---
key: require-a-reason-for-sensitive-actions
title: Require a reason for sensitive actions
audience: staff
section: settings
routes: ["/settings/org/lifecycle"]
permissions: ["governance.reason_policy.manage"]
features: ["settings.org.lifecycle"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Choose how much explanation team members must give before cancelling, refunding, deleting or other sensitive actions, either with a preset or action by action.
keywords: [reason, justification, audit trail, cancel reason, refund reason, explanation, governance, accountability]
related: [add-a-lifecycle-status, refund-a-payment, archive-or-restore-an-account]
---

In the sidebar, open **Settings**, then choose **Lifecycles** under **Accounts**. The page address is `/settings/org/lifecycle`. The **Reason requirements** section is at the top of the page.

Some actions in Nova are sensitive: cancelling a work order, refunding a payment, deleting a record. This section decides whether the person doing them has to pick a reason category, write an explanation, both, or neither.

## Before you start

- Your role needs permission to manage the reason policy. With permission only to view it, the section is read-only and shows **You have read-only access.** at the bottom; with neither, it does not appear. Reason customization also has to be included in your plan; otherwise the section does not appear at all.
- Nova enforces a minimum for financial, privacy and security actions. You can make a rule stricter than the minimum, never looser.

## Steps

1. Pick a preset: **Standard**, **Enhanced** or **Strict**. Each card describes how much it asks for. **Standard** asks for structured reasons only on cancellations and permanent financial corrections; **Strict** asks for a category and a written explanation on every governed action. Picking a preset clears any per-action choices.
2. To fine-tune a single action instead, press **Customize by action**. A list of actions appears, grouped by area.
3. Type in **Find an action** to narrow the list, for example "invoice" or "work order".
4. For each action, choose a level in its list: **No reason**, **Optional context**, **Reason category** or **Category and explanation**. Levels below Nova's minimum for that action are greyed out.
5. Press **Save policy**.

## What you see

- Under each action, a line names the lowest level Nova allows for it, and says whether eligible roles may bypass the extra strictness your organization added.
- A safeguard that cannot be bypassed says so on the same line.
- When someone whose role may bypass does one of these actions, the reason prompt shows a blue note saying their role skips the reason your organization added. Nova's own minimum still applies to them.
- Who may bypass comes from roles. By default Owner and Admin may bypass in every area. Dispatcher may bypass for work orders, projects, tasks, time, assets, customers, notes and message templates. Bookkeeper may bypass for billing and bookkeeping. You can change this per role in your roles settings; each area has its own bypass permission.
- The footer shows the policy version, which goes up each time you save, and the registry version.

## If something looks different

- The cards are greyed out and **You have read-only access.** appears where **Save policy** would be: your role cannot manage the policy. Ask your admin.
- The section says the reason policy could not be loaded: refresh the page. If it keeps happening, contact support.
- Everything below this section is about lifecycle statuses. See [[add-a-lifecycle-status]].

[[route:/settings/org/lifecycle|Open Lifecycles]]