Approval Rules — Proposed Guide

Planned API — Reference Only

Approval Rules: Rules select the review path for a submitted business record. A proposed rule model should explain condition precedence instead of relying…

Overview

Rules select the review path for a submitted business record. A proposed rule model should explain condition precedence instead of relying on the order a client happens to submit fields.

Key concepts

Separate matching conditions, routing outcomes and required evidence. Record which rule matched the submitted version.

Implementation considerations

Conflicting rules require a defined resolution policy. Default routing must not silently remove a mandatory approver.

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 Rules",
  "rule_id": "rule_example_123",
  "policy_id": "policy_example_123",
  "priority": 1,
  "resource_type": "expense"
}

Design review checklist

Document which organization owns the approval rules representation and which actor may view or change it.
Test the boundaries of rule id, policy id, priority, resource type 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
rule_id	string	Stable fictional rule reference; not a secret and not evidence that a resource exists.
policy_id	string	Stable fictional policy reference; not a secret and not evidence that a resource exists.
priority	integer	Illustrative priority value; its allowed range must be finalized before implementation.
resource_type	string	Type namespace for interpreting a resource identifier and its authorized actions.

Approval Tiers

Approval Workflows

Manager Approvals