1. Overview

Note: Approval workflows are not applicable to records submitted through published forms.

Approval workflows in Zoho Creator are designed to automate the end-to-end approval process, eliminating the need for repetitive manual follow-ups. It is essentially a predefined set of rules and actions that routes form entries to the appropriate decision-makers for approval or rejection. Records move through the workflow in a sequential order, ensuring that each approver reviews them in the order configured by the application admin. In many organizations, business processes require multiple levels of verification and authorization before a request can be completed. This is where approval workflows become invaluable.

For instance, expense reimbursements may need a manager's confirmation, purchase requests may require approval from the procurement team, and leave applications may pass through both HR and reporting managers. Manually managing such approvals, circulating records, chasing updates, and tracking statuses, can be time-consuming, inconsistent, and prone to delays. Approval workflows streamline this by offering a structured, automated mechanism that ensures accuracy, accountability, and efficiency across all approval-related processes.

The approval workflow can be configured by defining,

1. The criteria that trigger the approval process
2. Multiple levels of approvals, each with an assigned approver
3. The actions to perform on approval or rejection (e.g., updating a field, notifying stakeholders)

2. Approvers in approval workflow

An approver is the authority responsible for approving or denying a record upon form submission. Depending on the process requirements, a form can have one or multiple levels of approvals, and each level can include one or more approvers.

Approvers can be defined in three ways:

1. Users: Refers to the application users with whom the app has been shared. From this group, you can designate one or more users as approvers. For example, if the application is shared with ten users, you can assign any of them to approve or deny records.
2. Role: Approvers can be assigned based on user roles. The Select Approver field lists both default roles and any custom roles you've created. When a role is selected, all users associated with that role gain the ability to approve or deny records.
3. Field: Approvers can also be linked to a Users field within the form. All Users fields present in the form will be available for selection, and the users specified in that field will be able to approve or deny the record.

At each approval stage, approvers can either approve or deny a record, and the corresponding configured actions will be executed automatically.

3. Approvals in live mode

Approval workflows in Zoho Creator enable structured review and decision-making for submitted records directly from the live mode of an application. When a submitter submits a record, it enters the approval process based on defined criteria and moves through one or more approval levels until completion. Approvers can review, approve, reject, or recall records from the live interface, while requesters can track their submissions and view the approval history.

The records for approval can be tracked from the dedicated Approvals section in the app menu of the live application provides a centralized view of all approval activities. It includes Pending Tasks, where users can manage ongoing approvals, and Completed Tasks, which display records that have finished the approval process. Approvers are also notified of pending requests through the Notifications pane and push notifications to ensure timely actions.

Click here to learn more about approvals in live mode.

4. Approval workflow dashboard

The approval workflow dashboard offers a comprehensive view of all approval workflows configured within an application. It presents workflows in a structured and organized manner, making it easy to identify their associated forms, actions, status, and other key details. Each workflow is listed under the form it belongs to, and the workflows appear in the sequence in which they were created.

4.1. Components of the approval workflow dashboard

1. New Workflow: Click New Workflow to create a new approval workflow. You will be taken to the workflow creation screen. Click here to learn how to create a approval workflow.
2. Search: Use the search bar to find specific approval workflows by entering keywords related to the workflow name or form name.
3. Form name: Approval workflow will be classified and listed under its respective form name.
4. Edit workflow: Click on the workflow name to navigate to the workflow builder. You can view, add, and edit the associated actions. Click here to learn more about managing approval workflows.
5. Delete: Hover over the workflow and click on the delete icon ()that appears to delete the workflow permanently.
6. Actions: The number of actions associated within a workflow is shown here. Hover over the text to see the information related to actions.
   
7. When: Displays when the workflow will be executed.
8. Enabled/Disabled: Use the toggle to enable or disable a workflow. This lets you temporarily suspend its execution without deleting it.
9. Created on: Displays the date on which the workflow was created.

