An approval process automates how a Salesforce record is approved: you define the review steps, who must approve at each step, and what happens if the request is approved or rejected. Use one when a person, or a chain of people, must accept or deny a record before work continues, such as time off, a new position, or a steep discount. The process routes the request to the right reviewers, keeps the record from changing while it waits, and then updates the record or notifies people based on the outcome.