Expense report processing

Requirements describe capabilities the pattern needs in your environment, not the vendors you must buy. Any system that fills a requirement satisfies it — that’s what makes the catalog portable across the long tail of SMB tooling.

1. expense_submission_channel

   REQUIREDREADevent

   Where employees submit expenses: receipt photos, statement card-coding interface, mileage entries.

   DATA SHAPE

   Submission with receipt or transaction details, submitter identity, claimed business purpose, amount, date.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • expense management app where employees upload receipts
   • card-statement coding interface
   • company mobile app with submission feature
2. expense_policy_library

   REQUIREDREADcorpus

   The firm's expense policies as testable rules: meal limits, receipt requirements, project coding requirements, prohibited expense types.

   DATA SHAPE

   Per-policy rule: conditions, limits, evidence requirements, exceptions.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • expense policy in the firm handbook
   • structured policy library maintained by finance
   • rules configured in the expense management system
3. employee_directory

   REQUIREDREADrequest

   Who the submitter is, what they can spend on, what their approval routing should be.

   DATA SHAPE

   Per-employee: department, role, manager, spending authority, project assignments, cost center.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • HR system with reporting structure
   • expense system with employee profiles
   • internal directory with cost center mapping
4. project_and_account_master

   REQUIREDREADrequest

   Valid GL accounts, projects, classes the expense can be coded to.

   DATA SHAPE

   Active accounts, projects, classes with descriptions and rules about who can use each.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • chart of accounts and project list in the accounting system
   • ERP cost center and project structure
5. approval_routing

   REQUIREDWRITEevent

   Where complete reports go for manager and finance approval per the firm's authority matrix.

   DATA SHAPE

   Approval requests with full context, prior policy checks, suggested approvers.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • approval workflow in the expense system
   • task created for the manager and finance reviewer
   • structured approval routing in a workflow tool
6. submitter_feedback_channel

   REQUIREDWRITEevent

   Where flagged or incomplete submissions go back to the submitter with specifics.

   DATA SHAPE

   Per-submission feedback: what's flagged, why, what needs to change, deadline if applicable.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • notification in the expense app with revision interface
   • email to the submitter with edit link
   • chat alert with feedback details
7. bookkeeping_destination

   REQUIREDWRITEevent

   Where approved expenses become journal entries.

   DATA SHAPE

   Categorized expense entries with full coding, attached receipts, audit trail.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • bookkeeping system with expense entries
   • AP system if expenses get reimbursed via payment run
   • GL with structured entries