Way 1: without AI (the manual way)
Honest cost: 10-15 minutes per request, plus audit pain later.
- Read each request from email, chat or hallway.
- Check it against policy: threshold, category, evidence.
- Route to the right approver and record the decision.
Spend requests arrive by email, chat and the occasional hallway ask. Policy checks happen in someone's head, and audit season reconstructs decisions nobody wrote down.
Pros of doing it manually
- Free except your time - no tools, no accounts.
- You learn the job deeply and control every detail.
- No data leaves your hands.
Cons of doing it manually
- 10-15 minutes per request, plus audit pain later - every single time the job runs.
- Quality depends on your energy that day.
- More volume just means more hours; it does not scale.
Way 2: with AI, but without AI Agent Skills (DIY prompting)
A chat assistant genuinely helps here. The catch is that you become the workflow designer. What you have to figure out yourself:
- You must paste the policy rules every run - the model does not remember your thresholds.
- You must keep approval strictly human; a loose prompt will start "approving" things.
- You must build your own audit trail, or audit season is archaeology.
Here is a starter prompt that works - copy it and bring the inputs listed:
Check these spend requests against our policy: [paste requests, then policy rules]. Per request: pass/fail/unclear per rule, missing evidence, and the approver level it routes to. Do not approve or reject - that decision belongs to the approver.More on this prompt: the free spend request approvals prompt page.
Pros of DIY prompting
- Free, or nearly - any chat assistant works.
- A first draft in minutes instead of hours.
- Fully flexible: tweak the prompt for any edge case.
Cons of DIY prompting
- You become the workflow designer: prompts, test data and output rules are yours to write, test and maintain.
- Output drifts between sessions unless you re-paste the rules every run.
- Nothing is saved for you - sheets, structure and context are rebuilt each time.
Way 3: with AI Agent Skills ($19, one-time)
The Spend Request Agent is this job already designed: fixed evidence rules, output contract, test fixtures and stop points. You ask once:
Hello, review these new spend requests
And a finished, review-ready artifact lands in your own Drive:
| Request | Amount | Policy check | Evidence | Approver | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Figma renewal (Design) | $540/yr | Under $1k software threshold - manager approval only | Invoice attached, matches last year's seat count | Priya (Eng manager) | Approved |
| New analytics tool | $4,800/yr | Over $1k - needs finance lead sign-off | Quote attached; no security review on file | Unassigned | Blocked - security review needed |
Sample data shown. Your workspace fills with your real work.
Setup takes about 10 minutes: buy, hand the three files to the assistant you already use (Instinct, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other assistant that reads files), approve the fictional-data test. Then it runs on a standing cycle or a one-line ask, and stops at every human gate. Full method.
Pros of the ready-made agent
- About 10 minutes to a tested setup, not an afternoon of prompt tuning.
- The same output shape every run - evidence rules and stop points are already designed.
- Runs on a standing cycle or a one-line ask; files land in your own Drive.
Cons of the ready-made agent
- Costs $19 once, where DIY prompting is free.
- The output format is opinionated - you adapt the template rather than rebuild it.
- It still stops and waits for your approval at decision points; it is not zero-touch.
Get the Spend Request Agent · $19
The honest comparison
| Way 1: manual | Way 2: DIY AI | Way 3: $19 agent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to first result | 10-15 minutes per request, plus audit pain later | An afternoon of prompt tuning | About 10 minutes, tested setup |
| Every run after | Same hours, every time | Re-paste the rules, sheet and context each run | One short ask, or a standing cycle |
| Consistency | Depends on the day | Drifts between sessions | Same output shape every run |
| Cost | Your hours | Free, plus your time | $19 once, files kept forever |
The manual way teaches you the job. DIY prompting is fine for a one-off. The agent wins when the job repeats every week.
More: the Spend Request Agent product page · the spend request approvals guide · AI agents for finance teams
Questions people ask
What is the fastest way to review spend requests against policy?
The $19 ready-made agent: about 10 minutes of setup, then one short ask per run. Manual takes 10-15 minutes per request, plus audit pain later; DIY prompting takes an afternoon of tuning plus upkeep.
Can I review spend requests against policy without AI?
Yes - the manual steps are on this page. Expect 10-15 minutes per request, plus audit pain later each time the job runs.
Is the $19 agent worth it over DIY prompting?
If the job repeats weekly, yes: you stop rebuilding prompts and re-pasting context every run. For a one-off, DIY prompting is fine and free.
Last updated 13 September 2026 · Reviewed by the AI Agent Skills team.