Workflow Approval

k.mcnamara23941

Being new to smartsheet but an experienced systems developer I had set up a multi person approval for capital requests in smart sheet. It was quite ugly and ungainly and smartsheet was lacking features I have used in other systems. So I was very please to see the workflow approval functionality released which goes someway to doing this. Whats lacking is the ability to build a rule which has multiple approval levels, ie when X approves then send another approval request to Y and when Y approves then ..... At the moment the only way I can see to do this is to have the approval rule set a field in the spreadsheet, then this triggers the next approval rule.

 

Does anybody see a better way of doing this ?

 

Ken

Shaine Greenwood

Hi Ken,

I know our Product team is interested in adding multi-step approvals functionality, but I don't have an ETA for when we'd see this in the application.

Currently, having one approval trigger another approval is the best method.

When you have a moment, please submit a product enhancement request using the form under Quick links on the right to let our Product team know how you'd like to see multi-step approvals work in Smartsheet.

Brian Veasman

I just worked on this through the weekend.  I setup different columns to trigger different approvals.  For example, 3 levels of approval, Manger, Director, then VP.  The form/request is submitted, which triggers the first level of approval at the manager level.  Then the trigger columns for Director and VP are blank (via a formula).  When the request is approved by the Manager and the "Approved" shows in the Manager's column, then the director formula triggers a request for approval.   When the Director response with an approval and the "Approved" shows in the Director's column, then the VP approval is triggered.

So it take 3 columns with formulas to look at the 3 columns of approvals.  The formula columns in VP and Director remain blank until the level below them have approved the request.

It also takes 3 approval notifications setups, one looking at the data in each of the three columns.

Hope this helps

Brian Veasman

I just worked on this through the weekend.  I setup different columns to trigger different approvals.  For example, 3 levels of approval, Manger, Director, then VP.  The form/request is submitted, which triggers the first level of approval at the manager level.  Then the trigger columns for Director and VP are blank (via a formula).  When the request is approved by the Manager and the "Approved" shows in the Manager's column, then the director formula triggers a request for approval.   When the Director response with an approval and the "Approved" shows in the Director's column, then the VP approval is triggered.

So it take 3 columns with formulas to look at the 3 columns of approvals.  The formula columns in VP and Director remain blank until the level below them have approved the request.

It also takes 3 approval notifications setups, one looking at the data in each of the three columns.

Hope this helps

Brian Veasman

I just worked on this through the weekend.  I setup different columns to trigger different approvals.  For example, 3 levels of approval, Manger, Director, then VP.  The form/request is submitted, which triggers the first level of approval at the manager level.  Then the trigger columns for Director and VP are blank (via a formula).  When the request is approved by the Manager and the "Approved" shows in the Manager's column, then the director formula triggers a request for approval.   When the Director response with an approval and the "Approved" shows in the Director's column, then the VP approval is triggered.

So it take 3 columns with formulas to look at the 3 columns of approvals.  The formula columns in VP and Director remain blank until the level below them have approved the request.

It also takes 3 approval notifications setups, one looking at the data in each of the three columns.

Hope this helps

mrendon

Hi Shaine, is there a status update on the multiple approver feature?