Configuring request types and approval chains
Employees don’t file IT support tickets, cash advances, or purchase proposals as free-form emails — they pick from a catalog of request types that your admin defines. Each type carries its own form fields, SLA target, and — for internal requests that stay inside XBuddy — an optional approval chain.
A request type is either generic (it creates a trackable request record here in Approvals, and can carry a chain) or a shortcut (it simply opens the relevant app’s own form — leave and purchase requests, for example, route straight to their app because those already have their own approval logic). Only generic types show the chain editor.
Open Request Types
Go to Approvals → Settings → Request Types and pick (or create) a generic request type — anything other than a shortcut.
Add steps in order
Each step is a separate decision point that only opens once the step before it has been approved. For each step, choose who approves:
- The submitter’s manager
- Anyone in a role (e.g. any IT Administrator)
- One specific person
- A panel where any one person is enough
- A panel where everyone must approve
Add a condition (optional)
A step can be set to always run, or only run when a submitted value (amount, days, hours, or requested quantity) crosses a threshold you set — for example, routing a cash advance to a finance panel only when it exceeds a set amount.
Save
Saving creates (or updates) the approval chain behind the scenes and pins it to that request type. If the request type is a built-in one, saving forks your own company’s copy so future product updates to the built-in version don’t overwrite your chain.
If another request type already uses the same chain, XBuddy tells you before you save — editing steps there changes the chain for both types.
Need branching logic, step signatures, or other advanced conditions beyond a simple sequence? The request-type editor is the fast path for a straight-line chain; open Approvals → Automation → Workflows for the full visual builder.