Browse Definitions :
Definition

four eyes principle

The four eyes principle is a requirement that two individuals approve some action before it can be taken. The four eyes principle is sometimes called the two-man rule or the two-person rule.

In a business context, the four eyes required for approval are often those of the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and the CFO (Chief Financial Officer), who must both sign off on any significant business decision. In editing, proofreading and translation,  documents typically have a second reader to detect errors and typos that a single pair of eyes might miss. Although neither individual might detect all errors, two readers are likely to miss different things so that, collaboratively, they will catch more mistakes.

Here are a few other examples of the four eyes principle at work:

  • Many legal and financial documents require the signatures of two individuals.
  • Banks, casinos and sensitive military areas often include no-lone zones: areas in which two people must be present and within each other's line of vision at all times.
  • The Emergency War Orders (EWO) safe, which contains missile launch keys and codes, is locked by two padlocks with keys held by different launch officers.
  • Some data management systems require that important record updates be approved by two separate people before the data is committed.

Although the four eyes principle adds an element of security to any decision-making process, its effectiveness relies upon the ability, integrity and diligence of the individuals involved. In a refinement of the basic principle, a random rotation of authorized individuals serves as the second pair of eyes, so that it cannot be known with any certainty which two individuals will be dealing with a given decision.

 

This was last updated in May 2013

Continue Reading About four eyes principle

Networking
  • voice over LTE (VoLTE)

    Voice over LTE (VoLTE) is a digital packet technology that uses 4G LTE networks to route voice traffic and transmit data.

  • ONOS (Open Network Operating System)

    Open Network Operating System (ONOS) is an OS designed to help network service providers build carrier-grade software-defined ...

  • telematics

    Telematics is a term that combines the words telecommunications and informatics to describe the use of communications and IT to ...

Security
  • three-factor authentication (3FA)

    Three-factor authentication (3FA) is the use of identity-confirming credentials from three separate categories of authentication ...

  • cyber espionage

    Cyber espionage (cyberespionage) is a type of cyber attack that malicious hackers carry out against a business or government ...

  • role-based access control (RBAC)

    Role-based access control (RBAC) is a method of restricting network access based on the roles of individual users within an ...

CIO
  • project charter

    A project charter is a formal short document that states a project exists and provides project managers with written authority to...

  • leadership

    Leadership is the ability of an individual or a group of people to influence and guide followers or members of an organization, ...

  • transaction

    In computing, a transaction is a set of related tasks treated as a single action.

HRSoftware
  • employee engagement

    Employee engagement is the emotional and professional connection an employee feels toward their organization, colleagues and work.

  • talent pool

    A talent pool is a database of job candidates who have the potential to meet an organization's immediate and long-term needs.

  • diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)

    Diversity, equity and inclusion is a term used to describe policies and programs that promote the representation and ...

Customer Experience
  • sales development representative (SDR)

    A sales development representative (SDR) is an individual who focuses on prospecting, moving and qualifying leads through the ...

  • service level indicator

    A service level indicator (SLI) is a metric that indicates what measure of performance a customer is receiving at a given time.

  • customer data platform (CDP)

    A customer data platform (CDP) is a type of software application that provides a unified platform of customer information that ...

Close