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Delegated Authority Guide

A one-page delegated authority reference showing employees how to classify a decision, find the governing schedule or policy, check exceptions, and escalate uncertainty before making a commitment.

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Rolled out to every employee at AutoZone (125,000), PetSmart (50,000+), A.S. Watson and Raley's (20,000) — and at larger retailers we are not permitted to name.

Built for: Manufacturing and supply chains · Professional services · Financial services

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Overview

The Delegated Authority Guide is a one-page reference for employees who need to know which role may authorize a proposed decision. Its fictional Northstar Group examples cover routine supplier engagement, contract variations, cross-region commitments, budget reallocations, external statements and third-party data sharing. A category table pairs each example with the source to check and a condition that should trigger escalation.

The page gives readers an ordered lookup: classify the decision, identify the legal entity and jurisdictions affected, read the current approved source, then seek authorization from the role that source names. A worked example shows a project lead pausing a supplier scope extension that affects two regions when the schedules do not clearly identify the approving entity. Exception cards and FAQs address unavailable roles, conflicting sources, urgent requests and decisions outside a confirmed delegation.

Use this template as an orientation and reference page when employees need a consistent route to authoritative delegation schedules and policies. Before publishing, Legal and Compliance and the relevant policy owners must verify the categories, local sources and escalation route. The example does not provide approval limits, replace the current governing documents, or grant authority. Do not use it as a substitute for a live approval workflow, a jurisdiction-specific policy, or specialist advice when sources conflict or the decision does not fit a listed category.

Standards & compliance context

Treat the guide as a navigation aid to approved delegation schedules and policies, not as a source of authority or a substitute for those documents.
Have qualified policy owners validate jurisdiction-specific sources and routes before publication; the fictional Northstar examples do not establish local legal requirements.
Keep the page accessible in line with WCAG 2.1 AA, including semantic headings, accessible table headers, keyboard-operable links and sufficient contrast.
Avoid implying that a manager, senior employee or informal alternate may approve a decision unless the current governing source names that role.

General regulatory context for orientation only — verify current requirements with counsel or the relevant agency before relying on this template for compliance.

What's inside this template

Who may authorize this decision?

Start here to understand the guide's purpose, its fictional example organization and the role of the approved local sources.

A lookup guide for employees seeking an approval Northstar Group is a fictional multi-region organization used as the example throughout this page. In your own organization, the approved local delegation schedule and the governing policy decide who has authority. This page only shows how to find them. Use it to classify your decision , find the source that governs it , check for exceptions and know when to ask a specialist before you commit the organization to anything. Owner: Legal and Compliance. If a category, source or route here looks out of date, tell Legal and Compliance so it can be corrected.

How to find the right authority

Follow these checks in order to identify the decision, affected entity and jurisdiction, governing source and authorized role.

Four checks, in this order, before you ask anyone to approve Classify the decision Match what you want to do to a decision category in the table below, for example a contract variation or a cross-region commitment. If it fits more than one, check the approved sources for each applicable category. If they conflict or do not identify the authorized role, ask Legal and Compliance before committing. Identify the entity and jurisdiction Note which legal entity would be bound and which countries or regions are affected. Authority is granted to roles within an entity, not to the group as a whole. Check the current authority source Open the delegation schedule or policy named for your category and read the version in force today. A forwarded email or an old approval is not a source. Confirm the role, then seek authorization Ask the role named in the source, not simply your manager. A job title or seniority alone does not establish authority. If the source is unclear or conflicts with another, pause and escalate.

Decision categories and where authority comes from

Compare common decision examples with the source to consult and the conditions that call for escalation.

Illustrative Northstar Group examples. The roles and limits that actually apply are in your entity's approved schedule. Decision category Example Check this source Escalate when Routine supplier engagement Renewing an existing supplier's standard order on current terms Procurement policy and the entity's delegation schedule Terms differ from the standard agreement Contract variation Extending a supplier's scope or delivery dates Entity delegation schedule and the original contract's change clause The change affects price, liability or more than one entity Cross-region commitment One agreement that binds teams in two or more regions Group delegation schedule plus each region's local addendum Addenda disagree or a region has no addendum Budget reallocation Moving approved project funds between cost centres Finance policy and the budget holder's delegation The transfer crosses entities or changes the funding source External statement Naming Northstar in a customer case study Communications and external-disclosure policy It includes contract terms or non-public information Sharing data with a third party Giving a vendor access to employee or customer records Data protection policy and the local privacy addendum Data leaves the region or the category of data is unclear

Worked example: a supplier contract variation across two regions

See how a project lead applies the lookup when a contract change affects multiple regions and the sources leave authority unclear.

