Document Lifecycle

Nearly every transactional document in JobNext follows a standardized lifecycle. Whether it is a purchase order, a material requisition, a customer invoice, or a finance voucher, the same four-stage progression applies. Understanding this lifecycle is fundamental to working with the system.

Standard Lifecycle Stages

Every document progresses through four primary stages:

Stage	Status	Description	Editable
1. Draft	DRAFT	The document is being created or edited. It has no impact on the system — no budget is consumed, no accounting entries are created, and no notifications are sent to approvers. The creator can save, edit, and delete the document freely.	Yes
2. Submitted	SUBMITTED	The document has been sent for approval. It is now locked for editing by the creator. The designated approver(s) receive a notification and the document appears in their My Approvals queue on the Home screen.	No (by creator)
3. Approved	APPROVED	The document has been authorized by the approver. It is now ready for the next step in its workflow, which is typically posting. For procurement documents, approved status means the PO can be sent to the vendor.	No
4. Posted	POSTED	The document is finalized. This is the terminal state for most documents. Where applicable, posting generates accounting entries (ledger entries in the Finance module). The document becomes a permanent record and cannot be altered.	No

Document lifecycle view showing the status progression of a document through Draft, Submitted, Approved, and Posted stages with timestamps and user information — The document detail view tracks the complete lifecycle of each transaction, showing status transitions, timestamps, and the users involved at each stage.

Detailed Stage Behavior

Draft Stage

When you create a new document, it starts in Draft status. Key behaviors include:

All fields are fully editable
You can save the document and return to it later
Draft documents are visible only to the creator and users with appropriate permissions
No budget is consumed or committed
Draft documents can be deleted without any consequences
You can save a draft as many times as needed before submitting

Submitted Stage

When you click Submit, the document moves from Draft to Submitted. Key behaviors include:

The document is locked — the creator cannot edit it without first withdrawing it back to Draft
The system identifies the appropriate approver(s) based on the configured approval workflow
Approvers receive an in-app notification and optionally an email alert
The document appears in the approver's My Approvals widget on the Home screen
For some document types, submission may trigger preliminary budget checks or validations

Withdrawing a Submission

If you need to make changes after submitting, you can Withdraw the document (if your organization allows it and the approver has not yet acted on it). This returns the document to Draft status so you can make corrections and re-submit.

Approved Stage

When an approver clicks Approve, the document advances. Key behaviors include:

The document is authorized for processing
For multi-level approval workflows, the document may need to be approved by multiple people in sequence
Once fully approved, the document moves to the Approved state
For procurement documents (POs), approval means the order can be placed with the vendor
Budget is committed (but not consumed) at this stage for budgeted items

Posted Stage

Posting is the final step that makes the document permanent. Key behaviors include:

Accounting entries are generated where applicable (e.g., debit/credit entries for a payment voucher)
Budget is moved from "committed" to "actual" for budgeted items
The document becomes a permanent, unalterable record
Posted documents are included in financial reports and Tally sync
The only way to reverse a posted document is through a formal cancellation or reversal process

Additional States

Beyond the four primary stages, documents can also enter these additional states:

State	Description	What Happens Next
Rejected	The approver has declined the document, typically with a reason. The document returns to the creator for correction.	The creator can edit the document (it returns to Draft) and re-submit, or delete it.
Cancelled	A posted document that has been voided. Cancellation creates reversal accounting entries to negate the original postings.	The cancelled document remains in the system for audit purposes. A new document must be created if the transaction needs to be re-processed.
On Hold	Some document types support a hold state, where processing is temporarily paused pending additional information or management decision.	The document can be released from hold to resume its normal lifecycle.
Closed	Used for documents like POs where partial fulfillment is common. A PO can be closed even if not fully received, preventing further MRNs against it.	Closed is a terminal state. The uncommitted budget from the closed document is released.

Approval Workflow Integration

The movement from Submitted to Approved is governed by the approval workflow configured for each document type. Approval workflows define:

Who can approve — Specific users, roles, or positions in the organization
Approval hierarchy — Single-level (one approver) or multi-level (sequential chain of approvers)
Conditions — Approval rules based on amount thresholds, Business Unit, or other criteria (e.g., POs above 10 lakhs require director approval)
Escalation — Time-based escalation if an approver does not act within a configured period

Tip: Check Approval Status

You can view the approval history of any document by opening it and checking the Approval Trail tab or section. This shows who has approved, who is pending, and any comments left by approvers.

Document Types That Follow This Pattern

The following document types in JobNext follow the standard lifecycle (with minor variations):

Module	Document Types
Procurement	Material Requisition, Purchase Order, Material Receipt Note (MRN), Stock Transfer
Subcontractor	Work Requisition, Work Order, Measurement Sheet, Subcontractor Bill
Finance	Payment Voucher, Receipt Voucher, Journal Voucher, Contra Voucher
Customer Billing	RA Bill, One-Time Invoice, Monthly Bill, Combined Bill
HR	Leave Application, Payroll Run, Settlement
Preconstruction	Quotation, Tender
Projects	Estimate, BOQ Revision

Posting Is Permanent

Once a document is posted, it cannot be edited or deleted. If you discover an error in a posted document, you must cancel it (which creates reversal entries) and create a new corrected document. Always double-check your documents before posting.