Approvals and Decisions
Who is this for? Everyone who approves work in Adomo, plus a short section for admins on authority policies, delegation, and external approvers.
Adomo's core promise is that AI proposes and humans decide. When a process reaches a step that needs a person, it creates a decision request, routes it to the right approver, and waits. This article covers how to respond, what your options are, and how routing and escalation work.
For Users
Where approvals reach you
- Your channels. Adomo messages you through the channels in your preference order (Email, SMS, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, WhatsApp, mobile push), with a button or secure link to respond. See Notifications (for Users) to set these up.
- The Approvals page. Everything waiting on you, in one list, with a second tab showing what you've already responded to.
- The mobile app. Approvals are a first-class screen; respond from your phone in a couple of taps.
Your response options
Every decision shows you the context: what's being asked, the relevant data, and any attached documents. Depending on how the process was built, you'll see some or all of:
- Approve - the run continues.
- Reject - the run stops (or takes the rejection path the process defines).
- Request revision - send feedback in your own words. Adomo reruns the relevant steps with your feedback applied and brings the result back to you. Processes can cap how many revision rounds are allowed; once the cap is reached, the revise option is disabled and you choose one of the remaining actions instead.
- Edit - correct the data directly before approving (for example, fix a number or reword a draft email). Your edit is recorded alongside the approval.
Some processes define custom options beyond these (for example, Escalate). Whatever you choose, the decision is attributed to you by name, timestamped, and permanently logged.
Reminders and what happens if you don't respond
Adomo sends each request on the first of your preferred channels it can reach you on. Processes can define reminder schedules ("remind daily after two days") and a timeout: when the window passes with no response, the request escalates to the next approver in the chain, and the timeout is logged. You never silently block a process by being busy.
I approved something by mistake. Can I undo it?
No - a recorded decision can't be reversed, and the run continues from your approval. What you can do: open the run's timeline to see what has executed so far, pause the process to stop further runs, and tell the process owner or your workspace admin right away. If data was changed in a connected system and you need help unwinding it, contact [email protected].
Out of office or on vacation? Delegate your approvals
Ask your workspace admin to set up a delegation: your approval authority is temporarily granted to a colleague for a defined period, in full or only for specific kinds of decisions. Everything your delegate approves is logged as approved-by-delegation, so the trail stays clean.
For Admins
Authority policies
Under Settings > DOAG policy, you can define policies that gate specific action types behind authority levels and thresholds, for example:
- An analyst can approve variances up to $10,000; anything larger escalates to a manager, then a VP, then an executive.
- Contract approvals over a defined duration always require legal.
When a run hits a gated action, Adomo evaluates the policy at that moment: if the requesting person (or the AI agent) has sufficient authority, the action proceeds; if not, it automatically escalates to the next level in the chain. Policies can define an agent ceiling: a maximum authority level for AI agents. When set, any action requiring authority above that ceiling automatically escalates to a human in the chain. Every authority decision is logged with the policy and the evaluation that produced it.
To create or update a policy, open Settings > DOAG policy > Import and drop in your policy document. Adomo drafts the roles, action types, thresholds, rules, and escalation paths from it; review the draft, then click Activate Policy to replace the active policy in that category.
Policies are versioned. A run executes under the policy version active when it ran, so historical runs stay auditable even after you change the rules.
Delegations
Set up time-bounded delegations under Settings > DOAG policy > Delegations: click Create Delegation and pick the delegate user, the scope (all of their authority or only specific roles or action types), and the start and end dates. Delegations expire automatically, can be revoked early, and every use is logged.
External approvers
Some decisions belong to people who don't sign in to Adomo (outside counsel, auditors, a customer contact). Register them under Settings > DOAG policy > External Authorities with a name and a contact method. The channel for that contact method (for example Email or SMS) must already be enabled under Settings > Communication > Channels. They receive each request through that channel with a secure link and respond from there; their decisions are logged like anyone else's. For SMS contact methods, you must attest the person's consent on record first (see Channels Setup (for Admins) and SMS Messaging and Opt-In).
Admin FAQ
Can one decision require multiple approvers?
Yes. Decision steps support sequential chains (one after another) and parallel groups, depending on how the process is built.
Where do I see the full decision history?
Every run's timeline shows each decision: who was asked, on which channels, when they responded, what they chose, and any edits or revision feedback.
What if the assigned approver has left the company?
Update the process's assignees, or rely on the timeout escalation to move the request up the chain. Deactivating a user does not delete their past decisions; the audit trail is permanent.