Approval Workflow Automation
Approval workflow automation replaces approvals by email with one tracked process. A request comes in through a form, Power Automate sends it to each approver in turn, reminds or escalates when it sits too long, and records every decision. The requester can check where it is at any point without asking anyone.
Who this is for
- Finance and operations teams approving purchases by forwarding emails and chasing replies.
- HR teams running leave, overtime or onboarding sign-off through a shared inbox.
- IT teams handling access requests that need both a manager and a system owner to agree.
- Anyone who has spent an afternoon working out who approved something, and when.
What this looks like in practice
Purchase requests
The amount decides the route. A small purchase goes to the line manager, a large one adds finance and a director. The thresholds sit in a list your team can edit, so a policy change doesn't need a developer.
Leave and overtime
Managers approve from Teams or Outlook in one click. The decision is written back to the request, and the employee hears about it straight away instead of a week later.
Access and onboarding
Several people have to agree, sometimes at the same time: the manager signs off, then the system owner grants access. Every step is logged with a name and a timestamp, which is the first thing an auditor asks for.
Document sign-off
A document goes out for review, the comments come back, and the approved version is marked as approved. Nobody ends up working from a draft they thought was final.
What I build it with
The specific components involved, so you can judge the fit rather than take my word for it.
- Power Automate approvals
- Teams Approvals app
- Outlook actionable messages
- Power Apps request forms
- SharePoint lists
- Dataverse
- Scheduled reminder flows
- Office 365 connectors
How we’d work together
01
A call, at no cost
30 minutes on the process that is causing the problem. You get a straight answer on whether this is the right tool, including when it is not.
02
A scoped proposal
What gets built, in what order, and what it depends on from your side. Written down before anything starts, so there is no argument later about what was included.
03
Delivery in stages
You see working software early and often rather than at the end. I can take a project end to end or work inside your existing team, whichever fits how you are set up.
Work involving this
Common questions
Do approval workflows need extra licences?
Often not. The Approvals connector is a standard connector, so a flow built on SharePoint lists runs on most Microsoft 365 business plans. Premium licensing comes in with Dataverse records, premium connectors or a custom connector. I settle which applies before the build, because it changes the design.
Can people approve from Teams or Outlook?
Yes. Power Automate approvals show up in the Approvals app in Teams and as an actionable email in Outlook, so approvers decide where they already work. Nobody has to open a separate app to say yes or no.
What happens when an approver is away?
The flow waits for a set time, sends a reminder, then escalates to a delegate or to the approver's manager. That timeout is the part most approval flows leave out, and it's the usual reason requests stall.
How long does it take to build?
A single approval step on an existing list takes a few days. A multi-stage process with amount thresholds, escalation and a request form usually takes two to three weeks. You get a fixed scope and price once I've seen how the process runs today.
Last updated
Tell me what you’re trying to fix
30 minutes, no cost, no pitch. If Approval Workflows is the wrong answer for your problem, I’ll say so on the call.
Or reach me directly at asem@asemalabtah.com