An approval request needs the evidence a reviewer requires, an explicit decision and a defined consequence. We agree on primary reviewers, authorized delegates, reminder timing and escalation before implementation. Rejection returns work with a useful next step; silence or an unavailable reviewer must follow the business’s chosen exception path.
Microsoft’s approval workflow documentation describes creating an approval, evaluating its response and branching on the outcome. Your business rules determine who decides, what they receive and what each outcome permits.
For example, an invoice request could include a stable request ID, supplier, amount, document reference, submitter and purpose. The approval record should preserve the reviewed version, decision, reviewer and time, with a correction path when the underlying request changes.
Do not confuse “the request was delivered” with “the work was approved.” Our blueprint keeps those states separate and makes missing-owner behavior visible.