How would you best describe an Approval Chain?

• A. A defined path of Approvers, Reviewers, Intermediate Approvers, or Alternate Approvers (where needed)
• B. A single Approver responsible for all decisions
• C. A manual process that does not involve approvals
• D. An optional email notification list

Answer: (A)

An approval chain is the defined path of people who must review and authorize a request as it moves toward final approval. It specifies the sequence and the roles involved—reviewers, intermediate approvers, and any alternate approvers—so decisions pass through the right levels of authority. This structure ensures multi-step governance, proper checks and balances, and continuity when someone is unavailable by routing to designated alternates. It’s more than just notifying people; it enforces that the right people review at the right stage before a decision is made.

Think of it like a flow for approvals: a request is checked and endorsed by each designated role in order, so you get appropriate oversight and an auditable record of who approved what and when. This stands in contrast to just having a single person decide, which lacks breadth of review; or a process that doesn’t involve approvals at all; or an email list that’s only for notifications without requiring any formal sign-off.