# What is an approval workflow in corporate travel?

Source: https://kurumsal.pro/en/glossary/approval-workflow/ — Last updated: 2026-11-04

A travel approval workflow is the set of rules that defines which people a business trip request must pass, in what order and under which conditions before it can be purchased. Levels, approver types, amount bands and time limits are its building blocks.

## In short
- An approval workflow decides who must approve a trip request before purchase and in what order.
- A workflow is made of levels; each level's approver can be the traveler's manager, the department manager, a named person or a role.
- In a sequential workflow levels wait for each other, in a parallel one they open at the same time.
- An amount band lets low-value requests skip the upper levels entirely.
- In the Kurumsal.pro portal all cart items go to approval as one request, and the approver can decide with one click from the email link.

**Approval workflow:** An approval workflow defines which approvers a business trip request goes through, in what order (sequential or parallel) and under which conditions (amount band, time limit, escalation), based on the company travel policy.

A travel approval workflow is the set of rules that defines which approvers a business trip request passes through, in what order and under which conditions before purchase. It works together with the travel policy: the policy decides what needs approval, the workflow decides who receives the request. A well-built workflow brings critical spend to the right person without tiring approvers with routine requests.

## What are the parts of an approval workflow?

A workflow consists of a scope, levels, an approver for each level, a decision mode, an amount band and a time setting. The scope says who the workflow applies to, the levels say how many steps approval takes, and the time setting says what happens if no decision arrives. Together they define the path a request follows.

- **Scope:** the unit the workflow covers: company, branch, department or person.
- **Level:** one step of approval, for example "level 1 manager, level 2 finance".
- **Approver type:** the traveler's manager, the department manager, a specific person or a role.
- **Decision mode:** when a level has several approvers, whether all of them or any one of them must approve.
- **Amount band:** the level applies only within a given amount range.
- **Time limit and escalation:** what happens when the level's time runs out: the request moves to an upper level or manager, or is rejected.

## Sequential or parallel?

In a sequential workflow levels open in order and each waits for the previous approval. In a parallel workflow all levels open at once and approvers decide independently. Sequential suits companies where hierarchy matters; parallel suits cases where speed matters.

| Criterion | Sequential | Parallel |
|---|---|---|
| Opening of levels | One cannot open before the other finishes | All at the same time |
| Total duration | Grows with the number of levels | As long as the slowest approver |
| Hierarchy | Preserved | Becomes less relevant |
| Suitable case | Manager approval, then finance | Several units giving an opinion at the same time |

## Example: a two-level workflow

Take a sequential, two-level workflow for a sales team. At level 1 the traveler's manager sees every out-of-policy request. At level 2 a finance role approves only requests above a set total. For a hotel request under that amount the second level is skipped, and the request ends with the manager's approval alone. If the manager is on leave, an [approval delegate](/en/glossary/approval-delegation/) decides, and if nobody decides, [escalation](/en/glossary/approval-escalation/) takes over.

## Common mistakes in approval workflows

The most common mistake is sending every request through the same number of levels. Having three people approve a low-value, in-policy request tires both traveler and approvers and leaves time for prices to change. Amount bands and fast approval for in-policy requests reduce that load.

Other mistakes are approvers going on long leave without a delegate, levels with no time limit, and rejections recorded without a reason. A rejection with no reason leads to the same request being resubmitted unchanged.

## Approval workflow in Kurumsal.pro

In the Kurumsal.pro portal that your agency offers its corporate clients, "one trip, one approval" applies: the flight, hotel, transfer and other items in the cart go to approval as a single request. The company administrator defines the workflow for a company, branch, department or person.

- Levels are built as sequential or parallel; in parallel workflows "all" or "any one" is chosen, in sequential workflows everyone at the level approves.
- Amount bands are defined from the second level onward in a sequential workflow; if the request total is outside the band, that level is skipped.
- Level time and the action when time runs out (escalate to the upper level or to the company manager, or reject) are chosen in the workflow.
- When enabled in the workflow, the approver can approve with a different option per item; the requester is notified.
- The approvals screen updates live, and in-policy requests have quick approval.
- The approver can approve or reject from a single-use link in the email without signing in.
- On final approval the purchase starts automatically from the company wallet; if it fails, "Complete the purchase" continues it.

For the approval screens and every option see [travel approval workflow](/en/travel-approval-workflow/), and to set up the process inside a company see the [guide on in-company approval processes](/en/blog/how-to-establish-in-company-travel-management-and-approval-processes-digital-hierarchy-guide/).

## Frequently asked questions
### What is an approval workflow?
An approval workflow is a predefined route a request follows to be approved. In corporate travel it determines who a request goes to, how many levels it passes and what happens when the time limit runs out.

### What is the difference between sequential and parallel approval?
In sequential approval the second level does not open until the first one approves. In parallel approval all levels open together and approvers decide without waiting for each other. Sequential favours hierarchy, parallel favours speed.

### What is an amount band?
An amount band means a level applies only to requests within a certain lower and upper amount. A finance approval might be required only above a set total; requests outside the band skip that level.

### What happens if no approval workflow is defined?
In the Kurumsal.pro portal, when no workflow is defined the request goes to the traveler's manager in a single level, or to the department manager if there is no manager.

### Must an approver give a reason when rejecting a request?
In the Kurumsal.pro portal, yes. Rejection requires both a reason and an explanation, and the requester sees why on the request status screen.

### Can a requester approve their own request?
If the requester appears as an approver in the workflow, that level moves to the requester's own manager, and a person deciding on their own request is rejected.