Why approval processes matter
JW
Jordan Wu · Sales Operations Director
"A rep discounted a deal by 30% without checking with anyone. It closed before anyone even noticed. We need a hard stop before that happens again — not a policy document nobody reads."
Written policy only works if it's actually enforced at the moment of the decision. Workflow Automation can notify people about what happened — but it can't stop something from happening in the first place. That's what Approval Processes are for.
Business outcome
Discount and pricing exceptions require a human sign-off before they become real — enforced by the system, not by hoping reps remember the rule.Anatomy of an approval process
An Approval Process defines entry criteria for an object and an ordered list of approval steps. When a record meets the criteria and is submitted, it enters a strict lifecycle:
📝 PENDING
→
✅ APPROVED
📝 PENDING
→
❌ REJECTED
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Step ordering | Steps are evaluated in order — the request only advances to the next approver once the current step approves |
| Any rejection | Immediately moves the whole request to REJECTED — it does not continue to remaining steps |
| One active approval at a time | A record can only be in one active approval process per object at once |
| Immutable history | Every approval/rejection action is recorded permanently once written |
Where approvers work
Every approver has a personal Approval Inbox showing only the requests currently waiting on them — they don't need to hunt through the full record list.Require sign-off on big discounts
Open Approval ProcessesSetup → Approval Processes → New Process.
Set the object and entry conditionObject: Opportunity · Entry condition:
discount_percent__c > 15.Add steps in orderStep 1: Sales Manager → Step 2: Regional VP.
Activate the processSave and mark it active.
Submit a test recordOpen a qualifying Opportunity → "Submit for Approval" → confirm it now shows status PENDING.
Approve as the approverLog in as the Sales Manager → check the Approval Inbox → Approve → confirm it advances to the Regional VP's inbox.
Test what you learned
1. Step 1 of a 2-step approval process rejects the request. What happens next?
It still advances to Step 2 for a second opinion
The request moves to REJECTED immediately — Step 2 never sees it
2. Where does an approver find requests waiting on their decision?
A global list of every approval in the org
Their personal Approval Inbox, filtered to their username