Approval

Documents are approved all the time, almost every day, in the offices of almost every professional services provider.  That approval implies that the approver is aware of (and preferably has read) the content, and, if there are obligations included in the document, it is expected that the approver can meet those obligations.

In the risk, quality, and competencies arena, approval of documents means more than just being able to get to the next stage in a project. 

Approval for activities related to management of risk, quality, or competencies includes managing obligations towards the resources (people) needed to meet those requirements.