What an approval ladder is
An approval ladder is an optional gate between a finished draft and a sent document. Before anyone can deliver it to a client, named reviewers have to sign off — in order, so a proposal might need an account lead's nod and then a partner's before it can go out.
It exists so the moment of sending is deliberate. A price, a discount or a scope commitment gets a second pair of eyes from someone who's accountable for it, without anyone having to remember to ask.
How sign-off flows
Once a document is ready, you submit it for approval instead of sending it straight away. It then moves up the ladder, one rung at a time.
Finish the draft
Edit until the document reads and prices the way you want — by typing, or by asking Waxe to make changes you preview and accept. See surgical edits.
Submit for approval
Instead of sending, route it into the ladder. The first reviewer is notified that something is waiting on them.
Reviewers respond in order
Each approver reads the document, then approves or sends it back with a note. The next rung is only notified once the one below has approved.
Send once cleared
When the top of the ladder approves, the document is cleared to go out from your domain. Approve and send can be the same person if your ladder is short.
Approving, rejecting and changes
A reviewer has two honest answers: this is ready, or it isn't. Approving passes it up the chain. Sending it back returns it to the author with a reason, so nothing leaves while a question is open.
- Approve — clears this rung and notifies the next reviewer.
- Send back — returns the document to the author with a note explaining what to fix.
- Reopen the editor — the author makes the change, then resubmits, and the ladder restarts from the rung you decide.
A record you can trust
Every approval and rejection is recorded — who acted, when, and on which version. That trail lives alongside the document, so months later you can answer 'who signed off on this price?' without guesswork.
For a workspace-wide history of sensitive actions, including approvals, see the audit log.
When a ladder earns its keep
- High-value proposals where a senior person owns the pricing.
- Contracts and NDAs that carry legal commitments.
- Discounts or scope changes that need a manager's blessing.
- Teams where junior staff draft and seniors send.
The cheapest mistake to fix is the one that never left the building.