Rule 1. Transaction authorization should be separate from transaction processing. For example, within the revenue cycle, the credit department is segregated from the rest of the process, so that the formal authorization of material transactions is an independent event. The importance of this separation is clear when one considers the potential conflict in objectives between the individual salesperson and the organization. Often, sales staff compensation is based on their sales levels. To achieve their personal objective of maximizing sales volume, sales personnel may not always consider the creditworthiness of the prospective customer. The credit department, acting as an independent authorization group, detects risky customers and discourages poor and irresponsible sales decisions.