You know the moment. A purchase order needs a manager's sign-off, so someone emails the spreadsheet around, waits, chases, and hopes nobody edits the wrong row in the meantime. Or a discount request sits in an inbox for three days because the person who approves it was on holiday and nobody knew who the backup was. Spreadsheets are brilliant for many things, but the moment your process depends on who approved what, and when, they start to creak.
This post walks through what an approval workflow actually is, why spreadsheets struggle with them, and what it takes to move that process into a web app that does the chasing for you.
What is an approval workflow, in plain terms?
An approval workflow is any process where a request has to be reviewed and signed off before it can move forward. Someone raises something, someone else checks it, and the request either gets approved, rejected, or sent back for changes.
Common examples in a small business include:
- Purchase orders or expense claims over a certain amount
- Time-off and holiday requests
- Customer discounts or quotes above a set threshold
- New supplier or contract sign-offs
- Content or design going out to a client
The common thread is a clear sequence: request, review, decision, record.
Why can't my spreadsheet handle approvals?
It can, up to a point — and then it can't. A spreadsheet has no idea whose turn it is, can't stop two people editing the same cell, and won't send a reminder when a request has been sitting for a week. It also has no reliable memory of who approved something, because anyone with access can change any cell after the fact.
Spreadsheets tend to break down when you hit these limits:
- No routing: nothing decides who reviews a request or what happens next.
- No record of the decision: a "Yes" in a cell doesn't prove who typed it or when.
- No reminders: requests stall silently and nobody notices until it's a problem.
- No permissions: everyone can see and change everything, including approval status.
- Version chaos: emailing copies around means you're never sure which one is current.
None of that means you did anything wrong. It means your process outgrew the tool. If any of these sound familiar, it may be time to move that spreadsheet into a proper web app.
What does a good approval workflow in a web app look like?
A good one is boring in the best way — it just works and everyone knows where things stand. When someone submits a request, the app automatically sends it to the right person, records the decision with a name and timestamp, and moves the request to the next step. Nobody has to remember the rules because the app enforces them.
The core pieces usually include:
- A submission form that captures the request cleanly, with required fields so nothing important is missing.
- Routing rules that decide who approves based on things like amount, department, or type of request.
- A clear status so anyone can see whether something is pending, approved, rejected, or waiting on more information.
- An audit trail that permanently records who did what and when.
- Notifications and reminders so approvers know it's their turn and nothing goes stale.
How do I decide the rules before building anything?
Start by writing your process down in plain language, exactly as it happens today. You'll usually learn a lot just by doing this — including the parts where nobody actually agrees on how it works.
Answer these questions for each type of request:
- Who is allowed to submit it?
- What triggers an approval — every time, or only above a certain value?
- Who approves, and is there more than one step?
- Who's the backup when the usual approver is away?
- What happens on a rejection — does it go back to the submitter, or stop entirely?
Getting these rules straight on paper first makes the build faster, cheaper, and far less likely to need rework later.
Do I need to replace my whole system to get this?
No. Plenty of businesses start by moving one painful process — say, expense approvals — into a small, focused web app, and leave everything else where it is for now. That gives you a real win without a huge project, and you can add more later once you see how it helps.
The right approach depends on how tangled your current setup is, and honest advice on that costs you nothing. You can get a plain-English estimate based on your actual process, not a generic package.
How much does an approval workflow cost to build?
It depends on how many request types you have, how complex the routing is, and whether it needs to connect to other systems you already use. A single, well-defined workflow is usually a small, contained project. Several interconnected ones with multi-step sign-offs take more.
Rather than guess, we'd rather look at what you actually do day to day and give you a straight answer.
Where should I start?
Start with the process that causes the most chasing, arguments, or delay right now — that's where a workflow pays off fastest. Write down how it works today, note where it breaks, and get a second opinion before committing to anything.
If you'd like that second opinion, we offer a free, no-pressure review of your situation. No pushy sales calls — just a clear look at whether a simple web app could take the chasing off your plate. When you're ready, tell us about your process and we'll take it from there.
Comments
Be the first to comment on this post.
