Product Thinking · Published July 23, 2026
Approval Flows: Do Not Turn Organisational Problems Into Software Problems
Overlong approval chains usually reflect unclear authority, not poor workflow design.
When clients ask for an approval workflow, the request is usually to follow the existing policy. Drawing that policy as a diagram often reveals a step with five approvers, none of whom know what they are checking.
Three questions first
What is each step judging? If nobody can answer, the step is probably ceremonial.
Who fixes a rejected item? Many flows stall after rejection because nobody owns the revision.
How does an urgent case move? Without an exception path, the business routes around the system and the system becomes decorative.
What software can do
Structure the decision: require a reason category instead of free text, so frequent issues can be counted.
Support delegation and transfer for leave and role changes, which beats adding more approval levels.
Keep a complete approval history for later review and audit.
An approval flow mirrors organisational rules. When the rules are muddled, software amplifies the muddle rather than resolving it.
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