Approval Delegation — Proposed Guide

Planned API — Reference Only

Approval Delegation: Delegation assigns a reviewer responsibility to an authorized substitute for a defined period. It should preserve the identity of…

Overview

Delegation assigns a reviewer responsibility to an authorized substitute for a defined period. It should preserve the identity of both the original reviewer and the acting delegate.

Key concepts

Limit delegation scope and dates, and evaluate conflicts of interest for the substitute. Prevent delegation cycles.

Implementation considerations

Delegation must not grant more authority than the original assignment. Record which valid delegation authorized each decision.

Illustrative data model

This local fixture shows a possible representation for the concepts above. It is not an endpoint response, production configuration or a claim that the described capability is implemented.

JSON fixture

Fictional concept fixture

{
  "reference_only": true,
  "topic": "Approval Delegation",
  "delegation_id": "delegation_example_123",
  "reviewer_id": "usr_example_123",
  "delegate_id": "usr_example_123",
  "start_date": "2026-01-15",
  "end_date": "2026-01-31"
}

Design review checklist

Document which organization owns the approval delegation representation and which actor may view or change it.
Test the boundaries of delegation id, reviewer id, delegate id, start date, end date using synthetic values, including missing or inconsistent references.
Before future implementation, obtain an approved contract and review failure behavior. This documentation does not authorize production activation.

Proposed data types

Illustrative field dictionary
Name	Type	Description
delegation_id	string	Stable fictional delegation reference; not a secret and not evidence that a resource exists.
reviewer_id	string	Stable fictional reviewer reference; not a secret and not evidence that a resource exists.
delegate_id	string	Stable fictional delegate reference; not a secret and not evidence that a resource exists.
start_date	string (date)	Synthetic calendar date in YYYY-MM-DD form; period inclusivity must be defined by the future contract.
end_date	string (date)	Synthetic calendar date in YYYY-MM-DD form; period inclusivity must be defined by the future contract.

Reject Expense Report

Approval Workflows

Approval Status