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Glossary

Approval Workflow

An approval workflow is a governed sequence of checkpoints that a proposed action must pass before it executes. Each step routes the decision to the right reviewer based on risk, role, or policy, recording who approved what so the outcome is fully accountable.

Synonyms: approval flow, review workflow, authorization workflow, sign-off process

An approval workflow encodes who is allowed to authorize which actions, and under what conditions. Instead of trusting a single automated decision, it inserts explicit, policy-driven checkpoints that route a proposal to the appropriate approver. Low-risk, well-grounded steps can be configured to pass automatically, while sensitive ones require a human sign-off. Because each decision is captured with its actor and timestamp, the workflow doubles as an audit trail, making it possible to prove later exactly how a governed action was authorized.

Frequently asked questions

What can trigger an approval requirement?
Requirements can be applied by workflow, channel, risk class, monetary threshold, or action type, so only the steps that genuinely need oversight pause for a reviewer.
How does an approval workflow stay auditable?
Every request, approval, edit, and rejection is recorded with the actor and timestamp, producing an end-to-end trail that proves who authorized each governed action.