Approval Chain

An approval chain is a defined sequence of sign-offs that a request moves through before it’s approved or rejected. Each step in the chain corresponds to a different level of authority or a different perspective on the decision.

A leave request is a straightforward example. An employee submits the application, it goes to their reporting manager first, then to HR. The manager looks at it from an operational angle: is the team currently overloaded, will the absence create a coverage problem? HR looks at it from a policy angle: does the employee have enough leave balance, does the request comply with company guidelines? Both reviews serve a purpose, which is why the chain has two steps rather than one.

The structure of an approval chain varies by organization and by the type of request. Some decisions need a single sign-off. Others, particularly those involving budget, policy exceptions, or senior-level commitments, move through several layers before reaching a final decision.