How to Know If Your Company Needs Multi-Level Alçadas?

Multi-level alçadas tend to become necessary when a single approver can't keep up with the volume or the risk of decisions, requiring larger amounts to pass through more than one layer before the final entry.

Small companies generally do fine with a single approver: the owner or direct manager decides everything. The problem appears when the operation grows and that single decision point becomes a bottleneck, delaying simple and important requests alike.

Not every company needs multiple levels. Adding layers without real need just creates more bureaucracy. The question is identifying the right moment when a second or third level starts protecting the company, rather than just slowing down the process.

Signs a single level is no longer enough

  • The same approver decides everything from office supply purchases to large contracts
  • High-value decisions don't go through a second check before payment
  • Request volume exceeds one person's capacity to review carefully
  • Different areas of the company have very different risk levels
  • The company has grown, opened branches, or expanded the team, but the alçada hasn't changed

How to decide how many levels your company needs

  • Map the average and maximum values of the most frequent requests
  • Define a value range for operational-level decisions, with no need to escalate
  • Create a second level for values that represent meaningful financial risk
  • Reserve a leadership level only for strategic or very high-value decisions
  • Review these ranges periodically, as the company changes in size

In Jestor, each level can have its own value range, without needing a separate configuration per area.

What to avoid when structuring multiple levels

  • Creating too many levels, turning every approval into a bureaucratic ordeal
  • Failing to define a backup for each level in case of absence
  • Using the same value ranges from years ago, without review
  • Not recording exactly which level each request is stuck at

How Jestor structures multi-level alçadas

  • Jestor lets you build approval hierarchies with alçada by value and cost center, without code
  • Trigger-based automation keeps low-value requests from going through unnecessary levels
  • Granular permissions by role ensure each level only sees what's within its alçada
  • Companies like Rumo and Enforce, a BTG Pactual affiliate, use Jestor to structure multi-level approvals

Frequently asked questions

Do small companies need multiple approval levels? Generally not. A single level tends to be enough until volume or risk grows.

How do I find the right value range for each level? Jestor recommends mapping the average request values before defining the ranges.

Can the number of levels change after it's set up? Yes, alçada ranges can be reviewed as the company changes in size.

Knowing whether your company needs multi-level alçadas comes down to watching request volume, the financial risk involved, and whether a single approver can still keep up with the process.

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