**Source:** https://heykiku.com/glossary/approval-workflow

# Approval Workflow

Client approval is rarely simple. The marketing manager loves it. The CMO wants changes. **The CEO overrides everyone at the last minute**. The legal team has concerns nobody anticipated. Without a documented approval workflow, you're navigating this maze blind every single time.

Agency approval chaos is uniquely complex. You're not just managing internal sign-offs—you're **managing client organizations you don't control**. Different stakeholders in different timezones with different priorities and different levels of authority. The person who briefs you isn't always the person who approves. The person who approves isn't always the person who can override.

The cost of unclear approval workflows shows up in [revision cycles](https://heykiku.com/glossary/revision-round). **Work gets approved by the wrong person**. Higher-ups see it later and demand changes. The timeline slips. The team scrambles. The client blames you for not understanding their process—even though they never explained it.

Documenting approval workflows means capturing **the client's decision-making structure**, not just your internal process. Who needs to see what, in what order? Who has veto power? Who's a stakeholder versus a decision-maker? When this is documented upfront and accessible to your team, approval becomes predictable instead of political.

## Related terms

- [QA Checklist](https://heykiku.com/glossary/qa-checklist)
- [Revision Round](https://heykiku.com/glossary/revision-round)
- [Handoff](https://heykiku.com/glossary/handoff)
- [Document Conflicts](https://heykiku.com/glossary/conflicting-documentation)