This article gives concrete examples of how two-step approvals work with different approver types (line manager, cost object approver, specific people) and in situations like multiple travelers, out of office, and mixed rules. Use it to map your own processes and to train approvers.
Line manager first, then another approver (sequential)
Setup: Request approval from Line manager followed by Craig (e.g. finance lead).
Example: Sarah's line manager is Jo; Craig is the finance approver. When Sarah submits a trip that matches this rule, Jo receives the approval request first. Jo approves. Craig then receives the request and approves. The trip is booked. If Jo declines, the request is rejected and Sarah is notified; Craig never sees it. If Craig declines after Jo approved, the request is rejected, Sarah is notified, and Jo is notified.
When to use: You want the manager to confirm the business need first, then finance (or another role) to confirm budget or policy. Common for out-of-policy or high-value trips.
Cost object approver and line manager (parallel)
Setup: Request approval from Cost object approver and also Line manager.
Example: The trip uses the "Marketing" cost object; Alex is the Marketing cost object approver. Sarah's line manager is Jo. When Sarah submits the trip, both Alex and Jo receive the approval request. Either can approve first; the trip is approved only after both have approved. If any of the approvers declines, the request is rejected and Sarah and Jo are notified (Jo cannot approve after a decline).
When to use: You need both budget owner (cost object) and people manager (line manager) to sign off, and the order does not matter. Useful when the cost object is selected at checkout and you want both perspectives.
Line manager then cost object approver (sequential)
Setup: Request approval from Line manager followed by Cost object approver.
Example: Sarah's line manager is Jo; the trip uses the "Marketing" cost object and Alex is its approver. Jo receives the request first and approves. Alex then receives the request and approves. The trip is booked. If the trip had used a different cost object, a different cost object approver would be the second approver (whoever is assigned to that cost object in Settings > Cost management > Cost objects).
When to use: You want the line manager to approve necessity first, then the person responsible for that budget to approve spend. Good when multiple cost objects exist and each has its own approver.
Multiple travelers with different line managers (sequential)
Setup: Request approval from Line manager followed by Craig. The trip has two travelers with different line managers (e.g. Lynn and Marina).
Behavior: Only one of the line managers can act as the first approver. As soon as one of them approves (e.g. Lynn), the request moves to Craig and the other line manager (Marina) can no longer take action on this request. When Craig approves, the trip is booked. If Lynn declines, the request is rejected and the requester is notified. If Marina declines, the request is rejected and the requester and Lynn are notified.
Note: The exact behavior when several people could be "first approver" (e.g. multiple line managers) may depend on your approval configuration. Test with a multi-traveler trip to confirm who receives the request and who can act.
Out of office and travel delegate
If the first or second approver has a travel delegate set (e.g. in Settings or in their profile), and they are marked out of office, the delegate can receive and act on the approval request in their place. For sequential flows, the delegate acts as the first or second approver in the same order. For parallel flows, the delegate and the other approver can approve in any order. Set up delegates so that someone can always act when the primary approver is away.
Mixed rules: sequential and one-step
Setup: Rule A — Request approval from Marina followed by Craig. Rule B — Request approval from Ellie (single step).
Behavior: Marina and Ellie both receive the approval request. If Marina approves first, the request goes to Craig; when Craig approves, the trip is booked. Ellie can still approve independently (one-step): if Ellie approves at any time, the trip is booked and no further approvals are required. So either path can complete the approval. If an approver is part of both a one-step and a two-step flow, the two-step flow takes precedence for that person—they must complete their step in the two-step rule rather than counting as the single approver.