, amount, currency, purpose, category and receipt where appropriate. Keep optional details separate. A form should help a person submit a reviewable claim without collecting unrelated personal information simply because the builder can add more fields.
Preserve the submitted version
Allow a draft to be edited freely. Once submitted, decide which changes require a return for correction or a new review. If the amount changes after approval, the app should not quietly retain the old approval as though the reviewer had seen the new value.
Give the reviewer clear actions such as approve, decline or request clarification. Require a useful reason where the business needs it. The employee should see what to fix and how to resubmit, while internal reviewer notes remain visible only to the intended audience.
Keep approval separate from reimbursement
An approved expense is not necessarily paid. Define a later state for payment confirmation, with the appropriate reference and date. If another finance system owns that information, identify the transfer and reconciliation process instead of maintaining two unrelated versions of the payment status.
Review access at the record level. An employee should not gain access to another person's receipts by opening a copied link. A reviewer may need only their assigned team. Test those boundaries with separate sample accounts and check the underlying response as well as the visible navigation.
Test corrections and exceptions
Use sample expenses with a missing receipt, a different currency, a duplicate submission and a revised amount. Have the policy owner define the expected outcome for each. The app should explain a refusal or return clearly rather than silently changing values to make the record fit.
Run one claim from draft through review and payment recording, then inspect its history. Verify that a mistaken decision can be corrected through an authorized, understandable action. A useful expense app preserves who decided what while keeping the daily work simple for employees and reviewers.