Enhanced Approval Policy

Last updated: September 5, 2025

This guide covers enhancements to TeamOhana’s Approval Policy builder feature. We’ve released a new set of updates under Version 1.5 – where you can now:

  • Build rules seamlessly across multiple request types

  • Add multiple parallel approvers in each approval stage

  • Set approval chains by Department, Job level, Location, and Employee Type

  • Priority rank approval chains to control what applies

  • Better organize and view all your approvals with an improved management interface

Create and Edit Approval Rules

V1.5 includes a simple, guided workflow with three steps:

Step 1  Select Request Type

  • Select one or more request types: New hire, Backfill, Change request, Internal transfer, Termination

  • You can select multiple request types for a single rule, eliminating the need to duplicate similar approval chains across request categories.

Step 2  Define Conditions

Set the specific criteria that trigger this approval policy. V1.5 significantly expands your condition options:

Available Condition Types:

  • Department - Target specific departments or groups

  • Job Level - Apply rules based on seniority or role hierarchy

  • Employee Type - Differentiate between full-time, contract, intern, etc.

  • Location - Set location-specific approval requirements

How Conditions Work:

  • Multiple Selections: Within each condition type, select multiple options (e.g., Engineering, Marketing, and Sales departments)

  • AND Logic: Multiple condition rows must ALL be true for the rule to apply

  • Flexible Management: Use the trash icon to delete rows, or Reset to clear all conditions

💡 Pro Tip: Start with broader conditions to avoid creating too many specific rules. You can always add more targeted conditions later as your needs evolve.

Step 3  Set Approval Chain

Design your approval workflow with precise control over each step:

Serial Approval

  • Create multiple sequential approval steps

  • Each stage must be completed before the next begins

  • Perfect for hierarchical approval processes

Parallel Approval (Any-of)

  • Add multiple approvers within the same step

  • Any one of the parallel approvers can advance the request

  • Ideal for situations where multiple people have equal authority

Must-Approve Requirements

  • Select "All" in any stage to require every approver in that stage to approve. Otherwise, choose “Any x” for x number of approvals to be required before the headcount moves to the next stage

Note: Auto-approval functionality is not available in V1.5. Every rule must include at least one condition and one approval step in order to save.

Managing Your Approval Rules

The enhanced Manage Approvals page provides better organization and control over your approval policies.

View Organized by Status

By default you are only shown all active rules, while disabled rules are in a separate tab to view if necessary.

Priority-Based Rule Ordering

How It Works:

  • Use the drag handle (⋮⋮) at the beginning of each row to reorder rules

  • Top Rule Wins: When multiple rules could match a request, the highest-positioned rule is applied

  • Each request type maintains its own priority order

  • Reordering rules in one tab doesn't affect other tabs

Organized View Options

“All” Tab

  • Comprehensive view of every active rule across all request types

  • Sorted by "Last Updated" for easy identification of recent changes

  • Cannot be reordered (use individual request-type tabs for priority control)

Request-Type Tabs:

Individual tabs for each request type:

  • New Hire

  • Backfill

  • Change Request

  • Internal Transfer

  • Termination

Troubleshooting Tip: If a request isn't following your expected approval path, check the rule order in the relevant request-type tab and move your intended rule to a higher position.

Search for Specific Rules

We have a search bar in the top right corner which you can use to search for approvals by rule name, approver, or condition.

FAQs

Q: Which rule will apply?
A: Within a given request type, the engine evaluates rules from top to bottom. The first matching rule is used.

Q: Can I set up automatic approvals for certain requests?
A: Auto-approval functionality is not available in V1.5 but is planned for a future version. Currently, all approval rules must include at least one manual approval step.

Q: What happens if no rules match a request?
A: Requests that don't match any active approval rules will follow the default approval chain for each request type.

Q: Why can’t I reorder rules in the ‘All’ tab?
A: All is a holistic view, sorted by Last updated. Reorder within each request-type tab to control priority for that type.