An approval workflow decides who approves what, in which order, and what happens when nobody answers. Here are the patterns actually available — and those that are not.
Step-by-step #
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Pick the category #
The circuit attaches to a category — absences, attendance, expense reports… — which determines what it handles. This is not a generic engine: a purchase or contract workflow is not an available category.
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Define who approves #
The approver is resolved from the hierarchy or from a role. The chain can have several steps, handled one after another.
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Set the auto-approval threshold #
This is the setting that lightens managers’ load the most: below the threshold, the request is approved with no human step.
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Set the delays #
Response delay, reminder, escalation: at company level, refinable per step.
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Decide whether a rejection reason is required #
A switch makes a comment mandatory on rejection. Without it, a refusal reaches the requester with no explanation — and comes back as a question through another channel.
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Check on a real request #
There is no simulator. Create a test request and follow its path through the approvals screen.
Common workflow patterns #
| Pattern | What it does | Available? |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential chain | Step 1 then step 2, the second opening when the first is confirmed | Yes |
| Auto-approval below a threshold | A short absence or a small expense goes through without approval | Yes |
| Time-based escalation | With no answer by the deadline, the request moves up to the manager | Yes |
| Default action | Approve, reject or escalate automatically on expiry | Yes |
| Parallel approvals | Two approvers asked at the same time | No — steps run in sequence |
| Branching on an arbitrary amount | Executives above X, manager below | Not as things stand |
FAQ #
How many steps?
One to three. Each step adds a full response delay to the total; beyond that, the queue grows faster than decision quality improves.
What if an approver rejects?
The circuit stops and the requester is notified. If the reason is mandatory, it travels with the rejection.
Can two people approve in parallel?
No. Steps run in sequence: the second opens when the first is confirmed.
Are workflows versioned?
The graph is validated on save, but there is no version freeze: do not modify a circuit while it has requests in flight.
Can an external action be triggered?
Not into a third-party tool. Illizeo connects to eight services only — Microsoft 365, Google, Zoom, DocuSign, Adobe Sign, UgoSign, Slack and Microsoft Entra ID — and none can be driven from a step. No Jira, no CRM, no webhook.
What holds true whatever you configure?
Nobody approves their own request. Delegating to yourself is refused. And an insufficient balance can block an absence request, where that check is enabled.
What does not exist #
No parallel approvals. No circuit simulator. No versioning that freezes in-flight requests. No trigger on crossing an arbitrary threshold: the wired thresholds are the auto-approval ones. No purchase, contract or pay-rise category.
