Approval Flow
Approval Flow is a request submission and approval workflow for purchase orders, access requests, and similar sign-offs. It gives approvers a queue, request history, email alerts, and daily reminders for items left pending.
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Overview
Approval Flow is a simple request-and-decision template for teams that need to route items for sign-off without building a full workflow system. It is designed around a single record type: a request with a status, requester details, approver assignment, decision history, and timestamps for submission and resolution. The dashboard surfaces pending approvals and request history so managers can see what needs action and what has already been decided.
Use this template when a request must be reviewed by one approver, when the team needs email notification on submission, and when overdue items should trigger a daily reminder after 24 hours. It works well for purchase orders, access requests, equipment approvals, policy exceptions, and other small-scale approvals that are often tracked in spreadsheets or inbox threads. The template is especially useful when you need a clear audit trail of who submitted what, who approved or rejected it, and when that decision happened.
Do not use it for complex procurement, case management, or multi-step routing with parallel approvals, delegation chains, or legal review stages. It is also not the right fit if the process needs document redlining, line-item budgeting, or deep integrations with enterprise systems from day one. The value here is a clean, reusable approval record with notifications and reminders that replaces ad hoc email chasing.
Standards & compliance context
- If the workflow is used for regulated approvals, keep the request history and decision timestamps intact so the record supports audit review.
- For access-related requests, align approver permissions and retention practices with your organization’s security and access-control policies.
- If requests involve procurement or financial authorization, preserve the approval trail so it can support internal controls and review requirements.
General regulatory context for orientation only — verify current requirements with counsel or the relevant agency before relying on this template for compliance.
How to use this template
- 1. Define the request fields you need, such as requester name, request type, amount or item details, approver, status, submitted date, and decision notes, with each field assigned a clear data type.
- 2. Set the status lifecycle to match your process, such as Draft, Pending, Approved, and Rejected, and decide which role can move a request between each status.
- 3. Configure the request form so submitters can enter complete information and approvers can add a decision comment before saving the record.
- 4. Assign dashboard views that separate pending approvals from request history so approvers can act quickly and requesters can review past decisions.
- 5. Turn on email notifications for new submissions and daily reminders for requests that remain pending longer than 24 hours.
- 6. Test the workflow with sample requests before rollout, then adjust required fields, reminder timing, and approver assignment rules based on what users miss or delay.
Best practices
- Keep the request form short enough that submitters can complete it in one pass, and move optional context into notes instead of required fields.
- Use a small, fixed status set so approvers always know whether a request is draft, pending, approved, or rejected.
- Require a decision comment on reject actions so the requester understands what needs to change before resubmitting.
- Send the new-request email to the actual approver, not a shared inbox, so ownership stays clear.
- Photograph or attach supporting evidence when the request depends on a physical item, document, or exception that may need later review.
- Review the pending queue daily at first rollout to catch missing approver assignments, unclear request types, or requests that sit idle too long.
- Keep reminder timing aligned to the business SLA; if 24 hours is too slow or too fast, adjust it before users build habits around the default.
What this template typically catches
Issues teams running this template most often surface in practice:
Common use cases
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of requests does this template fit best?
It fits lightweight approval processes such as purchase requests, access requests, budget sign-offs, equipment exceptions, and policy exceptions. Use it when the main need is to capture a request, route it to one approver, and track the decision. It is not meant for full procurement, HR case management, or multi-stage enterprise workflows.
How often do reminders go out for pending approvals?
The template includes a daily scheduled job that checks for requests pending longer than 24 hours and sends reminder emails. That makes it useful when approvals tend to stall in inboxes and need a predictable follow-up cadence. If your process needs shorter SLAs, you can adjust the reminder rule during customization.
Who should run the approval process?
Requesters submit items, and managers or designated approvers review them in the dashboard. In smaller teams, one approver role may be enough; in more controlled processes, you can separate submitter and approver permissions more strictly. The template is designed to keep those roles clear without adding unnecessary workflow complexity.
Can this handle more than approve or reject?
The base template is focused on a simple approve/reject decision, which keeps the workflow easy to understand and maintain. If you need escalations, multi-step routing, or conditional approvals, those can be added as custom logic. Start simple unless your process already depends on multiple decision layers.
What should I watch out for when rolling this out?
The most common issue is unclear ownership, where requests sit pending because nobody knows who the approver is. Another pitfall is missing request details, which forces approvers to chase the requester before deciding. Define required fields, approver assignment rules, and reminder timing before launch.
How does this compare with using spreadsheets and email?
Spreadsheets and email can work for a very small process, but they usually break down once approvals need a shared queue, history, and reminders. This template gives you a single request record, visible status, and automated notifications instead of scattered threads. That makes it easier to see what is pending and what was decided.
Can I customize the request fields and approval rules?
Yes. You can tailor the request form to the specific record type you need, such as purchase order, access request, or equipment approval, and add fields with clear data types. You can also customize who gets notified, what counts as pending, and how long before a reminder is sent.
Does this integrate with email-based workflows?
Yes, email is part of the template’s core behavior, so approvers are notified when a new request is submitted and reminded when it stays pending. That makes it a good fit for teams that still work primarily from inboxes. If needed, you can extend it later to connect with other systems that create or consume requests.
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