Approval Requests Overview
Understand how approval requests work and how they move through the system.
Approval requests are the core workflow in DiscountFlow. A request is created when a sales team member needs authorization to offer a customer a discounted price. The request moves through a lifecycle from draft to a final approved or denied outcome.
What is an approval request?
An approval request is a structured record of a discount you want to offer — instead of asking over email or chat, you submit the details in one place and the right approver reviews it and gives a yes or no. That gives your organization a clear, searchable record of what was asked for, who approved it, and why.
The request lifecycle
Draft → Submitted → Pending → Approved → Denied → Archived
What's inside a request
A request is built from a few sections:
Request details — Sales Contact, Sales Region, Request Type, and Validity Period (how long the quoted price is good for).
Customer details — Customer Name, End Customer Name, Project Name, Expected Delivery Date, plus Account Number and Rep Firm if they apply.
Line items — the products you're requesting a discount on. Each one has a Quantity, a Requested Price, and a Requested Discount (%), which is calculated automatically against the product's normal list price.
Custom fields — any additional fields your organization has set up for requests.
Status and history — where the request currently stands, and a record of who reviewed it, when, and what they decided.
How a request moves from start to finish
- It's created. A submitter starts a new request. It begins as a Draft, visible only to its creator, who can keep changing it until it's ready.
- It's submitted. Once it's ready, the submitter sends it off. It's now waiting for a reviewer to pick it up.
- It gets reviewed. A reviewer looks it over. If the organization has more than one level of approval, it may need to pass through each level before it's finished.
- It gets a decision. The request ends up either approved or denied.
- It gets archived (eventually). Once it's been resolved, it can be filed away for record-keeping. It doesn't disappear — it can still be found later.
Here's what each status means:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | The request has been started but not yet submitted. Only the creator can see it. |
| Submitted | The request has been submitted and is waiting to be picked up by a reviewer. |
| Pending | A reviewer has started reviewing the request. |
| Approved | The request has been approved. The discount can be offered. |
| Denied | The request was reviewed and denied. |
| Archived | The request has been removed from active views and stored for reference. |
Where to find your requests
In the sidebar, you'll see a few different views of your requests:
| Page | What it shows you |
|---|---|
| Active Requests | Everything still in progress — drafts, submitted, and pending requests |
| Approved Requests | Everything that's been approved |
| Denied Requests | Everything that's been denied |
| Archived Requests | Requests that have been filed away (only shown if you have access to this) |
| Kanban Board | A visual board that shows active, approved, and denied requests side by side in columns, so you can see everything at a glance |
Who can see which requests
By default, you'll only see your own requests. If you're a reviewer, or your account has been given broader access, you'll also be able to see requests submitted by others on your team.
Related: How to Create a New Request | Understanding Request Statuses | Using the Kanban Board