# What is an approval chain?

> An approval chain is the ordered list of people who must approve a purchase before it goes ahead. Definition with a worked example and how Atta runs it.

Updated 2026-11-06. Source: https://atta.sh/glossary/approval-chain

An approval chain is the sequence of approvers a purchase has to pass through, such as a team lead, then a finance manager, then a director. Which approvers apply usually depends on the amount, the category or the budget.

## Example

Under Kestrel Logistics' rules, a purchase up to $500 needs the team lead. From $500 to $5,000 it needs the team lead and the finance manager. Above $5,000 it adds the COO.

A $2,300 pallet jack request therefore has two steps. The lead approves on Tuesday and the finance manager on Wednesday. The request moves forward only when both have answered.

## In Atta

A chain is rows, one step per approver, answered one at a time. Atta builds it from the amount and the workspace's rules, and builds it the same way whether the agent parked the request or someone submitted a form. Answering finds the first pending step the person satisfies and never a second one they have already answered.

The requester's own standing clears nothing on their own request. The one exception is a single link they satisfy themselves with a role that may check out. A link only the requester holds goes up to someone else.

Clearing the last step queues the order. See [purchase approvals](https://atta.sh/purchase-approvals).

## Where chains stall

The common failure is an approver who is away while the request waits on their step. Keep chains short so fewer people can hold one up.

## Questions

### Can an approver approve their own request?

In Atta, not by default. A requester's standing clears nothing on their own request, apart from a single link they satisfy with a role that can check out.