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BrightproofDocumentation
Creative team and admins · 5 min read

Approval policies

Decide how required approvers combine into approval — everyone, any one of them, or a named final approver.

Every asset has an approval policy. It decides how the required approvers' decisions combine into Approved. Guest sign-off and required checklist items apply on top of the policy, and a request for changes from any required approver or required guest link always blocks, whatever the policy.

Three columns: All required approvers — Ana and Ben approved, Cleo not applicable, Approved. Any one required approver — Ana approved, Ben and Cleo still awaiting, Approved. Named final approver — Ana approved, Ben not applicable, Cleo the final approver is told it is her turn, Approved once Cleo approves. Footer: a request for changes from any required approver blocks under every policy.
The same three approvers under each policy.

The three policies

  • All required approvers — the default, and how every review worked before policies existed. Every required approver approves or marks the version not applicable, with at least one approval.
  • Any one required approver — the first approval completes the requirement. Everyone else's slot stays open for feedback but no longer blocks. A request for changes from anyone still moves the asset to Changes requested.
  • Named final approver — everyone else responds first (approve or not applicable); then one named person gives the final sign-off. Until it is their turn, the final approver's slot reads Waits for others and their Approve button is disabled. They can request changes at any time. When the last other approver responds, Brightproof emails the final approver that it is their turn. The final approver cannot mark a version not applicable.

Set the policy on an asset

  1. Open the asset and select the Info tab.
  2. Under Approval policy, choose a policy. For a named final approver, also choose the person; only required approvers on the asset are offered.
  3. Select Save.

The policy can be changed while the asset is in draft or in review. Once a round is decided — Approved or Changes requested — it is fixed until the round reopens: a new version, or a withdrawn decision that returns the asset to In review.

Set a default on the project

On the project page, Default approval policy is copied onto every asset created in the project. Existing assets keep their own policy. A default final approver must be a required approver on the project.

Reading the Decisions tab

The Approved when heading states the policy in plain words — All 3 approvers approve, Any one of 3 approvers approves, or Ana gives final approval after 2 other approvers respond — and the final approver's row is marked final approver.

If the final approver leaves

If the named final approver is removed or changed to feedback only, the policy becomes Needs a final approver. Nothing can be Approved until an owner chooses another final approver or switches the policy. Brightproof never quietly falls back to a different rule.

All articles in Making decisions