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Launch Plan
Expense Management Automation
[YourCompany.com] · Finance Department · Prepared by FullSpec · [Today's Date]
This Launch Plan is your single reference for how the Expense Management automation goes from confirmed spec to live in your business. It covers what is being built, how FullSpec structures the build, what you need to provide, and what your role looks like once the system is running. FullSpec handles all technical work end to end. Your responsibilities are limited to providing tool access, confirming one configuration decision before build begins, and reviewing flagged exceptions once the system is live.
01What you're launching
You are launching a fully automated expense management workflow that replaces the current manual cycle of receipt chasing, GL coding, email approvals, spreadsheet logging, and payroll data entry. Today, a finance admin touches every claim at least five times across a process that averages 63 minutes of admin time per batch and stretches reimbursements across three to five days. After go-live, the system captures receipts at source via Expensify, runs instant policy checks, codes transactions to the correct GL account, routes approvals to the right manager via Slack, posts approved records to Xero, and queues reimbursements in Gusto, all without manual intervention. The only step that stays with a person is reviewing the small number of flagged or rejected claims that require a judgement call.
Process
Expense Management: receipt capture, policy checking, GL coding, manager approval, Xero posting, and Gusto reimbursement queuing
Trigger
An employee submits an expense claim in Expensify with a receipt attached
Final output
A finalised Xero spend record, a Gusto reimbursement queue entry, and a confirmation email to the employee, all completed in under 2 hours from submission
Agents being built
3 agents: Receipt Extraction and Policy Agent, GL Coding and Xero Sync Agent, Approval Routing and Notification Agent
Tools involved
Expensify, Xero, Slack, Gmail, Gusto, Google Drive
Volume
Approximately 120 expense claims per month (continuous, triggered on each new submission)
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02How the build works
FullSpec follows a structured four-stage build process for every automation: Connect, Build, Test, and Launch. Each stage has a defined set of outputs and clear ownership. You will be asked to act at specific moments, primarily during Connect and Launch. Everything in between, including all agent configuration, integration wiring, data mapping, and quality assurance, is handled entirely by the FullSpec team. The timeline below reflects business days from the close of the Connect stage.
Complexity level: Moderate. Estimated delivery window: 14 to 18 business days. The delivery clock starts at the close of Connect, not payment. Connect cannot close until all tool credentials are provisioned and the expense policy configuration decision is confirmed.
1Connect
Business days 1 to 3
FullSpec
Reviews the mapped process, confirms the three agents in scope, and sends you the credential checklist and policy questionnaire. Schedules a 45-minute kick-off call to walk through the GL mapping table and approval authority structure.
You
Provide API credentials and admin access for Expensify, Xero, Slack, Gmail, and Gusto. Confirm the expense policy rules, GL code mapping, and approval authority matrix. Return the completed policy questionnaire before day 3.
2Build
Business days 4 to 12
FullSpec
Builds all three agents in sequence: Receipt Extraction and Policy Agent (OCR extraction, policy rule configuration, automated receipt-chase email logic via Gmail); GL Coding and Xero Sync Agent (merchant-to-GL mapping, draft spend money record creation in Xero with receipt attachment); Approval Routing and Notification Agent (Slack approval flow, 24-hour reminder logic, Gusto reimbursement queue integration, and Gmail confirmation templates). Runs unit-level checks on each agent before moving to the next.
You
Available to answer any clarification questions about the expense policy, specific merchant categories, or approval authority edge cases. No technical action required during this stage.
3Test
Business days 13 to 16
FullSpec
Runs a full end-to-end QA cycle covering compliant claims, policy-failing claims, missing-receipt scenarios, manager approval and rejection paths, and edge cases including foreign currency and duplicate submissions. Verifies Xero records, Gusto entries, and Slack notifications against expected outputs. Shares a test summary report for your review.
You
Review the test summary report and confirm the outputs look correct from a business perspective. Raise any discrepancies with the expense policy results or Xero record formatting. Sign off on testing before FullSpec proceeds to Launch.
4Launch
Business days 17 to 18
FullSpec
Switches the automation to live against your production Expensify account. Monitors the first 48 hours of live claims, confirms end-to-end flow on real submissions, and flags any adjustment needed. Delivers the SOP and Runbook for your finance admin.
