Setting Up Approval Workflows in Vena for Budgeting and Forecasting

Vena’s Workflow feature helps finance teams guide users through planning processes from data entry to approvals, while maintaining visibility and accountability.

This article shows how to set up a simple approval workflow for budgeting or forecasting cycles.

Step 1: Plan Your Workflow Structure

Start by identifying key roles and stages:

  • Contributors (e.g., department heads)
  • Reviewers (e.g., Finance team)
  • Approvers (e.g., CFO or business unit leaders)

Example Workflow:

  1. Data Entry → 2. Department Review → 3. Finance Review → 4. Final Approval

📌 Tip: Keep it simple. Start with 2–3 levels and expand over time.

Step 2: Build the Workflow in Vena

  1. Navigate to the Manager
  2. Create a new process and define the planning cycle (e.g., “Annual Budget”)

Step 3: Configure Workflow Process

  • In the blank canvas, right click to add an “Input” process called “Workforce Planning”
  • Right click and add a “Review” process called “WFP Approval”
  • Similarly, add an input and review process for “Opex Planning” and “Opex Approval”
  • Within each input process add an owner and attach the template.

  • Within each approval process add the approval owner and select the Inherited forms and select the “Use forms from previous task”

  • Once all the Input and Approval processes are set up, connect the arrows from the Start node to each input/approval process and carry it all to the End node. For the workflow rejection to work, you’ll have to take the arrow from the approval process back to the input process.  Your final out should look as follows:

🔒 Best Practice: Use role-based security through the admin function to restrict access to sensitive data while allowing visibility across departments.

 

Step 4: Manage Workflow Notifications

  • Use Notifications manage notification triggers as shown below

Step 5: Start the Workflow Process

  • Once notifications are complete, simply start the Workflow

Step 6: Monitor the Workflow

  • Once the Workflow has begun and users have started to input in their templates, you can monitor the workflow process through the “Status Tracker”.

Approval workflows in Vena give you control without micromanaging. They enable collaboration, transparency, and audit-ready documentation, all while keeping your planning process moving.