Decision Rules
Automate idea triage with configurable rules
Scale Plan Feature
Decision Rules are available on the Scale plan and above. Automate your triage process and let rules handle routine decisions so your team can focus on high-impact calls.
View PricingOverview
Decision Rules let you define "if this, then that" logic for your idea backlog. When an idea matches a rule's conditions, IdeaLift automatically applies the configured action — approve it, reject it, defer it, tag it, or route it to a specific team member.
Rules run automatically on every new idea and can also be applied retroactively to your existing backlog. They reduce decision fatigue by handling the clear-cut cases, leaving your team to focus on the nuanced ones.
How Rules Work
Each rule consists of three parts:
Conditions
One or more conditions that an idea must match. Conditions can be combined with AND (all must match) or OR (any must match) logic.
Actions
What happens when conditions are met. Apply a decision, add tags, assign to a team member, move to a product, or send a notification.
Stop Processing
Optionally stop evaluating further rules after this one matches. This gives you precise control over rule interactions.
Creating Rules
1Define Conditions
Choose from these condition types:
2Choose Actions
Select one or more actions to execute when conditions match:
- •Set decision — Approve, reject (with reason), or defer the idea
- •Add tags — Apply one or more tags to the idea
- •Assign to team member — Route the idea to a specific person for review
- •Move to product — Assign the idea to a specific product area
- •Send notification — Alert a Slack channel, email address, or webhook
3Test and Activate
Before activating a rule, use the "Test Rule" button to see which existing ideas would match. Review the results, adjust conditions if needed, then toggle the rule on.
Rule Examples
Auto-Approve High-Signal Ideas
Ideas with strong customer signals from trusted channels skip the queue and go straight to your approved backlog.
Auto-Reject Spam
Low-quality submissions from public sources are automatically filtered out so they never clutter your backlog.
Route Enterprise Requests
Security-related requests from enterprise customers are immediately escalated to the right person with full visibility.
Defer Low-Activity Ideas
Old ideas that never gained traction are automatically deferred, keeping your active backlog focused on what matters.
Rule Priority and Ordering
Rules are evaluated in the order you define them. This matters when multiple rules could match the same idea.
Evaluation order
Rules are evaluated from top to bottom. Drag rules in the rule manager to reorder them. Place your most important rules (like spam rejection) at the top.
Stop processing
When a rule has "Stop processing" enabled and it matches, no further rules are evaluated for that idea. Use this for definitive decisions like rejection or approval.
Stacking actions
When "Stop processing" is not enabled, multiple rules can fire for the same idea. This lets you build layered automations — one rule adds a tag, another assigns the owner, a third sends a notification.
Tip: Start with 2-3 simple rules and expand over time. Review the rule audit log weekly to confirm rules are firing as expected and not creating false positives.
Best Practices
- 💡Always test rules against your existing backlog before activating them
- 💡Put rejection rules first (highest priority) to catch spam before other rules apply tags or assignments
- 💡Use the rule audit log to monitor what rules are doing — adjust thresholds if you see false positives
- 💡Start conservative (higher thresholds) and loosen over time as you gain confidence in the automation
- 💡Name rules descriptively (e.g., "Reject spam from public portal") so your team understands what each one does