5. Approval workflow builder

When an approval workflow is created, you'll be directed to the workflow builder. Before accessing it, you'll be prompted to add approvers for the workflow. Once the approvers are added, you can access the approval workflow builder.

In the approval workflow builder, you can configure and manage actions that will be executed when a record is submitted for approval, and when it is approved or rejected by the approver. You can add multiple actions to a workflow and add criteria to ensure that specific actions are executed only for selected records, and they will be executed in the order in which they appear in the builder. This execution order can be modified at any time by dragging and dropping the actions. From the builder, you can also modify workflow properties and configure additional approval levels by adding multiple approvers and define actions for them. Learn how to configure actions for approval workflows.

5.1. Components of approval workflow builder

1. Action to execute on start:Displays the action blocks that will be executed at the start of the approval process, right when a record is submitted in the associated form.
2. Approver level: Indicates the approval level. Each level represents an approver, and the record moves sequentially based on whether it is approved or rejected by the previous approver. Hover over it to reveal edit and delete icons to modify or remove the approver.
   
3. Approve: Represents the action block executed when the approver approves a record.
4. Reject: Represents the action block executed when the approver rejects a record.
5. Criteria: Displays the condition criteria that must be met for the action block to execute. You can add multiple criteria to refine the logic further. Hover over it to reveal edit and delete icons to modify or remove the criteria.
   
6. Action: Displays the action configured within the action block. Click to edit it, or hover to reveal the edit and delete icons to modify or remove the action.
   
7. Add New Action: Creates a new action block in the workflow. To add a new action within an existing action block, hover over the action and click the + icon.
   
8. Add New Approver: Adds another approver level to the workflow, allowing multi-level approval processes.
9. Navigator: Displays a structured list of all approval events for easy navigation within the workflow builder.
10. Workflow Properties: Click the gear icon () to open the right pane with workflow properties. You can rename the workflow, define condition criteria for records to enter the approval process, enable or disable the option for submitters to recall the approval requests, and select, rearrange, or remove fields that will be visible to approvers during the approval process.
    

6. Approval workflow actions

After creating an approval workflow and selecting the approver, you can use the workflow builder to configure actions. Actions can be defined to execute at different stages, when a record is submitted for approval, and when it is approved or rejected by the approver. Multiple actions can be configured under each stage, and they are executed in the order in which they appear in the builder. By default, an action to send an email notification to the user who submitted the record is configured for both approval and rejection scenarios. You can edit this action or add additional actions as needed.

If multiple approvers are involved, the approval process progresses based on the approval or rejection by the previous approver level. You can also define custom criteria to ensure that specific actions are executed only for selected records that meet the defined conditions. By default, actions are executed in the order in which they are created; however, you can modify the execution order by rearranging them using drag-and-drop within the builder. This provides greater flexibility in controlling workflow logic and determining the sequence in which actions are performed.

The following actions can be configured in both the approval and rejection blocks of an approval workflow:

7. Business use cases

1. Purchase order approval based on order value – A procurement company uses an Order Request form to streamline purchase operations. When a department submits a new purchase request, an approval workflow is triggered. Requests below ₹50,000 are routed to the department head, while those above ₹50,000 move to the finance team for secondary approval. Once approved, the system automatically generates a purchase order. This process ensures financial accountability and prevents unauthorized purchases.
2. New vendor onboarding approval – A company managing multiple supplier partnerships uses a Vendor Registration form to onboard new vendors. Once a vendor submits their details, the record enters an approval workflow routed first to the procurement manager for review and then to the compliance team for validation. Only after both approvals is the vendor added to the active vendor list. This ensures that all vendors are verified and meet compliance standards before engagement.

8. Navigation guide

9. Related links

1. Creating and managing approval workflows
2. Configuring notification actions for approval workflows
3. Configuring data access actions for approval workflows
4. Configuring Deluge script for approval workflows
5. Configuring integration actions for approval workflows