While testing a Catalog Item for ordering an expensive computer, the mandatory approval is being skipped for requester Bob, Smith, but not for any of the other requesters. What could explain the…

Business rules execute server-side logic and can be specifically configured to alter default workflow behavior, including skipping approvals, based on conditions that evaluate the requesting user's attributes or identity. If Bob Smith is uniquely exempted, a custom business rule targeting his user record is the most direct technical explanation.

If Bob Smith had no delegate, his approval would still be required and would likely remain pending or escalate, not be skipped entirely.

If a user lacks a manager, a manager approval workflow would typically fail or follow an alternative path (e.g., escalate), rather than being automatically skipped without specific handling.

A delegate for a manager ensures approvals are processed when the manager is unavailable, it does not cause an approval to be skipped for the initial requester.

VIP status primarily influences priority or visibility and does not inherently skip mandatory approvals in standard ServiceNow configurations without an explicit customization.