Map the source-to-pay process end to end using SIPOC and swimlane techniques that expose every handoff.
Warehousing & Procurement
Mapping the Source-to-Pay Process from Purchase Requisition to Supplier Payment
Teaches procurement and finance teams to map, measure and redesign the source-to-pay process from requisition through approval, receipt, matching and payment.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Purchase-to-pay problems rarely show up as a single fault; they show up as slow cycle times, invoices stuck in exception queues, and finance and procurement each blaming the other's system. This course teaches procurement and finance professionals to map the source-to-pay process properly, using SIPOC and cross-functional swimlane diagrams that expose every handoff between requester, approver, procurement, receiving and accounts payable. Delegates design requisition and catalogue workflows that capture clean data at the point of purchase, build approval matrices that route by value and risk rather than habit, and configure two-way and three-way matching with tolerances that cut unnecessary manual review without weakening control. The course covers purchase order types, goods and service receipt requirements, e-invoicing onboarding and payment run scheduling, then turns to measurement: cycle time, touchless invoice rate and exception rate as the metrics that show where a process is actually failing. The final module looks at where automation and workflow redesign genuinely remove manual steps, and where they would only automate a broken process. Delegates leave able to map, measure and redesign their own source-to-pay process rather than accept its current friction as fixed.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Design requisition and catalogue workflows that capture accurate data at the point of purchase.
Build an approval matrix and delegation of authority that matches control effort to spend risk.
Configure two-way and three-way invoice matching with tolerances that reduce unnecessary manual review.
Investigate and resolve invoice exceptions and blocked payments using purchase order and receipt evidence.
Track cycle time, touchless rate and exception rate to target process improvement effort.
Identify automation opportunities that remove manual steps from the process without weakening control.
Who Should Attend
Procurement process owners responsible for source-to-pay design and performance.
Accounts payable managers handling invoice matching, exceptions and supplier payment.
Shared services leads running procurement or finance operations centres.
ERP and e-procurement system administrators configuring workflow and approval rules.
Business analysts mapping procurement processes ahead of a system or policy change.
Category managers who need to understand the transactional process behind their contracts.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Defining and Mapping the End-to-End Process
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Source-to-Pay Scope and Process Mapping Techniques
- Distinguish source-to-pay from procure-to-pay and mark where sourcing and contracting activity hands over into transactional buying.
- Build a SIPOC diagram that identifies the suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers of the source-to-pay process.
- Draw a cross-functional swimlane flowchart that shows every handoff between requester, approver, procurement, receiving and accounts payable.
- Identify non-value-adding steps in a mapped process, such as duplicate approvals or rekeying data between systems.
Session 2Requisition Creation and Catalogue Buying
- Distinguish catalogue purchases from non-catalogue, free-text requisitions and set rules for when each route applies.
- Design a punch-out or hosted catalogue workflow that keeps negotiated prices and specifications intact at the point of requisition.
- Configure mandatory requisition fields, such as cost centre and commodity code, that downstream reporting depends on being accurate.
- Reduce free-text requisitions for repeat purchases by adding the item to a catalogue or a standing agreement instead.
02Approvals, Purchase Orders and Receipt
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Approval Workflow and Delegation of Authority Design
- Design an approval matrix that routes a requisition to the correct approver based on value, category and cost centre.
- Reduce approval chain length for low-value, low-risk categories while keeping stronger controls on high-value spend.
- Configure escalation rules that reassign a requisition automatically when an approver has not responded within a set time.
- Audit a sample of approved requisitions to confirm approvers are reviewing content rather than approving on autopilot.
Session 2Purchase Order Issue and Goods or Service Receipt
- Choose between a standard, blanket and standing purchase order depending on the spend pattern and delivery schedule involved.
- Configure the system to block invoice processing until a purchase order has been acknowledged by the supplier.
- Require a goods receipt or service entry sheet before an invoice can proceed, and set tolerances for partial deliveries.
- Identify categories, such as utilities or rent, where a purchase order is impractical and design a controlled exception route.
03Invoice Matching, Exceptions and Payment
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Two-Way and Three-Way Matching and Exception Handling
- Configure two-way matching for low-risk categories and three-way matching for goods where quantity and price both carry risk.
- Set price and quantity tolerance thresholds that let minor variances pass automatically while routing larger ones for review.
- Investigate a blocked invoice by checking the purchase order, the goods receipt and the supplier's own despatch records.
- Reduce a recurring exception type, such as freight charges not on the purchase order, by changing the requisition template.
Session 2E-Invoicing, Payment Runs and Early Payment Options
- Onboard a supplier to e-invoicing so invoice data is validated against the purchase order before it reaches accounts payable.
- Schedule payment runs against agreed terms while protecting suppliers who rely on being paid on the due date, not late.
- Evaluate a dynamic discounting or early payment offer against the organisation's cost of capital before accepting it.
- Resolve a supplier query about payment status using self-service tracking instead of a manual email to accounts payable.
04Measuring, Automating and Improving the Process
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Process KPIs and Control Reporting
- Track cycle time from requisition to purchase order, and from invoice receipt to payment, to find where delay accumulates.
- Measure the touchless invoice rate and identify the supplier or category patterns causing invoices to need manual handling.
- Report exception rates and ageing blocked invoices to procurement and finance leadership on a recurring basis.
- Benchmark requisition-to-order cycle time across categories to target process improvement where it affects operations most.
Session 2Automation and Continuous Process Improvement
- Identify repetitive, rules-based steps in the process, such as data entry or matching, that are candidates for automation.
- Assess where robotic process automation or workflow rules can remove manual touches without weakening control.
- Redesign a requisition template or approval rule identified as a root cause of recurring exceptions or delay.
- Run a periodic process health check that revisits mapped swimlanes as systems, categories or organisational structure change.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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