Publisher approvals can be setup to create steps which require approval before files can be taken to completion. There are 2 area in which approvals can be managed. The global level approval manager can be found under you company profile on the right. This area is useful if you only have one approval cycle structure for your whole company. The 2nd area in which approvals can be managed is in your individual publication details. These can be seen by click you publication details, the selecting "Manage Approval Cycles" from the top "Publication actions" menu.