Use an administrative decision only when your organization authorizes it and the request offers the action. Deciding on behalf completes an assigned step. An override decides the whole active request.

Before you begin

You need the Administer active approval requests permission covering every affected department on every submitted date, including both sides of a transfer. The action also depends on the current request, required files, and submitted information. See Roles and permissions.

Decide on behalf of an approver

An approval administrator can decide on behalf of a currently assigned approver when the page offers that action. Current access must cover every affected department on every submitted date, including both departments of a transfer. Covering only the department shown in the request heading or the department supplying reviewers is insufficient. This rule applies to both approval and denial, and also to administrative cancellation and overrides.

If an older request lacks enough submitted information to establish administrative coverage, administrative actions are unavailable. Ask the requester to cancel with Changes required and submit a fresh request. The requester’s cancellation and an eligible reviewer’s own assigned decision remain separate.

The record identifies both:

  • the approver whose assigned decision was completed; and
  • the administrator who acted on their behalf.

This is not a reassignment and should follow documented authorization from the assigned approver or your organization’s exceptional process.

Review the same evidence and record the same quality of rationale required for a normal decision.

Override an active request

Override bypasses the remaining normal route and immediately approves or denies the whole active request.

Use it only under your organization’s exceptional authority. The override requires a reason and records the administrator as the decision-maker.

Before overriding:

  1. Confirm why the normal route cannot or should not complete.
  2. Review every submitted transition and file.
  3. Review earlier decisions and Discussion.
  4. Review any changed-current-information warning.
  5. Choose the final outcome.
  6. Enter a complete override reason.

An approval override remains subject to required clean-file checks. A denial override can stop a request that should not proceed.

Example: on behalf versus override

The assigned department approver is unavailable but documented approval has been provided. An administrator completes that person’s decision on behalf.

The organization instead authorizes bypassing all remaining steps because the normal route cannot operate. The administrator uses Override and records why the entire route was bypassed.

Check the outcome

Open the request after the decision and confirm its status and recorded rationale. An on-behalf decision identifies the assigned approver and the administrator who acted. An override records the administrator and the reason for bypassing the remaining steps.

Review what final approval changes before arranging dependent staffing or financial work.