Approval tiers#

This guide is for implementers configuring multi-step approval chains where records must pass through sequential review stages.

Mental model#

Tiers create a sequential approval pipeline:

Submit → Tier 1 (Field Office) → Tier 2 (Regional) → Tier 3 (Central) → Approved

Each tier must complete before the next tier begins. If any tier rejects, the entire process stops.

Tier configuration#

Each tier within an approval definition has these settings:

Field

What it means

Tier Name

Label for this step (e.g., "Field Office Review")

Sequence

Order in the chain (lower = earlier)

Approver Type

Who approves at this tier (Group, Users, Manager, Dynamic)

Approval Group

Security group whose members can approve (if type = Security Group)

Specific Users

Named approvers (if type = Specific Users)

Require All Approvers

All designated approvers must approve vs. any one

Minimum Count

Minimum number of approvals needed (if not requiring all)

Self-approval

Whether the submitter can approve at this tier

Blocking

Whether this tier blocks progress (vs. informational/FYI)

SLA Hours

Time allowed for this tier before escalation

Setting up tiers#

Step 1: Open the approval definition#

Navigate to Configuration > Approval Definitions and open the definition you want to add tiers to.

Step 2: Add tiers#

In the Tiers tab:

  1. Click Add a line

  2. Set the Sequence (10, 20, 30 for easy reordering)

  3. Give the tier a Name

  4. Select the Approver Type and configure the approver

Step 3: Configure tier behavior#

For each tier, decide:

Decision

Options

Who must approve?

All approvers, or minimum count

Can submitter self-approve?

Yes or No

Is this blocking?

Yes (must approve to proceed) or No (FYI only)

SLA deadline?

Hours before escalation

Tier patterns#

Pattern 1: Sequential group approval#

Three groups approve in order. Any member of each group can approve.

Tier

Sequence

Type

Group

Blocking

Field Review

10

Group

Field Officers

Yes

Regional Review

20

Group

Regional Managers

Yes

Central Approval

30

Group

Central Admin

Yes

Pattern 2: Parallel review then final approval#

Two reviewers work simultaneously, then a director gives final approval.

Tier

Sequence

Type

Details

Blocking

Technical Review

10

Specific Users

Tech Lead

Yes

Compliance Review

10

Specific Users

Compliance Officer

Yes

Director Approval

20

Specific Users

Program Director

Yes

Note

Tiers with the same sequence number run in parallel. Both must complete before the next sequence begins.

Pattern 3: Review with FYI notification#

A manager approves while the finance team is notified (but doesn't need to approve).

Tier

Sequence

Type

Blocking

Manager Approval

10

Manager of Submitter

Yes

Finance Notification

10

Group: Finance

No (FYI)

Escalation#

When a tier's SLA hours expire without a decision:

  1. The system checks the escalation configuration on the parent definition

  2. If escalation is configured, the pending approval routes to the escalation target

  3. The original approver is notified that the item was escalated

Are You Stuck?#

Tiers not executing in order?

Check the Sequence values. Lower numbers execute first. Tiers with equal sequence numbers run in parallel.

Need to skip a tier for certain records?

Create separate approval definitions with different tier structures for different situations. Use the Domain field on each definition to control which records it applies to. You cannot conditionally skip individual tiers.

Approver rejects at tier 2 - what happens?

The record is rejected. The submitter can make corrections and resubmit, which restarts the approval from tier 1.

Can I add a tier after the workflow is already running?

New tiers apply to future submissions only. Active approval processes continue with the original tier structure.

Next steps#