Who May Say Yes: A Decision-Rights Register for Small UK Firms

In many small UK firms, the most costly delay is not a disputed invoice or a difficult client. It is the question that sits in an inbox because the person who could answer it is in a meeting, on leave or assumed to be the only one who knows. Approvals gather around a single director by default, and every routine request becomes a small test of memory.

A decision-rights register, sometimes called an authority matrix or approvals ledger, replaces that uncertainty with a short written set of rules. It need not be elaborate. One page, kept current, can tell everyone who may approve what, up to which limit, and who acts when that person is unavailable.

Why a one-page register earns its place

The immediate benefit is speed. An invoice that needs a second signature can wait days for a chance encounter in a corridor. A supplier change can sit unverified while a director travels. A refund request can be answered late because the person handling it is unsure whether they are allowed to say yes.

A register removes that hesitation. Staff know where to send a request. Approvers know what falls within their remit. A virtual assistant can prepare the paperwork, check it against the register and route it correctly, without guessing at the director's intentions.

The second benefit is control. When authority is informal, small firms can drift into a position where payments are made without a clear trail, or where a well-meaning employee approves something they should have escalated. A written register creates a record of who decided what and on which basis. That is useful for internal review, for conversations with an accountant and, if a dispute arises, for showing that a proper process existed.

The decisions worth listing first

Start with the requests that arrive often or carry real consequence. For most small UK firms, the list will include:

• invoices released for payment, with different limits for routine and exceptional amounts;
• changes to supplier bank details, which should never rest with one person alone;
• refunds, credit notes and write-offs;
• contracts, renewals and variations to terms;
• purchase orders and commitments above a set value;
• quotes and discounts outside standard pricing;
• staff expenses and overtime;
• engagement of freelancers or temporary support;
• access to shared systems, bank feeds or payroll information.

The list does not need to cover every conceivable decision. It needs to cover the ones that currently cause pauses, or that would cause real difficulty if handled by the wrong person.

Thresholds, not job titles alone

A register that says only that the director approves payments is too blunt. It creates a bottleneck and gives no guidance on the many smaller decisions that arise each week. Financial thresholds make the register usable.

A firm might decide that routine invoices up to £500 can be approved by the office manager, invoices from £501 to £2,500 by a director, and anything above £2,500 by two directors. Supplier bank detail changes might require one director plus verification through a known telephone number. Refunds below £100 might sit with the office manager, while larger refunds go to a director.

The figures are less important than the principle. Set limits that reflect the firm's size and risk appetite, write them down and apply them consistently. Where a decision is not about money, use categories instead: contracts of any value, changes to client terms, or requests involving personal data.

Named people and named backups

An authority matrix is weakened by roles without names. If it says only that a director may approve, it fails when the sole director is away. Every approval line should carry a named approver and a named deputy.

Backups should be real people who understand the decision and have the information to make it. A deputy who is always in meetings is not a useful deputy. Nor is a backup who has never seen the register.

Include an absence rule. If the first approver is unavailable for more than a working day, the deputy acts. If both are unavailable, the matter goes to a named escalation contact. That contact might be another director, the firm's accountant or an external adviser, depending on the decision. The point is that no request falls into an unowned gap.

Where the virtual assistant sits

A virtual assistant can make a register work harder, but the boundaries must be explicit. The assistant can prepare invoices for approval, check them against purchase orders, chase missing information, maintain the approval log and confirm that a named approver has responded. The assistant should not approve payments, alter supplier bank details, sign contracts or make commitments on the firm's behalf.

Those limits are not a sign of mistrust. They are what allow a firm to delegate confidently. When the register is clear, a virtual assistant can move routine work forward without repeatedly asking for permission, and without straying into decisions that belong to the business owner or director.

A useful sentence to include is that approval must be recorded in writing, with the approver's name and the date. Verbal approval can be convenient, but it is difficult to evidence later. For supplier changes and payments, written confirmation is essential.

Evidence and escalation

Keep the register where the work happens: in the shared drive, alongside finance files or in the operations manual. Record decisions in a simple log or against the relevant invoice, contract or request. The entry need not be lengthy. A date, a decision, the approver and a reference are usually enough.

Escalation should be equally simple. If a request falls outside the register, or the approver cannot be reached, the assistant or staff member should route it to the named escalation contact. They should not infer approval from silence or from a previous similar decision.

Keeping it current

A register that is written once and never reviewed becomes a source of confusion. Review it quarterly, and whenever a role changes, a new supplier process is introduced or a financial limit no longer fits the firm's turnover. Add a version date and remove old copies from shared folders.

A short test is useful. Take five decisions from the past month and ask whether the register would have told someone exactly who should approve them. If not, adjust the wording or add the missing category.

A practical way to start

Set aside forty-five minutes with the people who currently approve routine requests. List the last twenty approvals, group them into categories, agree thresholds and name a deputy for each approver. Then write the one-page register, share it with the team and use it for a month before reviewing.

For firms working with Fylde VA, the register becomes a practical briefing document. It tells the assistant what can be prepared, what must be checked and when a decision must go to a named person. The result is not more bureaucracy. It is fewer stalled requests, clearer records and a business that can keep moving when the usual approver is not at their desk.