What is an approval workflow?
An approval workflow is a logical set of activities to streamline tasks or data in an organization. Approval workflows are distinct in that they pause the process until a specified individual approves the data.
Depending on the process, approvals are frequently given by managers or quality assurance (QA) executives. An invoice approval workflow is an excellent example of an approval workflow. It may involve a direct manager and a finance team member to ensure that the invoice reimbursement process completes smoothly.
Based on the scope of the project and the organization, the approval workflow varies significantly. There can be as few or as many processes and approval checkpoints as necessary. But at least one approval is required before something goes live, goes into production, or is otherwise considered complete.
An approval workflow is a vital part of business operations. With the right workflow management tools, it helps businesses automate the most common tasks. An approval system allows approvers to review and give input on any particular task before an individual completes it.
Why is an approval workflow process important?
No matter how big or small an organization is, it likely uses a team to handle the slew of business processes necessary to keep the company running smoothly. One way to maximize efficiency, reduce errors, and increase productivity is by creating an approval workflow.
Approval workflows are the lifeblood of any process. Whether for processing expenses or approving vacation time, an approval workflow is always needed. It also helps team members communicate and collaborate, ensuring that no serious mistakes are made along the way.
An approval workflow process, when functioning correctly, keeps tasks flowing through a pipeline. This sort of system enables businesses to multitask and prevent bottlenecks. It also provides more transparency with audit trails to trace approval steps and allows individuals to follow up the approval requests with the concerned approver.
Businesses can design a manual approval process in which employees follow pre-defined procedures and keep a manual record of their progress. Manual approval methods are time-consuming and laborious, which can result in late deliveries and missing payments.
As a result, many businesses have switched to an automated approval process. Companies use workflow management software to design personalized workflow automation that guides users through verifying job completion and approval. Such approval software uses custom templates for different workflows such as purchase orders, reimbursement requests, and project proposals.
The major advantages of automated workflow include time savings, increased efficiency, and process standardization. Some of the popular workflow software include Microsoft Sharepoint, Kissflow, and Asana, among others.
Types of approval workflows
Approval workflows are one of the best practices followed by many organizations for greater efficiency. These activities keep the flow going and prevent delays in a project as they’re inevitable. Approvals ensure that all crucial details are discussed and signed off by the stakeholders before being implemented.
Businesses have several types of approval workflows to choose from.
1. Process workflow
The most frequent form of workflow is a process workflow. It's intended for tasks that are predictable and repeatable. Process workflows are ideal for projects where the team has identified the result they want to achieve and has a clear route to follow. A document management workflow is an excellent example of a process workflow. It is used mainly to enable organizations to process documents.
2. Project workflow
Project workflows are more flexible than process workflows since they follow a defined course. Project workflows are best suited for tasks with a defined goal but take an ambiguous path to accomplish it. This includes creative or semi-creative projects where the intended conclusion is known, but the methods to get there are up for discussion.
Marketing campaign workflow is an excellent example of a project workflow. Marketing campaigns follow a defined goal: to develop a successful marketing campaign that satisfies key performance indicators (KPIs). Specific steps in a marketing campaign may need to be followed multiple times before the project is completed.
3. Case workflow
A case workflow, also known as an investigative workflow, is best suited for instances where there is no obvious path. There may be a clear goal from the start, but individuals may not know how to achieve it until further information is obtained.
An insurance claim is an excellent example of a case workflow, wherein the outcome and the steps to achieve the result depend on the information revealed at each stage of the process.
Elements of an approval workflow process
An approval process is anything that a company uses to approve tasks for business processes such as travel requests and purchase orders. It may also refer to new methods or systems that a business wants to adopt. The better the approval workflow, the more likely it is that operations will continue to function smoothly.
While each approval process will be unique depending on its purpose or the needs of the business, certain elements are present in most approval workflows.
- Submission: Individuals initiate an approval workflow by submitting resources or materials (a document, invoice, or purchase order) required to fulfill the workflow's various steps. These could be unique to a stage or apply to the entire project. For example, a completed draft is the primary input in the submission phase in a content approval workflow.
- Task list: A task list breaks down the higher-level objective into granular steps so that each employee is aware of the roles and the team is informed about the resource allocation.
- Permission levels: Establish the level of authority that each individual in the workflow should have. Most workflow software allows individuals viewer, editor, or administrator rights. This helps the business manage who modifies, rejects, or approves inputs.
- Approvers: Since the approval process depends on another individual for approving the work, teams need to determine who will sign off each task. Additionally, they need to define who approves which elements of work at each level if the approval process has multiple approval levels.
- Approval conditions: These are the standards by which a submission is approved or rejected. The approval criteria depends on the type of task and the workflow set for the project. For example, in the content approval workflow, approval conditions can include a “minimum word count” or “no grammatical mistakes.”
- Alerts and notifications: Most workflow management software send out updates regarding a submission status to speed up the process. Approval or rejection comments, update requests or a simple status update notifying users that work is progressing to the next stage in the workflow are all examples of automatic alerts. Automatic alerts and email notifications guarantee that tasks are completed promptly and that everyone is informed of the current status.
Approval workflow best practices
Approval workflows are a great way to maximize your team’s efficiency and reduce unnecessary human mistakes. Agile teams can take advantage of workflow automation to approve changes as they are being created.
Here are some best practices to follow when implementing an approval workflow.
- Within each team or workspace, determine who the approvers are.
- Streamline multi-stage approvals with automated workflow templates.
- Identify redundancies in the workflows for an optimized approval process.
- Prepare for delays and bottlenecks while assigning tasks.
- Ascertain that every team member has the resources they require to complete tasks.
Keerthi Rangan
Keerthi Rangan is a Senior SEO Specialist with a sharp focus on the IT management software market. Formerly a Content Marketing Specialist at G2, Keerthi crafts content that not only simplifies complex IT concepts but also guides organizations toward transformative software solutions. With a background in Python development, she brings a unique blend of technical expertise and strategic insight to her work. Her interests span network automation, blockchain, infrastructure as code (IaC), SaaS, and beyond—always exploring how technology reshapes businesses and how people work. Keerthi’s approach is thoughtful and driven by a quiet curiosity, always seeking the deeper connections between technology, strategy, and growth.
