Purchase Approval Workflow Flowchart with Swimlanes

Mermaid code

flowchart LR
    subgraph Requester
        A[Fill purchase request] --> B[Attach quotes]
    end
    subgraph Manager
        C{Amount under 1000?}
        C -- Yes --> D[Approve]
        C -- No --> E[Forward to finance]
    end
    subgraph Finance
        F{Budget available?}
        F -- Yes --> G[Approve and issue PO]
        F -- No --> H[Reject with reason]
    end
    B --> C
    E --> F
    D --> I[Purchase order sent]
    G --> I
    H --> J[Request returned]

Paste this into any tool that renders Mermaid, or into the editor to change the theme and export PNG or SVG. Syntax reference: Flowchart guide.

What this diagram shows

Mermaid has no built-in swimlane shape, so this example uses three subgraph blocks named Requester, Manager, and Finance. Each lane holds only the steps that role performs, and the edges between lanes (B --> C, E --> F) are the handoffs. The Amount under 1000? diamond is the threshold that keeps small purchases out of the finance queue.

Reading left to right with flowchart LR makes the lanes stack as columns, which is the layout most people expect from an approval chart.

How to adapt it

• Change the threshold text in C{Amount under 1000?} to match your policy, or add a second diamond for a director-level tier.
• Add a Legal subgraph when contracts above a certain value need review before the purchase order goes out.
• Give each subgraph a direction with direction TB inside it if a lane grows beyond three steps.
• Attach classDef styles to the two approve nodes so the happy path stands out in a printed handbook.

FAQ