Business processes
Approval Workflows Approval triggers across modules, queue management, maker-checker pattern, and decision logging
This page covers how approvals work across the Paul Rent a Car platform — which actions require approval, who approves them, how the queue is managed, and how every decision is logged.
The platform uses a maker-checker pattern for all critical business actions. The person who initiates an action (maker) cannot be the same person who approves it (checker).
flowchart LR M[Maker: Initiates Action] -->|Submits| Q[Approval Queue] Q --> C[Checker: Reviews Action] C -->|Approves| D[Action Executed] C -->|Rejects| R[Action Rejected] R --> N[Maker Notified]
Business Tip: The maker-checker pattern is not bureaucracy — it is fraud prevention. Every bypassed approval is a potential financial or legal exposure.
Action Trigger Approver Permission High-value reservation (> AED 5,000) Auto on total value Branch Manager reservation:approveReservation cancellation (confirmed) Manual by agent Branch Manager reservation:approveContract extension (> 7 days) Auto on extension length Operations Manager extension:approveContract early termination Manual by customer request Branch Manager contract:approvePricing override (discount > 20%) Auto on discount percentage Sales Manager pricing:approve_overrideCorporate account creation Manual by sales agent Credit Manager customer:approve_corporateCredit limit increase Manual by account manager Finance Manager billing:approve_credit_limit
Action Trigger Approver Permission Refund (> AED 1,000) Auto on refund amount Finance Manager billing:approve_refundRefund (> AED 10,000) Auto on refund amount Director billing:approve_refundCredit note (> AED 500) Auto on credit amount Finance Manager credit_note:approveInvoice correction Manual by billing agent Finance Manager billing:approve_correctionWrite-off (> AED 2,000) Auto on write-off amount Director writeoff:approvePayment plan (> 3 installments) Manual by collections agent Finance Manager billing:approve_payment_plan
Action Trigger Approver Permission Vehicle disposal Manual by fleet manager Director vehicle:approve_disposalVehicle transfer (> AED value) Auto on vehicle value Operations Manager vehicle:approve_transferMajor repair (> AED 5,000) Auto on repair estimate Fleet Manager maintenance:approveExternal garage repair Manual by workshop manager Fleet Manager maintenance:approve_externalInsurance claim filing Manual by damage team Insurance Manager insurance:approve_claim
Action Trigger Approver Permission Damage charge (> AED 2,000) Auto on charge amount Damage Manager damage:approve_chargeDamage dispute overturn Manual by damage team Operations Manager damage:approve_overturnComplaint resolution (financial) Auto on financial impact Operations Manager complaint:approve_resolutionLegal escalation Manual by complaint owner Legal Manager complaint:escalate_legal
Action Trigger Approver Permission Posting batch approval Auto on batch generation Finance Manager accounting:approve_posting_batchPosting batch export Manual after approval Finance Manager accounting:approve_posting_batchJournal reversal Manual by accountant Finance Director accounting:reverse_entryPeriod close Manual by accountant Finance Director accounting:close_periodCOA mapping change Manual by accountant Finance Director accounting:configure
All pending approvals appear in a centralized queue accessible from the dashboard.
Filter Options Module All, Billing, Contracts, Fleet, Damage, Complaints, Accounting Priority All, High, Medium, Low Status Pending, Overdue, Escalated My Approvals Show only items assigned to current user Date Range Today, This Week, This Month
Column Description Request ID Unique approval request identifier Module Which module the request is from Action What action is being requested Requested By Who initiated the action Amount Financial amount (if applicable) Submitted When the request was submitted Due By SLA deadline for approval Priority High / Medium / Low Status Pending / Approved / Rejected
Business Tip: Check your approval queue at least twice daily. Delayed approvals block operational workflows and frustrate colleagues.
