Corporate approval dependencies should be mapped before a company implements an action involving several decision makers. A board approval, shareholder consent, counterparty acceptance and external filing are not interchangeable evidence. Identify the required sequence for the actual transaction with the secretary and relevant advisers.

Hands signing a document at an office desk
Illustrative photograph by Pavel Danilyuk.

Start with the proposed implementation

Describe what will happen, which company is acting and who will carry it out. Gather the transaction documents and the instructions identifying the approvals to be obtained. Do not create a universal checklist that assumes every corporate action has the same requirements.

Name a coordinator who can keep the different workstreams connected without making decisions outside that person’s authority.

Separate approvals from conditions

For each item, record the decision maker, evidence required, status, prerequisite and implementation owner. Distinguish an approval received subject to a condition from a fully completed step.

Ask the responsible reviewer which items may proceed in parallel and which must wait. An application lodged or a document circulated should remain labelled accordingly until the required outcome is known.

Example: approval refers to an unsigned agreement

The board approves entering a transaction on stated terms, but the counterparty has not accepted the final agreement. Record both statuses and any conditions in the approval. Do not treat the board decision as proof that the contract was executed or that money may now be released.

This administrative map does not determine legal requirements or authorise payment, signature or filing.

Reconcile before implementation

Check that each prerequisite points to the correct company, document version and action. Obtain the authorised go-ahead from the responsible person, then retain the actual implementation evidence. Keep outstanding items visible rather than marking the entire transaction complete because its first approval arrived.

Related practical guidance

For the surrounding records and responsibilities, see maintaining statutory records, the company secretary role, company recordkeeping.

Official guidance: ACRA company guidance.

Help with your company records

For corporate secretarial and company administration support, contact Raffles Corporate Services at [email protected] or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133. Tell us which records or process need attention so we can discuss the relevant next steps.