Every document uploaded to Docupath passes through a defined lifecycle - from upload and AI processing to human review and a final decision of Approved or Rejected. This article explains every stage and status.
The Lifecycle at a Glance
The document lifecycle is designed to be mutually exclusive at the end: a document can be either Approved or Rejected - never both. Every transition is logged for audit purposes.
Pending
Validated
Approved
Rejected
Lifecycle stages explained
Stage | Description |
đĄ Pending | The document has been uploaded and is waiting for review. It may still be under AI processing, or it may be ready for human validation. |
đ˘ Validated | The document has been reviewed by a user with the Validator role but is not yet finalised. This stage provides a second layer of assurance before acceptance. |
â Approved | The document has passed validation and has been accepted. Once approved, it can optionally be sent to external systems for further processing or archiving. |
â Rejected | The document has failed validation or violated a business rule. Rejection always requires a reason, creating an auditable trail for transparency. |
How to track documents by lifecycle stage
The Review Screen provides a tab view that mirrors the lifecycle stages: Pending, Validated, Approved, and Rejected. Use the tabs to quickly filter and locate documents at any stage. Active filters are highlighted with a red bubble indicator so they are easy to spot and clear.
Approving a Document
Approving a document marks it as accepted and finalises its position in the lifecycle. Once approved, the document can optionally be routed to external systems such as an ERP or accounting platform.
Who can approve: Users with the Admin, Manager, Reviewer or Reviewer & Validator role.
How to approve:
Open the document from the Review Screen by clicking âPreviewâ button.
Review the extracted data in the left panel against the original document in the right panel. Correct any fields if needed.
When you are satisfied the document is accurate and complete, click the Approve button in the footer action bar at the bottom of the screen.
The document moves to Approved status and exits the review queue.
If your organization uses the Validator role, a Validator can first mark the document as Validated before a Reviewer approves it. The Validate button replaces the Approve button for users with the Validator role.
Reviewers can directly approve documents as well.
Rejecting a Document
Rejecting a document removes it from the approval flow and logs the reason against the document for audit purposes. Rejection is final â a rejected document cannot be re-approved without re-uploading and entering the document process again.
Who can reject: Users with the Admin, Manager, Reviewer or Reviewer & Validator role.
How to reject:
Open the document from the Review Screen by clicking âPreviewâ button.
Review the document and confirm it should not proceed â for example, it is missing required fields, contains invalid data, or violates a business rule.
Click the Reject button in the footer action bar.
Enter a rejection reason when prompted. This is mandatory and will be logged against the document.
The document moves to Rejected status and is removed from the active review queue.
Rejection is not permanent deletion. Rejected documents remain visible in the Rejected tab on the Review Screen. To reprocess the documents user must re-upload the document and follow the document process flow.
Automatic rejections: Documents can also be rejected automatically by Rejection Rules configured by your Admin â for example, if a required PO number is missing or a total amount is zero. Automatically rejected documents behave the same way as manually rejected ones and appear in the Rejected tab with the rule's logged reason.
Approve vs Reject: Quick Reference
| Approve | Reject |
What it means | Document is accepted and finalised | Document has failed review or violated a rule |
Who can do it | Admin, Manager, Reviewer, Reviewer & Validator | Admin, Manager, Reviewer, Reviewer & Validator |
Reason required | No | Yes â mandatory |
Next step | Exported to external systems upon integration | Stays in Rejected tab, can be logged in external systems (if required) |
Reversible? | No â re-upload to restart | No â re-upload to restart |
Now that you understand how documents move through Docupath, you're ready to start reviewing, approving, and managing your document queue with confidence.