You
Brief your finance admin and relevant managers that the new process is live. Direct employees to submit claims via Expensify from the go-live date. Keep an eye on the flagged-claims queue for the first week and report anything unexpected to support@gofullspec.com.
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03What FullSpec needs from you
FullSpec needs only access to your existing tools. No technical knowledge is required from you or your team. The table below lists exactly what is needed for each tool and when. All credential requests will come through a secure, shared onboarding document, not over email.
Expensify
Admin account login or API partner key with access to all company policies and submitted reports
Before Connect closes
Xero
Adviser-level user access or API connection via OAuth 2.0, with read and write permissions on bank accounts, spend transactions, and the chart of accounts
Before Connect closes
Slack
Workspace admin approval to install a custom app with permissions to send messages, post interactive approval buttons, and access the manager channel or DM list
Before Connect closes
Gmail
A dedicated service account or OAuth 2.0 connection for the finance inbox used to send receipt-chase and confirmation emails
Before Connect closes
Gusto
Gusto admin credentials or API access with permission to read employee records and create expense reimbursement line items on payroll runs
Before Connect closes
Google Drive
Read access to the current expense tracking spreadsheet (used during Connect only to confirm existing field structure; not required post-launch)
Before Connect closes
Configuration decision required before Connect closes: You must confirm the GL code mapping table and the approval authority matrix before build begins. This means providing a written list of which GL codes apply to which merchant categories, and specifying which manager approves expenses for each department or above which spend threshold. Ambiguous or undocumented rules are the single most common cause of delayed builds and inconsistent automated decisions. FullSpec will send a short template to complete during the Connect stage.
04Your role once live
Role
Ongoing responsibilities
What you no longer touch
You (business owner / finance admin)
Review flagged and rejected claims that require a human judgement call. Update the expense policy rules or GL mapping table when the business policy changes. Monitor the Gusto reimbursement batch before finalisation for the first two to three pay runs. Contact FullSpec at support@gofullspec.com for any changes to connected tool accounts or approval authority.
Checking receipts are attached, chasing missing receipts via email, manually assigning GL codes, forwarding claims to managers by email, logging claims in a spreadsheet, creating Xero spend records by hand, adding reimbursement lines to Gusto manually, and sending confirmation emails to employees.
FullSpec
Monitor automation health and alert you to any failures or unexpected error rates. Apply platform updates and maintain all API connections as tool providers release changes. Implement any policy rule changes or mapping table updates you request. Provide support via support@gofullspec.com with a one-business-day response commitment.
Not applicable. FullSpec does not process claims or make approval decisions. All business judgement stays with your team.
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05What success looks like
Timeframe
What to expect
Sign of success
Week 1
The automation processes live claims end to end. A small number of claims may be flagged for human review as the GL mapping and policy rules bed in against real submission patterns. Your finance admin will spend most of their expense time reviewing flagged exceptions rather than processing routine claims.
At least 80% of claims move from submission to a draft Xero record without any manual intervention. The flagged-claims queue is visible and actionable. No claims are lost or stuck without a status.
Month 1
Routine claims are processing in under 2 hours from submission. The receipt-chase loop has effectively stopped for compliant submitters. Managers are approving via Slack rather than email, and the 24-hour reminder is catching any slow responses. Xero records are appearing with correct GL codes and attached receipts.
Finance admin time on expenses has dropped from 6 hours per week to approximately 0.5 hours. Claim-to-approval turnaround is under 2 hours for compliant claims. GL coding errors at month-end have reduced materially. Employees are receiving confirmation emails without the finance team sending them manually.
Month 3
The automation is running at full efficiency. Policy compliance has lifted because non-compliant claims are blocked automatically at submission before any admin time is spent on them. The Gusto reimbursement queue is populating correctly each pay cycle. Month-end reconciliation is faster because Xero records are clean and receipts are already attached.
Approximately 300 hours of admin time recovered on an annualised basis ($9,100 in annual staff cost savings). GL coding error rate at month-end is down to 1 to 2 per month from 6 to 10. Receipt chase rate is at or near 0% for compliant submitters. The business is on track to recover the build cost within 4 months of go-live.
Next step: the FullSpec team will send you the Connect onboarding document within one business day of your confirmation to proceed. That document includes the credential request form, the policy rule template, and the GL mapping table for you to complete. Once Connect closes with all items confirmed, the build clock starts and FullSpec takes it from there. Questions before then can go to support@gofullspec.com.
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