Decisions Overview: Structure, Authorities & Limits

What you'll learn: This article explains what a Decision is in Aptly, how Decision records are structured, what authority types and limits mean, and how Conditions, Roles, and Delegation Pathways connect to a Decision. By the end, you'll be able to read a Decision record with confidence and understand how it governs the delegations linked to it.

Who this is for: All Aptly users who need to understand how authority is defined before it is delegated — including everyday users reviewing their authority, managers overseeing team delegations, and administrators building out a Decision library.

What is a Decision?

A Decision is the authoritative definition of a type of authority your organization tracks. Think of it as the governance record that answers: "What is someone authorized to do, and under what conditions?"

For example, a Decision might represent:

• Approve purchase orders
• Sign vendor contracts
• Authorize capital expenditure
• Approve headcount changes

Decisions are created and maintained by administrators or users with elevated permissions. Every delegation of authority in Aptly flows from a Decision — it is the template that determines what limits, conditions, roles, and pathways are available when authority is assigned.

How Decisions are organized

Sections and Categories

Every Decision belongs to a Section, which represents a top-level governance domain (for example, Financial Authority or Human Resources). Sections can optionally have Categories — sub-groupings within a Section (for example, Procurement within Financial Authority).

Sections and Categories are used throughout Aptly to organize and filter Decisions, Delegations, and Matrices. They are configured by administrators in Settings → Account Settings → Decisions.

Decision statuses

A Decision can exist in one of three statuses:

Note: Only Published Decisions are visible in the standard active list view. Draft and Archived Decisions appear under the Inactive or All filter.

The structure of a Decision record

When you open a Decision, you'll find several distinct sections. Understanding each one helps you read a Decision confidently.

Header information

At the top of every Decision record you'll find:

• Decision ID — a unique system identifier (e.g., Decision 14623).
• Delegation count — how many delegations are currently linked to this Decision. Clicking this count filters the Delegations module to show those records.
• Status badge — Published, Draft, or Archived.
• Section / Category — the governance taxonomy this Decision belongs to.
• Owner — the user responsible for maintaining this Decision record.
• Last Updated By — the user who last edited the Decision, and when.

Summary tab

The Summary tab is divided into two main areas:

Authorities panel

The Authorities panel shows the governance parameters of the Decision — specifically what limits apply and whether the Decision can be delegated. It contains:

• Conditions (on/off) — whether Conditions are active on this Decision.
• Roles (on/off) — whether Roles are active on this Decision.
• Delegable (yes/no) — whether this Decision's authority can be delegated to others.
• Delegation Pathway — which redelegation pathways are permitted (Matrix, Functional, Direct Line, Down-Line). See Delegation Pathways below.
• Authority Type table — the specific authority types defined for this Decision (e.g., Approval, Signatory), each with their Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary limits.

Description, Guidance, and Groups

• Description — a plain-language explanation of what this authority covers.
• Guidance — supplemental context for users exercising or reviewing this authority (e.g., process requirements, escalation notes).
• Groups — the organizational groups (Organizations, Locations, Departments, or custom group types) this Decision is scoped to.

Additional tabs

Authority types and limits

Each Decision can have one or more Authority Types defined. An Authority Type represents a category of approval or signing right — for example, Approval or Signatory. Authority Types are configured by your administrator at the tenant level.

Each Authority Type carries up to three tiers of limits:

Authority value types

Limits use value types that are enabled by administrators in Settings → Account Settings → Decisions → Decision Authority Value Types. The value types available in Aptly are:

Important: Once a value type is assigned to a Decision authority, it cannot be disabled at the tenant level until it is removed from all associated Decision records. Value types that are already in use will display a tooltip indicator in Settings explaining this restriction.

Conditions and Roles

Conditions and Roles add governance context to a Decision. They are visible on the Decision record and carry forward to delegations issued under that Decision.

Conditions

A Condition is a plain-language criterion that must be considered before exercising the authority — for example:

• "Requires dual signature above $250,000."
• "Must use approved vendor list."
• "Applies only to US entities."

Conditions are documentation — they surface important requirements for human judgment and accountability. They are not automated enforcement rules; Aptly does not block an action because a condition is not met. It is the responsibility of the authority holder and relevant reviewers to apply conditions appropriately.

Roles

A Role designates a type of responsibility associated with a Decision or delegation — for example, Co-Signer, Reviewer, Consulted, or Initiator. Roles help identify who else should be involved when authority is exercised.