How a project lead applies the four checks Situation. A project lead in the Northern region wants to extend a logistics supplier's scope. The extension would also cover deliveries in the Southern region, and the original contract was signed by the Northern entity. What the project lead does Classifies it. It is a contract variation , and because two regions are affected it also touches cross-region commitment . Both categories need to be checked against their approved sources; no priority between them is established by this guide. Identifies entity and jurisdiction. The contract names the Northern entity, but the Southern region would receive the service. The lead notes both. Checks the sources. The lead reads the Northern entity's delegation schedule, the Southern regional addendum and the contract's change clause. The two schedules do not clearly say which entity's role approves a variation that benefits the other. Escalates before committing. The sources are unclear, so the lead pauses the request and asks Legal and Compliance which source governs. The lead does not tell the supplier the extension is agreed. Why this is the right outcome Asking the budget holder or a senior manager would not have settled the question, because neither role was named in a governing source for this situation. Once Legal and Compliance confirms the governing source, the lead asks the role it names. The decision remains unapproved until that role authorizes it.

Exceptions and escalation triggers

Use these stop-and-ask conditions when a decision is uncategorized, sources conflict, jurisdictions overlap or the confirmed delegation is insufficient.

Stop and ask a specialist when any of these apply The decision does not fit a category You cannot say which category applies, or it seems to fit none. Describe the decision in two sentences to Legal and Compliance. Hold any commitment until you have a written answer. Sources conflict A policy, schedule or local addendum names different roles or conditions. Quote both references when you ask for a ruling. Where an approved local process exists, it takes precedence over this general guide. More than one jurisdiction is affected The decision binds more than one entity, or touches more than one country or region. List every entity and jurisdiction involved. Ask the relevant policy owner about each one. It exceeds your confirmed delegation The proposed decision is outside the authority recorded for your role. Do not split the decision into smaller parts to stay within a limit. Ask the next role named in the authority source.

Common questions

Check practical answers about overlapping regions, unavailable roles, manager approval, unclear sources and urgent requests.

Practical answers for situations that often come up What if the decision spans more than one region? Treat it as a cross-region commitment. Check the group schedule and each region's local addendum. If they do not agree on who authorizes it, ask Legal and Compliance which source governs before you proceed. What if the role listed in the source is unavailable? Look in the same source for a named alternate or deputy. If none is recorded, ask the policy owner for a ruling. Do not accept informal cover, such as a colleague saying they will sign instead. Does my manager's approval count? Only if your manager holds the role the authority source names for this decision. Being your manager does not by itself give authority, and your manager's agreement is not a substitute for checking. What if I cannot tell which source applies? Treat that as an escalation trigger. Send Legal and Compliance a short description of the decision, the entities involved and the references you have already read. Pause any commitment until you have an answer. The request is urgent. Can I go ahead and sort out approval afterwards? No. Urgency does not grant authority. Tell the requester you are confirming who may authorize the decision, and ask the specialist for an expedited ruling. An approved local process for urgent decisions, where one exists, takes precedence over this general guidance.

How to use this template

Ask Legal and Compliance and the relevant policy owners to verify the decision categories, source names, escalation route and applicable local processes.
Replace the fictional Northstar scenarios with examples that reflect your confirmed entity structure and jurisdictions, and remove unsupported categories.
Publish the page in the intranet location where employees seek approval guidance and link only to verified, authoritative internal sources.
Have the employee classify the proposed decision, identify every affected entity and jurisdiction, and open the current source named for each applicable category.
Ask the role named by the governing source for authorization, and pause the commitment if the role or source is unclear, conflicting or unavailable.
Assign Legal and Compliance to review reported corrections and changes to governing schedules or policies, then update the page when its guidance no longer matches them.

Best practices

Keep each category tied to a current, authoritative source rather than relying on an old email or a remembered approval.
Ask employees to identify the legal entity that will be bound and every affected jurisdiction before choosing an approving role.
When a decision fits multiple categories, require employees to check every applicable source instead of assuming one category takes priority.
Preserve the worked example's pause point: employees should not tell a supplier a change is agreed while authority remains unclear.
Keep escalation instructions observable by stating what information to provide, such as the decision, entities involved and source references already checked.
Name a content owner and a correction route, and review the page when a referenced schedule, policy or local addendum changes.
Use concise headings, readable table labels and keyboard-accessible links so employees can find the relevant category with assistive technology.

What this template typically catches

Issues teams running this template most often surface in practice:

Employees rely on a forwarded email or an old approval instead of checking the source currently in force.

