Software & SaaS
Designing a sample multi-step approval flow page
A sample approval page shows how a document-workflow concept would work before any software exists. This guide walks through defining stages, assigning roles and writing status language, using a vendor contract review as the worked example.
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Step one: define the stages and their exits
Start by listing every stage a document passes through, and for each one write the exit condition. In a vendor contract review, the stages might be submitted, legal check, finance check, final sign-off and archived. Legal check exits only when the reviewer approves or requests changes. Keep the count between four and six, because longer paths hide the real decision points. Write one sentence per stage explaining what the person holding the file must do. This turns a vague process into a page where nobody has to ask what happens next.
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Step two: assign roles and handle rejection
Next, name who acts at each stage: submitter, reviewer, approver and observer. For the contract example, the submitter is a procurement coordinator, legal and finance act as reviewers, and a department head approves. Then design the return path, which most sample pages forget. If finance requests changes, the file goes back to the submitter with a comment and the same stage reopens, rather than restarting everything. Show this loop visibly on the page. Also decide whether reviewers act in sequence or in parallel, and state that choice plainly so the flow matches how the team actually works.
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Step three: write status language and the record
Finally, write the words users will see at each point: waiting for legal check, changes requested by finance, approved on a given date. Use plain verbs and avoid internal jargon. On the sample page, place a progress rail at the top, the current stage highlighted, and a short history panel listing who acted and when. For the contract example, add a final confirmation showing the archived file and its decision trail. Test the page by asking someone unfamiliar to explain where the document is and what comes next. If they hesitate, rewrite the status wording.