Approval rules

Approval rules are where you define the approval chains the rest of the platform enforces. A rule sets out the sequence of sign-offs a record must collect, so approval follows your process rather than being arranged ad hoc each time.

Defining the chain

A rule is built from ordered approval steps. For each step you choose who signs it — a specific user, a group, or the item owner — and how many approvals it needs. You also set the meaning each signature carries, with a custom label where your terminology differs, and mark the step always required or optional. A rule can be enabled or disabled, so you can stage changes without disrupting work in flight.

Where the configuration lives versus how it’s used

This admin area is the definition; the act of signing against these chains — re-authenticating, stating the meaning, approving or rejecting — is covered from the user’s side in Approvals & e-signatures. Configuring the chain here and signing there are two halves of the same control.

Getting it right centrally

Because approval rules are defined centrally and applied wherever they’re needed, the sign-off requirements for a class of records stay consistent and are governed by the people responsible for the quality process — not reinvented by whoever happens to be routing a record. In-flight approvals against these rules are monitored in Pending approvals.