Four-eyes principle

Nobody approves their own knowledge entry, unless they are the only member of the organization.

Executive managementEmployeeHead of departmentIT & data protection

Purpose

Knowledge only becomes company knowledge once a second person has confirmed it. The four-eyes principle is built firmly into Universe Memory and also applies to the owner and executive management.

How it works

A member submits an entry with “Submit for review right away” or “Submit for review”.
The entry appears for the reviewing persons under “For review”, but not for the author.
Another authorized person chooses “Approve” or “Return”.
If someone tries to approve their own entry, Universe Memory refuses with “You do not have permission to do this.”

KnowledgeIllustration

Recording

“For rush orders I first ask production, then the approval office.”

New entry

Approving rush orders

Source: Conversation with purchasing
Who may see it?: Department

DraftIn reviewApproved

Reviewed by a second person

Reviewed knowledge

Fig. 1 A spoken sentence becomes a knowledge entry with source and visibility scope. After review by a second person it is approved and appears in reviewed knowledge.

The only exception

If the organization has exactly one member, there is nobody who could review. Only then may this person approve their own entries. As soon as a second member joins, the four-eyes principle applies to all entries reviewed after that.

Secured twice

The interface hides your own entries from the review list, and the approval itself checks once more whether author and reviewer are different. In addition, an entry can only be approved while it has the status “In review”.

Tips

Invite a second reviewer early, for example from executive management, so that entries are not left waiting.

Frequently asked questions

Does the four-eyes principle also apply to the owner?

Yes. The owner, too, only approves their own entries if they are the only member.

Does it also apply to processes and situation reports?

No. A process is approved by the person responsible or by management, a situation report by management. The four-eyes principle concerns knowledge entries.

Related features

Review and approveRead submitted entries under “For review” and publish them with “Approve” or send them back to the author with “Return”.Roles and rightsFive roles: owner, administration, executive management, head of department and employee, each with clearly defined rights.Approve a processThe responsible person or management confirms a process draft with “Approve”.

As of: 23/10/2026 · Concept & lead: Alexander Holtermann