LEVEL 05 · LESSON 41
Approval gates
Approval is meaningful when it covers the exact action that will actually happen.
What it is
An approval gate pauses a proposed operation until an authorized person approves the specific action under the required conditions.
Why it matters
Some actions deserve review because their impact is significant or difficult to reverse. Approval should be precise enough to constrain execution.
A business example
Before a customer email is sent, a reviewer sees its recipients, subject, body, and attachments. Changing the recipient or attachment after approval invalidates that approval.
How it actually works
Bind approval to the exact operation, relevant parameters, approver, and time window. Show the evidence and consequences clearly. Revalidate if material details change, and record approval alongside the execution result. Define what happens when approval expires, is denied, or never arrives. The action must remain blocked until the gate is satisfied, rather than being executed first and reported afterward.
A common misconception
A broad instruction like ‘handle this case’ is not always equivalent to approving every consequential action the system might invent along the way.
ONE SENTENCE TO REMEMBER
Approval is meaningful when it covers the exact action that will actually happen.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
A manager approves an agent’s plan to “refund the customer,” and the agent later decides to refund twice the original amount. What should happen?
Show the answer
Answer: C.
Approval is meaningful when it covers the exact action that will happen. Bind approval to the operation and its parameters, revalidate when material details change, and keep the action blocked until the gate is satisfied.
Take it into your next meeting
Which changes to a proposed action should force a fresh approval?
One more concept, understood.
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