SOP AMU-075 · Part 4
Management Approval Matrix
Five authority levels, the escalation matrix, risk register and control philosophy.
A growing company needs clear authority. Not every employee should need the CEO for routine decisions, but no employee should have unlimited authority. Final financial amounts can be fixed later.
Level 1 — Staff
- Process normal order
- Answer standard customer inquiry
- Pack order
- Record customer complaint
Level 2 — Supervisor (within defined limits)
- Standard operational corrections
- Small approved service recovery
- Shift decisions
Level 3 — Department Manager (within budget)
- Department purchases
- Campaign execution
- Staff scheduling
- Standard supplier activity
- Routine refunds within limits
Level 4 — General Manager / Director
- Significant expenses
- New campaigns
- Supplier agreements
- Special refunds
- Hiring within approved budget
- Operational policy exceptions
Level 5 — Managing Director / Board
- New product formula
- Major capital expenditure
- New country
- Franchise model
- Trademark sale / license
- Strategic partnership
- Major borrowing
- Major contract
- Product recall decision
- Significant litigation
- Sale / closure of company
- Change in ownership
AMU Escalation Matrix
- Normal issue — handle through SOP
- Exception — Supervisor
- Financial exception — Finance + Manager
- Quality issue — Quality Manager
- Serious customer health report — immediate Quality / Compliance escalation
- Product safety issue — Managing Director + Quality
- Public crisis — Crisis Management Team
- Legal / regulatory matter — Management + qualified legal / compliance advice
AMU Risk Register
- Manufacturer delay — Medium / High — safety stock — Procurement — backup plan
- Product complaint — Medium / High — QC + traceability — Quality — monitor
- Website outage — Medium / Medium — backup systems — E-Commerce — test
- Stock expiry — Low-Med / High — FEFO — Warehouse — weekly review
- Payment failure — Medium / Medium — gateway monitoring — Finance — backup
- Brand misuse — Medium / High — trademark control — Management — enforcement
- Franchise noncompliance — Future / High — audit system — Franchise Team — corrective action
AMU Business Control Philosophy
- 1Nothing without responsibility — every activity has an owner.
- 2Nothing without record — important actions leave evidence.
- 3Nothing without approval — high-risk changes require authorization.
- 4Nothing without measurement — sales, marketing, quality and operations have KPIs.
- 5Nothing without correction — fix, find cause, prevent recurrence, verify.