Approval route simulator
See who approves a trip before you set the rules
Add the approval rules you have in mind, then run sample trips through them. Each trip shows the approvals the silentVIP portal would ask for, in order, using the same rule types and the same routing.
The sample team
Six people, four who can approve
The trips below belong to this fictional company. Each person's usual approver is set on their traveler profile, as it is in the portal.
| Person | Role | Department | Usual approver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avery Cole | Travel manager | Operations | None set |
| Jordan Lee | Finance | Operations | Avery Cole |
| Priya Shah | Approver | Sales | Avery Cole |
| Sam Ortiz | Approver | Engineering | Avery Cole |
| Morgan Diaz | Traveler | Sales | Priya Shah |
| Casey Nguyen | Traveler | Engineering | Sam Ortiz |
Approval routes
Your rules, as the portal writes them
- When the trip costs more than $2,500, finance also approves.
- When the destination is restricted, a travel manager also approves.
- When the project code is ACQ-7, Jordan Lee also approves (Acquisition budget).
Trip 1
Morgan Diaz: $1,200, not restricted, in policy
No approval needed. Nothing in the policy or the rules asks for one, so it goes straight to the silentVIP team to book.
Trip 2
Morgan Diaz: $3,400, not restricted, in policy
2 approvals, in order. Needed because rule 1 (Over $2,500) applies.
- Priya Shah Approver
Morgan's usual approver.
- Jordan Lee Finance
Rule 1: Over $2,500.
Trip 3
Casey Nguyen: $1,800, restricted: approval always needed, out of policy, project ACQ-7
3 approvals, in order. Needed because the destination is restricted, the trip is out of policy, and rules 2 (Restricted destination) and 3 (Project ACQ-7) apply. The traveler must give a reason when they select it.
- Sam Ortiz Approver
Casey's usual approver.
- Avery Cole Travel manager
Rule 2: Restricted destination.
- Jordan Lee Finance
Rule 3: Project ACQ-7.
Trip 4
Jordan Lee: $4,100, not restricted, in policy
2 approvals, in order. Needed because rule 1 (Over $2,500) applies.
- Avery Cole Travel manager
Jordan's usual approver.
- Your silentVIP team Decides from the silentVIP work queue
Rule 1: Over $2,500. The only finance user is Jordan Lee, the traveler, who can't approve their own trip, so your silentVIP team decides this step.
How routing works
What the portal does, and where it says so
Every behavior below is how the portal works today. No approval escalates on a timer: an approval stays with its current approver until it's decided, withdrawn or reassigned.
When approval is needed
A trip needs approval if it's out of policy and the policy asks for approval then (or for every booking), if the destination is restricted, if it changes an approved booking to something that costs more, or if any approval rule matches. A destination marked not permitted can't be booked at all.
In the portal: Policy.
The first approver
The traveler's usual approver decides first. If they've handed over to a cover for today's date, the cover decides instead. With no usual approver set, the step goes to the first available approver, or failing that a travel manager, or failing that a finance user. Nobody ever approves their own trip.
In the portal: each traveler's profile, and People and roles, Approver cover.
Further steps
Each matching rule adds one approver, in the order the rules were added: the named person, or the first person with that role who isn't already deciding. One person decides one step. A rejection at any step rejects the whole approval.
In the portal: Policy, Multi-level approvals.
If nobody else can decide
If the only person a rule names is the traveler, your silentVIP team decides that step from its work queue. A rule with nobody left to add is skipped, and the approval says so.
Covering and reassigning
A cover can decide any step assigned to the approver they cover, unless they approved an earlier step of the same approval. Travel managers and finance can decide any approval in the account except their own trips. If an approver loses that role or their login is turned off, their pending approvals move to whoever routing picks now.
Changes after approval
Switching an approved booking to an option that costs more needs approval again, unless the policy never asks for approval. A change at the same or lower cost goes through the same checks as a new booking. A cancellation never needs approval. A written change request on an approved booking goes to an approver whatever the policy's approval setting.
In the portal: the approval is marked as a change, beside the original decision.
To write your approval mode and the rest of your travel policy as a document, use the travel policy builder. The approval features themselves are described on Policy & approvals.
Set these rules up for real
In the portal, a travel manager adds the same rules under Policy, Multi-level approvals. Bring your rules to a demo and we'll show them set up in the portal.
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