From a feature request to a maintainable ERP workflow

A workflow is a product decision

When a request says 'add approval', the first question is who can move the record, what evidence must remain, and what happens after rejection. The endpoint comes later.

Name the states

A workflow becomes manageable when its states are explicit. Draft, submitted, approved, rejected, and cancelled are more useful than a growing collection of booleans.

Keep the audit close

Audit history should answer what changed, who changed it, and why. It is not a logging afterthought; it is part of the workflow's contract.

Design for the next exception

The first exception is never the last. A clear command boundary and a small policy layer leave room for the next rule without turning the application service into a paragraph.