OPERATIONS / WORKFLOW GUIDE
Invoice, order, and document processing
Extract useful fields, validate them, and route exceptions
The challenge
Operations teams manually transfer information from invoices, purchase orders, delivery records, and forms into spreadsheets or business systems. Inconsistent formats and duplicate submissions make reconciliation slow.
The workflow
Documents enter a designated folder. The workflow extracts relevant fields, checks required information, and compares references against available order or supplier records.
Documents that pass validation produce a structured import file. Missing references, mismatched totals, and suspected duplicates move into an exception queue for review.
- Receive document
- Extract and check
- Post or review
Catch a duplicate invoice before importing it
Suppose a supplier sends an invoice as a PDF, then sends a scan of the same invoice the next day. The workflow extracts the supplier, invoice number, date, currency, and total, then checks those fields against the processing register. A different filename does not make it a new invoice.
An unclear scan or conflicting total goes to an exception list with the original document attached. A reviewer corrects or confirms the fields before an import row is prepared. The invoice’s processing status prevents a second import; payment approval remains separate.
Human review
Staff resolve exceptions and approve consequential updates. Payment authorisation remains a separate step.
How to measure improvement
Track processing time, extraction accuracy, duplicate records, and outstanding exceptions.