Role types are configured by administrators. Default types may exist, and custom types can be added as needed.

Note: Conditions and Roles are only available if your organization's subscription and tenant configuration include them. If you don't see these tabs, contact your Aptly administrator to confirm whether they're enabled.

Delegation Pathways

The Delegation Pathway setting on a Decision controls to whom a delegation recipient is allowed to redelegate authority. Pathways are set at the Decision level and can be further restricted within individual delegations — but they can never be broadened beyond what the Decision allows.

Aptly supports four pathway types:

When multiple pathways are selected, eligibility is the union of qualifying recipients across all selected pathways (more permissive). The exception is Matrix: if Matrix is present, it governs regardless of other selections.

Example: A Decision configured with Functional + Direct Line allows the recipient to redelegate to anyone who is either in the same department or in their direct reporting line.

How Decisions and Delegations connect

A Decision defines the ceiling. A Delegation draws from that ceiling to assign actual authority to a person or position — with limits that are equal to or narrower than the Decision's limits.

The key relationship rules are:

• A delegation's authority limits can never exceed those set on the Decision.
• A redelegation's limits can never exceed those of its parent delegation.
• Pathway types available on a delegation are restricted to those selected on the Decision.
• If a Decision is archived, existing delegations under it are revoked.
• Changes to a Decision (e.g., removing an authority type or pathway) can cause downstream delegations to become flagged as Invalid — a signal that the delegation no longer aligns with its source Decision and needs review.

Decisions module: what you can do

What you can see and do in the Decisions module depends on your role permissions. The table below summarizes common access levels:

Tip: If you don't see a Decision you expect to find, it may be because your group assignments don't overlap with the Decision's group scope, or the Decision is in Draft status. Contact your Aptly administrator if you believe you should have access.

FAQs & Troubleshooting

I can't find a Decision I know exists. Why?

The most common reasons are:

• The Decision is in Draft or Archived status and you're viewing the default Active list. Try switching to the All filter.
• Your group assignments don't overlap with the Decision's assigned groups. Decisions are scoped to organizational groups, and visibility follows group membership.
• Your role may not include View Decisions permission. Contact your administrator.

Why does a Decision show limits if no delegations have been issued yet?

The limits on a Decision represent the ceiling that any delegation under that Decision may not exceed. They are part of the Decision's definition, not a record of a specific delegation.

What's the difference between Description and Guidance?

Description defines the scope of the authority — what it covers. Guidance provides supplemental context for how the authority should be applied — process notes, escalation guidance, or references to related policies. Both fields are visible to all users with access to the Decision.

Do Conditions automatically block someone from acting?

No. Conditions are plain-language documentation — they surface requirements that should be applied by the authority holder and relevant reviewers. Aptly does not enforce conditions as automated logic gates. If your organization requires enforcement of certain conditions via a workflow, that would typically be configured in the Aptly workflow builder or via an integrated system outside Aptly.

What happens to delegations when a Decision is archived?

When a Decision is archived, all delegations associated with that Decision are revoked. A log entry is created in the Decision's Changelog for each affected delegation. This action cannot be undone by re-publishing — decisions that were archived must be carefully reviewed before reactivation.

Why can't I disable a value type in Settings?

A value type cannot be disabled at the tenant level if it is already assigned to one or more existing Decision authorities. You would need to remove the value type from all associated Decisions before it can be disabled. A tooltip indicator in Settings will confirm this restriction is in effect.

I see the Delegation Pathway field but some options are grayed out — why?

The Functional pathway requires the Departments group type to be enabled at the tenant level. If Departments is disabled, Functional will not be available for selection. Matrix is always available when the Decision is delegable.

Next steps

Now that you understand how Decisions are structured and what their key components mean, here are recommended next steps:

• Browse Decisions in Your Organization — Use search, section/category filters, and the active list to explore the Decision authorities relevant to your role.
• Viewing Decisions — Step-by-step guide to navigating the Decisions module, opening records, and reading detail views.
• Delegations Overview: Pathways, Statuses & Workflows — Learn how authority flows from a Decision into actual delegations, and how statuses and workflows work.
• Navigate the Authority Decision Matrix — See a cross-functional view of who holds what authority across your organization.
• Creating a Decision — For administrators: how to build a Decision from scratch, add authorities, configure conditions/roles, and publish. (Admin permission required.)