A manager's agreement is treated as approval even though the governing source names a different role.

A decision spans entities or regions, but the employee checks only one local schedule.

Conflicting schedules or policies are resolved by assumption rather than escalated to Legal and Compliance.

An urgent request proceeds first and approval is sought afterward, despite no confirmed urgent-decision process.

A contract variation is treated as routine even though it changes price, liability or affects another entity.

The guide becomes stale because its source names or escalation route are not reviewed after policy changes.

Common use cases

Project lead handling a cross-region supplier change

A project lead checks whether a supplier scope extension affects more than one region, identifies the contracting entity and reads the relevant schedule and contract change clause. If the sources do not clarify who authorizes the change, the lead pauses and asks Legal and Compliance before committing.

Procurement checking a supplier renewal

A procurement employee uses the category table to distinguish a standard renewal on current terms from a change that needs a contract-variation check. Changed terms trigger review of the applicable schedule and contract provisions rather than an assumption that the prior approval still applies.

Finance reviewing a project budget transfer

A budget holder or project employee checks the Finance policy and the relevant delegation before moving funds between cost centres. If the transfer crosses entities or changes the funding source, the exception points the employee toward escalation.

Communications or privacy review before external sharing

A communications employee checks the external-disclosure policy before naming the organization in a customer case study, while a data-sharing request is checked against data protection policy and the relevant local addendum. The guide flags non-public information, cross-region data and unclear data categories for specialist review.

Frequently asked questions

What decisions does this guide cover?

The example covers supplier renewals, contract variations, cross-region commitments, budget reallocations, external statements and third-party data sharing. These are illustrative categories, not a complete authority schedule. Replace or adapt them to match the approved sources used by your organization.

How often should the guide be reviewed?

The example names Legal and Compliance as the owner and directs employees to report outdated categories, sources or routes. Set a review cadence that fits your policy-change process, and review sooner when a delegation schedule, local addendum or governing policy changes. The guide itself does not establish an approval or review date.

Who should maintain and use this page?

Legal and Compliance owns the example page, while employees use it to identify the right source and authorized role before seeking approval. Policy owners should confirm that cited sources and escalation routes remain accurate. Managers can help employees navigate the process, but their seniority alone does not establish decision authority.

Does this template set legal approval limits or satisfy a regulatory requirement?

No. It explains how to locate and apply an organization's approved delegation schedule and governing policies; it does not define limits or grant authority. The fictional Northstar examples are not legal guidance for another organization. Have the relevant policy owners confirm local requirements and approved sources before publishing.

What should an employee do when policies or schedules conflict?

Pause the decision and ask Legal and Compliance which source governs before committing the organization. The page advises employees to identify the affected entities and jurisdictions and cite both conflicting references. It does not assume a priority between sources unless an approved local process establishes one.

How should we customize the fictional Northstar example?

Replace Northstar's scenarios with decision categories and source names verified for your organization, entity structure and jurisdictions. Keep the four-check sequence, the exception triggers and the distinction between a manager and an authorized role if these fit your approved process. Remove any category or route that does not have a confirmed governing source.

Does the page connect to delegation schedules or approval systems?

The supplied page is a static reference with a table, worked example, escalation cards and FAQ; it does not include a live approval workflow or connected schedule. Add links only to verified, authoritative internal sources using the site's supported destinations. Confirm permissions and link ownership during setup rather than implying that this template provides them.

How should we roll out this guide?

Ask Legal and Compliance and the relevant policy owners to verify each category, source name and escalation route. Publish it where employees look for approval guidance, then tell affected teams what decisions it covers and what to do when the answer is unclear. Review employee questions and reported corrections to identify gaps in categories or navigation.

Why use a shared guide instead of asking a manager each time?

A shared guide gives employees a repeatable way to classify a decision, identify the bound entity and jurisdiction, and find the governing source. It also makes clear that a manager's agreement is not enough unless the source names that role. It cannot replace reading the current schedule or resolving a conflict with the responsible specialist.

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Rolled out to every employee at AutoZone (125,000), PetSmart (50,000+), A.S. Watson and Raley's (20,000) — and at larger retailers we are not permitted to name.

