Approval Request Justification Summary

Why it is written this way

I am submitting a(n) {{document type}} through our internal approval system and need to write a clear justification note for the approvers. The approvers are busy managers and department heads who review dozens of requests daily, and this must be approved by {{due date}}.

Task

Please read the notes below and write an approval justification. The very first sentence must clearly answer three things: what is being requested, why it is needed, and by when it must be approved.

Format

Keep the justification to a single paragraph under 60 words (300 characters). Below the paragraph, provide a separate one-line subject line for the approval document. The subject line should be concise (under 10 words) and prefixed with the department or project tag in brackets.

Constraints

Do not start with long background context or historical preambles. Skip pleasantries like "Hope you are having a busy week" or redundant lines like "Please review and approve." If specific amounts or dates are missing from my notes, do not invent them—use [Verify] instead.

Input

Request content: """ {{request content}} """

Starting an approval justification with background context slows down the process. Opening with phrases like "Following up on feedback gathered after our last team offsite..." forces managers to read through multiple sentences just to understand what they are approving, often causing them to defer it. This prompt reverses that sequence.

That is why the Task requirement explicitly specifies putting "what, why, and by when" directly into the very first sentence. Enforcing this structure forces the AI to present the conclusion upfront, using subsequent sentences solely for supporting details—the exact information approvers actually look for.

The Format constraints enforce a single concise paragraph. Without strict length guidelines, AI tends to write multi-paragraph essays, even though approval dashboards often display only a few preview lines. Generating a standalone subject line ensures visibility in crowded approval queues.

The Constraints actively prohibit conversational filler and redundant closing remarks. Eliminating pleasantries cuts down the length significantly, making every remaining word functional. Flagging missing figures with [Verify] prevents costly recalculations and resubmissions after sign-off.

Unfamiliar terms? See Aha AI: output-format, prompt

Compared with a bad example

Common bad example

Write a justification for my approval request

Need to pay $300 deposit for October team offsite cabin by Friday

This produces vague, bloated text like: "In order to promote seamless teamwork and facilitate our upcoming offsite workshop, I am requesting the disbursement of the reservation deposit. Please kindly review and approve at your earliest convenience." The critical Friday deadline is omitted, risking cancellation if delayed, and key figures get buried in wordy phrasing. Without a dedicated subject line, the submission simply appears as a generic title in the manager's inbox.

Variations

Resubmitting a Rejected Request

I am resubmitting a previously rejected {{document type}}. In the very first sentence of the justification, clearly state that this is a resubmission and summarize how previous feedback/concerns were addressed. Then, concisely summarize the core request details. Keep it to a single paragraph under 60 words without defensive explanations.

""" {{request content}} """

For resubmissions, approvers already have the context in mind. Unless revisions are highlighted in the first line, they may have to re-evaluate the entire document from scratch.

Slack/Teams Follow-up Ping

I have submitted a(n) {{document type}} for approval. Please write a short internal messenger ping (Slack/Teams) to my manager. Maximum two sentences, polite yet direct. The first sentence must state the core request and {{due date}}, and the second sentence should highlight the single key detail the manager needs to check.

""" {{request content}} """

Managers often ignore notification inboxes but respond to direct chat pings. A two-sentence summary provides quick context for immediate action.

Model notes

LLMs often generate longer responses even when character limits are specified. If the first draft exceeds the desired length, simply follow up with: "Remove greetings and redundancies, and shorten this into a single paragraph under 50 words."

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Last updated 2026-09-02 · Found a mistake? Let us know