How do I set up approval steps in TactStack?
Short answer
Approval steps pause a workflow or pipeline stage until a manager signs off, such as before a discount goes out or a big quote gets sent. Add a stage or workflow step that notifies the approver, holds the record until they respond, and only lets it continue once someone with the right permission clicks approve.
Before you start
- A specific action that needs sign-off, such as discounts above a set amount or refunds.
- The name of the person or role who should approve it.
- User permissions already set up so only the right people see the approval action.
- An existing pipeline or workflow the approval step will attach to.
Step by step
- 1
Name the exact trigger for an approval
Write down the specific condition, such as a quote over a dollar amount or a refund request, that should require sign-off before moving forward.
A vague rule like large deals need approval gets ignored the first busy week.
- 2
Add a hold stage or approval step
Insert a stage in the pipeline or a step in the workflow that stops progress and marks the record as waiting on approval.
Nothing should move past this point without someone actively saying yes.
- 3
Notify the approver immediately
Set the step to alert the approver by task, text, or internal notification the moment a record lands in the hold stage.
A silent hold stage just becomes a graveyard where deals stall for days.
- 4
Give the approver a fast way to respond
Let them approve or reject from the record itself, such as a tag, a stage move, or a button in the task, rather than a separate conversation.
The easier it is to approve, the less approvals become the bottleneck.
- 5
Route approval and rejection separately
Build two paths out of the hold stage, one that continues the process and one that sends it back with a note on what needs to change.
A rejected deal that has nowhere to go gets forgotten instead of fixed.
- 6
Restrict who can trigger an approval
Use permissions so only the approver's role can move a record out of the hold stage, even if others can see it.
An approval step only means something if it cannot be skipped by anyone in a hurry.
- 7
Set a time limit on the hold
Add a follow-up reminder or escalation if a record sits in approval longer than a day or two.
Approvals that go stale cost deals just as fast as approvals that never existed.
- 8
Test the whole approval path
Run a test record through the trigger, the hold, the notification, and both the approve and reject paths before relying on it.
An approval step that silently fails to notify anyone is worse than no approval at all.
What good looks like
- Discounts, refunds, and large quotes get a second set of eyes before they reach a customer.
- Approvers get pulled in only when it matters, not for every routine deal.
- Nothing sits waiting on approval without someone being notified.
- Managers can see exactly who approved what and when.
Common mistakes
The ways this goes wrong in team, and what to do instead.
Making everything require approval›
Requiring sign-off on routine work turns the approver into a bottleneck and trains the team to work around the process.
Do this instead: Limit approval steps to the handful of situations with real financial or reputational risk.
No notification when a record needs approval›
A hold stage with no alert just becomes a quiet dead end where deals disappear until someone happens to check.
Do this instead: Attach a notification or task to the approver the moment a record enters the hold.
Letting anyone move the stage forward›
Without permission limits, a team member can push a record past the hold stage manually and skip the approval entirely.
Do this instead: Restrict the move-forward action to the approver's user role only.
No path for rejection›
If the only outcome is approve, a rejected deal has nowhere to go and quietly stalls instead of getting corrected.
Do this instead: Build a rejection path that sends the record back with a specific note attached.
Frequently asked
6 questions about set up approval stepsRelated guides
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