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Understanding SLA Breaches
An SLA breach occurs when a document remains in a workflow state longer than the defined target time. PayInvoice Next treats breaches seriously — they trigger notifications, escalations, and are permanently recorded for compliance and audit purposes.
What Triggers a Breach
The SLA tracking engine checks for breaches every 30 minutes. A breach is triggered when:
- A document has been in a workflow state longer than the SLA target for that state.
- The SLA target is measured in working hours (non-working hours and holidays are excluded if working hours are configured).
- The approver has not taken any action (approve, reject, or return) on the document.
For example, if the SLA for "Pending L1 Approval" on a Purchase Order is 24 working hours and the PO has been in that state for 26 working hours, it is flagged as breached.
Breach Severity
Breaches are categorized based on how far past the SLA target the document has gone:
| Severity | Condition | Visual Indicator |
|---|---|---|
| Warning | Approaching SLA limit (e.g., within 2 hours of breach) | Yellow indicator |
| Breached | Past SLA target | Red indicator |
| Critical | Significantly past SLA (e.g., 2× the target time) | Red with escalation |
What Happens Automatically
When a breach is detected, the system takes the following actions in sequence:
Immediate notification — The assigned approver receives an email and in-app notification that the document has breached its SLA. The notification includes the document name, how long it has been pending, and a direct link to take action.
Manager notification — If the breach continues beyond a further threshold, the approver's manager receives a notification alerting them to the stuck document.
Escalation — For critical breaches, the system can trigger reassignment or parallel approval routing based on your organization's escalation rules. See Delegation & Escalation for details.
Breach register entry — Every breach is logged in the SLA Breach Register with the document reference, approver, breach duration, and resolution details. This register is available for audit and compliance reviews.
How to Resolve a Breach
As an approver, if you receive a breach notification:
- Open the document from the notification link or your pending actions queue.
- Review the document and take the appropriate action (approve, reject, or return with comments).
- Once you act on the document, the breach timer stops and the resolution is recorded.
If you cannot act on the document (for example, you need information that is not available), add a comment explaining the delay. This is recorded in the workflow history and provides context for auditors.
TIP
If you know you will be unavailable, set up a delegation before you leave. This prevents breaches from occurring in the first place and is the best practice recommended by PayInvoice Next.
Viewing Breach History
The SLA Breach Register maintains a complete history of all breaches across the system. You can access it through the SLA reports. The register shows:
- Which document breached and in which state
- Who the assigned approver was
- How long the breach lasted
- Whether the breach was resolved and by whom
- The reason for delay (if the approver added comments)
Related Pages
- SLA Tracking — How turnaround time is monitored
- SLA Dashboard & Reports — Viewing SLA metrics and breach history
- Delegation & Escalation — Preventing breaches proactively
- How Approvals Work — The approval process