Who may authorize this decision? A lookup guide for employees seeking an approval Northstar Group is a fictional multi-region organization used as the example throughout this page. In your own organization, the approved local delegation schedule and the governing policy decide who has authority. This page only shows how to find them. Use it to classify your decision , find the source that governs it , check for exceptions and know when to ask a specialist before you commit the organization to anything. Owner: Legal and Compliance. If a category, source or route here looks out of date, tell Legal and Compliance so it can be corrected. On this page How to find the right authority Four checks, in this order, before you ask anyone to approve Classify the decision Match what you want to do to a decision category in the table below, for example a contract variation or a cross-region commitment. If it fits more than one, check the approved sources for each applicable category. If they conflict or do not identify the authorized role, ask Legal and Compliance before committing. Identify the entity and jurisdiction Note which legal entity would be bound and which countries or regions are affected. Authority is granted to roles within an entity, not to the group as a whole. Check the current authority source Open the delegation schedule or policy named for your category and read the version in force today. A forwarded email or an old approval is not a source. Confirm the role, then seek authorization Ask the role named in the source, not simply your manager. A job title or seniority alone does not establish authority. If the source is unclear or conflicts with another, pause and escalate. Decision categories and where authority comes from Illustrative Northstar Group examples. The roles and limits that actually apply are in your entity's approved schedule. Decision category Example Check this source Escalate when Routine supplier engagement Renewing an existing supplier's standard order on current terms Procurement policy and the entity's delegation schedule Terms differ from the standard agreement Contract variation Extending a supplier's scope or delivery dates Entity delegation schedule and the original contract's change clause The change affects price, liability or more than one entity Cross-region commitment One agreement that binds teams in two or more regions Group delegation schedule plus each region's local addendum Addenda disagree or a region has no addendum Budget reallocation Moving approved project funds between cost centres Finance policy and the budget holder's delegation The transfer crosses entities or changes the funding source External statement Naming Northstar in a customer case study Communications and external-disclosure policy It includes contract terms or non-public information Sharing data with a third party Giving a vendor access to employee or customer records Data protection policy and the local privacy addendum Data leaves the region or the category of data is unclear Worked example: a supplier contract variation across two regions How a project lead applies the four checks Situation. A project lead in the Northern region wants to extend a logistics supplier's scope. The extension would also cover deliveries in the Southern region, and the original contract was signed by the Northern entity. What the project lead does Classifies it. It is a contract variation , and because two regions are affected it also touches cross-region commitment . Both categories need to be checked against their approved sources; no priority between them is established by this guide. Identifies entity and jurisdiction. The contract names the Northern entity, but the Southern region would receive the service. The lead notes both. Checks the sources. The lead reads the Northern entity's delegation schedule, the Southern regional addendum and the contract's change clause. The two schedules do not clearly say which entity's role approves a variation that benefits the other. Escalates before committing. The sources are unclear, so the lead pauses the request and asks Legal and Compliance which source governs. The lead does not tell the supplier the extension is agreed. Why this is the right outcome Asking the budget holder or a senior manager would not have settled the question, because neither role was named in a governing source for this situation. Once Legal and Compliance confirms the governing source, the lead asks the role it names. The decision remains unapproved until that role authorizes it. Exceptions and escalation triggers Stop and ask a specialist when any of these apply The decision does not fit a category You cannot say which category applies, or it seems to fit none. Describe the decision in two sentences to Legal and Compliance. Hold any commitment until you have a written answer. Sources conflict A policy, schedule or local addendum names different roles or conditions. Quote both references when you ask for a ruling. Where an approved local process exists, it takes precedence over this general guide. More than one jurisdiction is affected The decision binds more than one entity, or touches more than one country or region. List every entity and jurisdiction involved. Ask the relevant policy owner about each one. It exceeds your confirmed delegation The proposed decision is outside the authority recorded for your role. Do not split the decision into smaller parts to stay within a limit. Ask the next role named in the authority source. Common questions Practical answers for situations that often come up What if the decision spans more than one region? Treat it as a cross-region commitment. Check the group schedule and each region's local addendum. If they do not agree on who authorizes it, ask Legal and Compliance which source governs before you proceed. What if the role listed in the source is unavailable? Look in the same source for a named alternate or deputy. If none is recorded, ask the policy owner for a ruling. Do not accept informal cover, such as a colleague saying they will sign instead. Does my manager's approval count? Only if your manager holds the role the authority source names for this decision. Being your manager does not by itself give authority, and your manager's agreement is not a substitute for checking. What if I cannot tell which source applies? Treat that as an escalation trigger. Send Legal and Compliance a short description of the decision, the entities involved and the references you have already read. Pause any commitment until you have an answer. The request is urgent. Can I go ahead and sort out approval afterwards? No. Urgency does not grant authority. Tell the requester you are confirming who may authorize the decision, and ask the specialist for an expedited ruling. An approved local process for urgent decisions, where one exists, takes precedence over this general guidance.