SOP Approval Workflows and Version Control Explained
Understand how SOP approvals work, who can approve, how version history is tracked, and what happens when an SOP is published or archived.
Every SOP goes through a structured approval process before it becomes an operational standard, and every change to an active SOP is tracked through version control. These mechanisms exist to ensure that the SOPs your team relies on are accurate, authorized, and auditable. This page explains how both systems work and how to use them correctly.
The Approval Workflow
An SOP moves through four stages from first draft to published standard. Each stage has a defined meaning and a defined set of actions that can be taken.
Draft → Submitted for Review → Approved → Published (Active)
Draft — The SOP exists in the editor and is visible only to its author and any collaborators with explicit access. A Draft SOP carries no operational authority and should never be used as a standard.
Submitted for Review — The author has requested a review from one or more designated reviewers. Reviewers can leave comments, request changes, or approve the SOP. The SOP remains in this state until all required approvals are collected or the submission is withdrawn.
Approved — A qualified approver has marked the SOP as approved. At this point the SOP is ready for publication but has not yet gone live. This state allows authors to schedule a publish date or coordinate the release with related process changes.
Published (Active) — The SOP is live. It is now the official, binding procedure for the process it describes. All previous versions of the same SOP are automatically moved to Archived status.
Who Can Approve an SOP
Approval authority is tiered by role:
| Role | Can Approve |
|---|---|
| SOP Owner | Can approve minor revisions to SOPs they own (see versioning section for minor vs. major) |
| Department Manager | Can approve any SOP within their department |
| Platform Admin | Can approve any SOP across all departments |
| Reviewer (Contributor) | Can leave feedback and mark a review complete, but cannot grant final approval |
If you are both the author and the owner of an SOP, you cannot be the sole approver on a major version. At least one additional approver from your department or above must sign off.
How Version Control Works
Every time you save changes to an SOP, the platform creates a new draft version automatically. You do not need to manually trigger version saves — the system handles this in the background and maintains a full version history log accessible from the SOP's History tab.
Major vs. Minor Versions
The platform uses a two-part version numbering scheme: MAJOR.MINOR (e.g., 1.0, 1.3, 2.0).
- Minor versions (e.g.,
1.0 → 1.1) cover small updates: correcting a typo, updating a link, adding a clarifying note, or updating a role name. Minor versions require owner approval only. - Major versions (e.g.,
1.3 → 2.0) cover substantive changes: adding or removing procedure steps, changing the scope, modifying approval criteria, or any change that alters how the process is executed. Major versions require department manager or admin approval.
When you submit an SOP for review, you designate whether the revision is a minor or major update. Reviewers can escalate a minor designation to major if they determine the changes are more significant than initially classified.
The Version History Log
Every entry in the version history log captures:
- Version number — The
MAJOR.MINORdesignation for that version - Date and time — When that version was saved or published
- Author — Who made the changes
- Change summary — A brief description of what changed (you fill this in when submitting for review)
- Status — Whether the version is Active, Archived, or a Draft
You can view the full content of any historical version by clicking its version number in the History tab. Archived versions are read-only.
How to Request a Review
From the SOP editor, click the Request Review button in the action bar at the top of the page. This opens the review request panel without leaving the editor.
Use the Add Reviewers field to search for and select one or more reviewers. You can add anyone with at least Contributor access to your department workspace. For major version changes, ensure at least one reviewer has approval authority (department manager or admin).
Select Minor or Major from the Revision Type dropdown. The classification determines the approval threshold required before the SOP can be published.
In the Review Note field, describe the changes you made and any specific areas you'd like reviewers to focus on. A good review note saves time: "Updated steps 3–5 to reflect the new vendor portal UI. Please confirm the updated field names match what you see in production."
Choose a Due Date for the review. The platform sends reviewers an automated reminder 48 hours before the due date if no review action has been taken. For time-sensitive changes (e.g., a process changing on a specific date), set the due date at least 5 business days before the change takes effect.
Click Submit for Review. The SOP status updates to In Review and all assigned reviewers receive a notification with a direct link to the SOP and your review note.
What Happens When an SOP Is Approved
When an approver marks an SOP as approved and the author (or an admin) clicks Publish:
- The SOP status changes from Approved to Published (Active).
- The Effective Date field is automatically populated with the publication timestamp.
- Any previously Active version of the same SOP is immediately moved to Archived status.
- All contributors, reviewers, and anyone who has bookmarked or subscribed to the SOP receive a notification that a new version is now live.
- The version history log records the publish event with the approver's name and the date.
The archived version remains fully readable in the History tab and can be referenced at any time, but it cannot be edited or re-activated. If you need to roll back to a previous version, see the FAQ below.
Never edit an Active SOP directly. Editing an Active SOP without going through the review and approval workflow bypasses version control, removes the audit trail, and means your changes are not reviewed before they go live. Always create a new draft from the Active version using the Create New Draft button. Your edits will be tracked as a new version and submitted through the normal review process before anyone sees them as the current standard.
Scheduled Review Cycles
SOPs don't stay accurate on their own — processes change, systems are updated, and regulations evolve. To keep your SOPs current, set a review reminder at the time of publication.
To set a review reminder:
- Open the published SOP and navigate to the Settings tab.
- Under Review Schedule, choose a review cycle: 6 months, 12 months, or Custom (enter a specific number of days).
- Choose who receives the reminder: Owner only, Owner and Department Manager, or Owner and all Contributors.
- Click Save Settings.
When the review date arrives, the system sends a reminder to the selected recipients with a link to the SOP and a prompt to either confirm the SOP is still accurate (which resets the review clock without creating a new version) or initiate a revision by creating a new draft.
High-risk or compliance-linked SOPs should use a 6-month review cycle. If your SOP references regulatory requirements, data handling policies, or financial controls, consult your compliance team to confirm the required review frequency before setting your schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
You cannot directly re-activate an archived version, but you can use it as the basis for a new draft. Open the SOP's History tab, locate the version you want to restore, and click Create Draft from This Version. This creates a new draft pre-populated with the content of the archived version. You then submit this draft through the normal review and approval process. Once published, it becomes the new Active version and supersedes the current one. This approach preserves the audit trail and ensures the "restored" content is reviewed before going live.
A Draft SOP is a work in progress. It is visible only to its author and designated collaborators, carries no operational authority, and should not be followed as a process standard. A Published (Active) SOP has been reviewed, approved, and released — it is the current binding procedure for the process it describes. If a process has both a Draft and a Published version (which happens when you create a new draft of an existing SOP), everyone should continue following the Published version until the new draft is approved and replaces it.
The following people receive a notification when an SOP moves to Published status: the SOP author, all reviewers who participated in the approval cycle, anyone who has bookmarked or subscribed to the SOP, and — if configured in department settings — all members of the owning department. Notifications are sent via the platform's in-app notification center and, if email notifications are enabled for your account, to your registered email address. You can manage your notification preferences under Account Settings → Notifications.
If an assigned reviewer is unavailable and the review is time-sensitive, the SOP owner or an admin can reassign the review to a different qualified approver. Open the review request panel on the SOP, click the reviewer's name, and select Reassign. The new reviewer will receive a notification and see the original review note and any comments already left by other reviewers. If a due date has passed without action and the SOP still needs approval, the owner can extend the due date or escalate to a department manager to expedite the review.