Trail Map › Use-Case Catalog › Approval Processes
✅ Automation · Module 09

Approval Processes: Put a Hard Stop in Front of Bad Decisions

A 30% discount shouldn't happen just because a rep forgot to ask first. How to make the CRM itself enforce that rule, step by step.

4
Tabs
~12 min
Time to Complete
80 pts
Available
1 Badge
Governance Champion

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."

A written policy only works if someone actually follows it in the moment. Workflow Automation (a tool that reacts to a change after it happens) can tell people what happened. But it can't stop something before it happens.

That's the job of Approval Processes: pausing a record until the right person says yes.

💡
What this means for you
Discount and pricing exceptions need a real person to sign off before they count. The system enforces this — nobody has to hope a rep remembers the rule.

Anatomy of an approval process

An Approval Process is a rule you set up in advance. It has two parts: an entry condition (what triggers it) and an ordered list of approval steps (who has to say yes, and in what order).

When a record meets that condition and someone submits it, it follows one strict path:

📝 PENDING
→
✅ APPROVED
📝 PENDING
→
❌ REJECTED
RuleDetail
Step orderingSteps happen one at a time, in order. A request only moves to the next approver once the current one says yes
Any rejectionAny single "no" immediately ends the request as REJECTED — any steps still left are skipped
One active approval at a timeA record can only be waiting on one approval process per object at a time
Permanent historyEvery approval or rejection is saved forever, once it happens — it can't be edited or removed later

1 Require sign-off on big discounts

Open Approval ProcessesGo to Setup → Approval Processes → New Process. (Setup is where admins configure the CRM — look for it in the top-right menu.)
Set the object and entry conditionObject: Opportunity (a deal you're trying to close). Entry condition: discount_percent__c > 15, meaning "trigger this when the discount is over 15%."
Add steps in orderStep 1: Sales Manager. Step 2: Regional VP. The request needs a yes from both people, in that order.
Activate the processSave it, then mark it active so it actually starts running.
Submit a test recordOpen a qualifying Opportunity and click "Submit for Approval." Confirm it now shows status PENDING.
Approve as the approverLog in as the Sales Manager, check the Approval Inbox, and click Approve. Confirm the request now advances to the Regional VP's inbox.
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Where approvers work
Every approver has a personal Approval Inbox — a simple list showing only the requests waiting on them right now. They don't have to hunt through every record to find what needs their sign-off.

Day-to-day: reps

Submit when the condition is metClick "Submit for Approval" on any record that trips the entry condition — the system tells you if it doesn't qualify.
Track the statusWatch the record's status move from PENDING to APPROVED or REJECTED.

Day-to-day: approvers

Check your Approval InboxReview what's waiting on your decision — nothing else clutters the list.
Approve or rejectOne click moves the request forward, or ends it immediately.
🎯
What to try next
Look at the Workflow Automation trail to see the difference between reacting to a change and gating one before it counts.

Test what you learned

1. In a 2-step approval process, Step 1's approver says no. What happens next?
It still moves on to Step 2 for a second opinion
The request is REJECTED right away — Step 2 never even sees it
2. Where does an approver go to find requests waiting on their decision?
A global list showing every approval in the whole company's account
Their own personal Approval Inbox