Definition
Approval Steps are the individual stages within a Salesforce Approval Process that define who must approve a record and in what order. Each step specifies criteria for the step to apply, the designated approvers (such as a manager, a specific user, or a queue), and what happens if the step is approved or rejected. Steps execute sequentially.
Real-World Example
At their company, an admin at Cascade Logistics leverages Approval Steps to eliminate repetitive manual tasks that were consuming hours of the team's time each week. After building and activating Approval Steps, routine processes now execute automatically, freeing up staff to focus on higher-value work. Error rates drop by 40% in the first month.
Why Approval Steps Matters
An Approval Process is made up of one or more Approval Steps, executed sequentially. Each step has its own entry criteria (so a step can be skipped if the criteria aren't met), designated approvers (specific users, queues, roles, or a field lookup), a rule for how the step completes (unanimous, first approved, or automatic), and optional actions that fire on the step's approval or rejection. The combination of step-level criteria and actions is what gives Approval Processes their flexibility.
A common pattern is to use step criteria to branch the flow: small discounts might skip manager approval and go straight to VP, while large discounts hit both. Another pattern is parallel approvals within a single step, where multiple approvers must all sign off before the step completes (unanimous) or where any one approver can move it forward (first approved). Designing steps thoughtfully is the difference between an approval process that actually matches business reality and one that frustrates everyone by routing records to the wrong people.
How Organizations Use Approval Steps
- •Cascade Logistics — Built a three-step approval process for purchase orders. Step 1 fires for all POs and routes to the requester's manager. Step 2 only fires for POs over $10,000 and routes to the finance director. Step 3 only fires for POs over $50,000 and routes to the CFO. Step criteria skip unnecessary steps for lower-value POs.
- •FreshStart Inc. — Uses a unanimous Approval Step for contract approvals where both Legal and Finance must sign off in parallel. The step only completes when both approvers have approved, ensuring no contract goes live without both reviews.
- •Nimbus Tech — Configured a step that uses a lookup field on the Opportunity to identify the approver dynamically, so as the org reshuffles reporting lines, the approval process always routes to the current correct approver without admin intervention.