Approval workflow automation
Most approval flows in mid-size companies still run on email: 'forwarding for your sign-off, please revert.' That works until the email is missed, until the approver is on leave, until finance asks why an invoice took 14 days to clear and nobody can reconstruct the chain.
What's included in Approval workflows.
We start by mapping the chain as it really runs today, exceptions included, and agree it in writing. Then we replace it with a structured approval workflow: every step captured, every comment in one place, every SLA timer ticking visibly. Built on Power Automate when stakeholders live in Outlook and Teams, or as custom Node services when the routing logic is too branchy for a canvas.
Finance teams running invoice and payment approvals, HR running leave and exit, procurement running PO and vendor onboarding, legal running contract sign-off, anywhere the approval chain has three or more stages and currently lives in email.
- 01
Conditional routing
Routes vary by amount, vendor, department, region, or any field on the request. Easy to reconfigure when policy changes, without redeploying the flow.
- 02
Escalation paths
Auto-escalate after a configured SLA window. Reminder before, escalation after, with the original approver still notified.
- 03
Delegation
Out-of-office approvers automatically delegate to a configured backup. Nothing sits waiting on Anita while she's in Goa.
- 04
Comments at every step
Each approver can attach a comment, an annotated document, or a query back to the requester. Captured in the audit log.
- 05
Auditor-readable dashboard
Pending vs. resolved, average time per step, bottleneck approver, viewable by finance, by auditor, by ops, without anybody opening Power Automate.
- 06
Multi-channel notifications
Approval requests in Outlook, Teams, WhatsApp, or in-app, wherever the approver actually checks. The system tracks delivery and whether the approver acknowledged it.
From forwarded emails to tracked approvals.
Map the approval chain
We talk to the people who raise, approve and audit requests, and trace each chain through its amount thresholds, department rules and stand-ins for absent approvers. The routing rules, reminder windows and escalation points go into a written scope before anything is built.
Build routing and timers
We build the routes, delegation and SLA timers on Power Automate or a Node service, whichever suits the logic, and deliver requests to Outlook, Teams or the app. Every rule in the map is tested with sample requests, including the awkward exceptions.
Go live with visibility
We switch the workflow on with a dashboard showing pending requests, time per step and the approver holding things up. Approvers get a short walkthrough, and we adjust routes and thresholds whenever your approval policy changes.
What it looks like in Power Platform.
Canvas and model-driven apps on Dataverse, with the logic written in Power Fx.
Questions about Approval workflows.
- Can approvals that happen on WhatsApp and email move into one system?
- Yes, and that is usually where we start. Requests that arrive today as forwarded emails, WhatsApp messages or signed printouts are raised through one structured form instead. Each approver receives the request where they already look, whether Outlook, Teams, WhatsApp or the app itself, and the system tracks both delivery and acknowledgment. Every decision, comment and attachment is stored against the request, so the full chain can be read back later without searching anyone’s inbox.
- Does an approval workflow work inside Microsoft Teams and Outlook?
- Yes. When your approvers already live in Microsoft 365, we usually build on Power Automate, so requests arrive as actionable approvals in Outlook and Teams and the records sit in Dataverse. The King Stubb & Kasiva ERP, whose four-step invoice approval runs this way, cut invoice turnaround to two days, down from twelve. When the routing logic is too branchy for a Power Automate canvas, we build it as custom Node.js services instead.
- How do you map our approval rules before building anything?
- We sit with the people who raise, approve and audit requests, and map the chain as it really runs today, exceptions included: amount thresholds, vendor and department rules, regional variations and who stands in when someone is away. That map becomes a written scope we agree with you before the build starts, along with the timeline. Routes are configurable, so when policy changes later, most rule changes do not need the flow redeployed.
- What happens when an approver is on leave or sits on a request?
- Approvers who are out of office are delegated automatically to a configured backup, so nothing waits on one person. Every step also runs on an SLA timer: a reminder goes out before the window closes and the request escalates after it, with the original approver still notified. After go-live, finance, auditors and operations see pending requests, average time per step and the bottleneck approver on one dashboard, and we stay on for support.
Power Automate vs Custom Code (Node.js): A Decision Framework for SMBs
Low-code and code-first aren't rivals. They're tools for different problems. Here's how we decide, four real workflows split step by step, and the hybrid that tends to outperform either alone.
AutomationPower Automate Approval Workflows: Purchase Order, Leave, Expense and Invoice Examples
Four worked examples, from the trigger to where the decision is stored, then parallel approvals and timeout escalation step by step, plus the edge cases that break a simple flow: approvers on leave, edits after sign-off and the 30-day run limit.
Tell us what's slowing you down.
A 30-minute discovery call. We map the process, point out the easy wins, and outline a clear plan (no obligation).