Priority Approval Deadline Escalation Critical (financial > AED 20,000) 2 hours Auto-escalate to Director High (financial > AED 5,000) 4 hours Auto-escalate to next manager Medium (financial > AED 1,000) 24 hours Reminder notification Low (standard operations) 48 hours Reminder notification
Situation Clock Behavior Business hours (08:00-20:00) Running After hours Paused for Low/Medium, running for High/Critical Weekends Paused for Low/Medium, running for High/Critical Approver on leave Auto-reassigned to backup approver
flowchart TD A[Approval Submitted] --> B{Within SLA?} B -->|Yes| C[Approver Reviews] B -->|No| D[SLA Breach] D --> E[Auto-Escalate] E --> F[Backup Approver] F --> C C --> G{Decision} G -->|Approve| H[Action Executed] G -->|Reject| I[Maker Notified] G -->|Request Info| J[Clarification Requested] J --> C The approver reviews the request details:
What to Review Where Request details Approval queue item Related entity Click through to source record Financial impact Amount, budget impact Policy compliance Check relevant policies Historical context Previous similar requests
Decision Effect Approve Action is executed, statuses updated, notifications sent Reject Action is cancelled, maker is notified with rejection reason Request Info Approval paused, additional information requested from maker Delegate Assign to another approver (must have same permission)
After Approval After Rejection Statuses updated automatically Original statuses unchanged Notifications sent to relevant parties Maker receives rejection notification Audit log entry created Audit log entry with rejection reason Accounting entries generated (if applicable) No accounting impact Next workflow step triggered Workflow returns to previous state
Event Notification Channel Recipient New approval pending Email + In-app + Push Assigned approver SLA warning (50% time elapsed) In-app Assigned approver SLA breach Email + In-app + SMS Escalated approver Approval decision Email + In-app Request maker Delegation assigned Email + In-app New approver
Role Can Approve Front Desk Agent — (maker only) Branch Manager Reservations, cancellations, extensions, complaints (branch-level) Sales Manager Pricing overrides, corporate accounts, credit limits Operations Manager Extensions, transfers, damage charges, complaint resolutions Fleet Manager Maintenance, repairs, vehicle transfers Damage Manager Damage charges, dispute resolutions Finance Manager Refunds, credit notes, write-offs, posting batches, payment plans Legal Manager Legal escalations, settlements Director High-value approvals, disposal, period closes, reversals CEO Extreme value (> AED 100,000), policy exceptions
Business Tip: Approval authority should be reviewed quarterly. Roles change, people grow, and the matrix must reflect current capabilities.
Every approval decision is logged immutably.
Field Description Approval Request ID Unique identifier Module Source module Action What was approved/rejected Requester Who initiated Approver Who decided Decision Approved / Rejected / Delegated Reason Mandatory for rejections, optional for approvals Amount Financial amount (if applicable) Timestamp Exact date and time of decision IP Address Network address of approver Previous Approver If escalated, who had it first
Access Point What It Shows Approval Detail > History Complete decision chain for one request Audit Log > Approvals All approval decisions across the system User Profile > Approvals All approvals by a specific user Module Detail > Approvals All approvals related to a specific record
For high-volume operations, approvers can process multiple approvals at once.
Rule Description Same module only Bulk process items from the same module Same action type All items must be the same action Maximum 20 items Prevent mass accidental approvals Individual review required Must review each item before bulk action Confirmation step Two-step confirmation for bulk approvals Separate audit log Each item gets its own audit log entry
Filter queue to same module and action type
Select items to approve (checkbox)
Click Bulk Approve
Review summary of selected items
Confirm approval
Each item processed individually with own audit entry
Business Tip: Never bulk-approve items you have not individually reviewed. Bulk approval is a convenience, not a shortcut for due diligence.
When an approver is unavailable, approvals can be delegated.
Rule Description Manual delegation Approver assigns backup before leave Auto-delegation System assigns backup based on role hierarchy Permission check Backup must have the required approval permission Notification Both approver and backup are notified Audit trail Delegation is logged with reason
Primary Approver Auto-Backup Branch Manager Regional Manager Sales Manager Operations Manager Fleet Manager Operations Manager Finance Manager Director Damage Manager Operations Manager Legal Manager Director
Metric Target Average approval time < 4 hours SLA compliance rate > 95% Approval throughput (per approver/day) > 20 Rejection rate < 10% Escalation rate < 5% Delegation usage < 15% of approvals Audit log completeness 100%