The quick answer
In the installed approval app shown here, submit the Department, approve its first configured role step, then approve the second. Open Approval History to compare Action By, Approver Role, Comments, Action and Date. The final record reads Approved and its inactive checkbox is clear. A remaining Department Step 2 label describes the last configured step; it does not mean this approved record still needs a decision.
Person and operating-company names are fictional example data. This walkthrough demonstrates one employee using two roles, so the history does not establish that two independent people approved the record.
Before you start
This procedure requires a Department approval app installed and deployed on the tested Department form. This example is configured with Department Step 1 assigned to AI | Accountant and Department Step 2 assigned to AI | Compliance. Its fields, buttons, pending reminder and Approval History subtab are account customizations. They are not a native Department approval procedure available in every NetSuite account.
The example uses Alex Morgan as Administrator to create and submit Service Operations. Jordan Lee performs both approvals, first as Accountant and then as Compliance. Each role needs access to the Department and its configured approval action. The app keeps this new Department inactive until final approval in this configuration. The Administrator needs access to inactive Departments, the list’s Show Inactives option and the tested journal form and subsidiary. The test approver must be permitted to use both configured roles and change the active role between decisions. The configured reminder or approval queue must be available in each role. Names, roles and subsidiary values shown here are example configuration and data, not universal requirements.
01 · Create and save the Department
As Administrator, go to Setup > Company > Departments and click New Department. Enter Service Operations, leave Parent department blank, select Headquarters under Subsidiaries, and select Include Children. Click Save.
The saved record already reads Pending Approval, but Department Approval Check is clear and Submit for Approval is available. In this app, that status alone does not prove that the record has entered the approval chain.
02 · Submit and inspect the first history row
Click Submit for Approval, then open Approval History. The app selects Department Approval Check, displays Department Step 1, and adds a submission entry. Check the actor and role rather than relying on the status text alone.
03 · Approve in the Accountant role
Switch to AI | Accountant, open the configured Departments Pending Approval reminder, and view Service Operations. Click Approve. Enter Approved in the approval-reason prompt and click OK.
Return to the Department list, select Show Inactives, and reopen the record. It remains Pending Approval and inactive, while Department Approval Step now reads Department Step 2. In this app configuration, the Accountant role no longer shows Approve or Reject for Department Step 2. Approval History retains its completed first-step decision.
04 · Approve in the Compliance role
Switch the same employee to AI | Compliance. Open the configured pending-approval reminder available to the Compliance role and view Service Operations. Click Approve, enter Approved by Compliance, and click OK. Reopen the Department and its Approval History.
The overall Department Approval Status now reads Approved. Department is Inactive is clear. Department Step 2 remains displayed as the final configured step, so read it alongside the overall status and completed history.
05 · Compare employee, role and decision evidence
Read all three entries in Approval History: the submission, the Accountant approval and the Compliance approval. Both approval rows name Jordan Lee under Action By, while Approver Role distinguishes the two role contexts.
Check Comments and Action, then enlarge the full image to inspect Approval Step, Approval Type, Job Level and Date. These are the values displayed by this app. The walkthrough does not establish that its history is immutable or that the configuration satisfies a compliance control.
06 · Check availability without saving a journal
As Administrator, open Transactions > Financial > Make Journal Entries. On the blank journal, use the tested subsidiary Headquarters : United States and inspect the line Department chooser. Select Service Operations to verify that it is available in this form and subsidiary context. Add no line and do not save; click Cancel.
Return to Service Operations and confirm Approved, a clear inactive checkbox and the three history entries. Chooser availability does not prove journal approval, posting or availability through every form and integration.
Common questions
Why does Pending Approval appear before I submit?
That is the installed app's initial value in this example. Before submission, Department Approval Check is clear and Submit for Approval remains available. After submission in this app, the check is selected, Department Step 1 is displayed, and a submission-history entry is added.
Why does an approved Department still show Department Step 2?
In this app configuration, the app retains Department Step 2 after final approval. Confirm the overall Approved status, active record and completed history before interpreting that label as a pending task.
Do two role entries prove that two people approved?
No. Jordan Lee performs both decisions here. Action By identifies the employee; Approver Role identifies the role context recorded for each action. Separate roles alone do not establish independent approvers.
Why do I not see these buttons or Approval History?
The demonstrated controls come from an installed approval app and its account configuration. Check the app's deployment, supported Department form, assigned approval steps and your role access with your administrator. Standard Department access alone does not establish that these custom controls are installed.
Does selecting the Department prove the journal was posted?
No. This walkthrough only checks a chooser on a blank journal for one subsidiary and form, then cancels it without saving.