Filling out a FORM + requesting approval from a colleague

Brittany LK

Hi there!

Right now, we have a PDF application filled out and emailed to managers to sign/approve. I would like to transfer the PDF application to a form. done. I am struggling with the "managers approval" part.

I want applicants to type in their managers email, and somehow have that manager "approve" their application. I am unsure of how to navigate this. I want the manager to receive an email with ONLY the information entered by their employee on the form and check a box to approve it. I have gone as far as to automate email alerts to the manager when their email is typed in, but it grants them access to see the entire spreadsheet of applicants. then they have to search for theirs to approve. I'd rather them only get an email to click a link that shows just their employee that typed in their name. Is this possible?

Jon Mark H

Hey Brittany LK!

Looks like you'll have a simple fix here:

You'll want to do an Approval workflow (see setup pictures below):

Explanation:

Trigger - when rows are added

I picked that "Manager" is "Any Value" - since obviously they will have had to pick a Manager in, either a contact cell, or a cell they put an e-mail in.

Select "Request Approval" in the Action portion

Send to "Manager" (again, contact or e-mail)

THEN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART:

Click:

Customize Message & SELECT SPECIFIC FIELDS to send to Manager

This way you can send attachments, comments, and any pertinent cell info to the manager - they'll receive an e-mail that looks similar to this, with only the selected fields:

When they click "View Request" -

This will show up:

With the same Fields:

They can then either approve or decline.

If you need them to be able to make notes on the decision - you could do an Update Request instead in a similar manner & just leave a Notes field for the Manager to fill out.

ALSO - ensure the Manager is NOT shared to the underlying sheet - so if he clicks the link to the sheet - he won't have permission to view it.

Let me know if this fills your needs or if you have any other questions or issues!

-Jon Mark

Jon Mark H

Hey Brittany LK!

Looks like you'll have a simple fix here:

You'll want to do an Approval workflow (see setup pictures below):

Explanation:

Trigger - when rows are added

I picked that "Manager" is "Any Value" - since obviously they will have had to pick a Manager in, either a contact cell, or a cell they put an e-mail in.

Select "Request Approval" in the Action portion

Send to "Manager" (again, contact or e-mail)

THEN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART:

Click:

Customize Message & SELECT SPECIFIC FIELDS to send to Manager

This way you can send attachments, comments, and any pertinent cell info to the manager - they'll receive an e-mail that looks similar to this, with only the selected fields:

When they click "View Request" -

This will show up:

With the same Fields:

They can then either approve or decline.

If you need them to be able to make notes on the decision - you could do an Update Request instead in a similar manner & just leave a Notes field for the Manager to fill out.

ALSO - ensure the Manager is NOT shared to the underlying sheet - so if he clicks the link to the sheet - he won't have permission to view it.

Let me know if this fills your needs or if you have any other questions or issues!

-Jon Mark

Amanda Alv

Hi Brittany,

To make sure I understand, you do not want the manager to receive a link to the sheet, and not necessarily see every column either?

If that's the case, I'd recommend you continue with Workflow automation to email the manager once a new row is added. The "Request an Update" and "Request an approval" automation both allow you to select which fields (columns) that you share in the email, but do not link to the entire sheet. It only shares the cells for the row that triggered the automation and the selected columns (fields). The manager can only click a link to open a webform, where they then enter their response. The response can be a checkbox if that's what you prefer.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions on setting it up.

Brittany LK

@Jon Mark H and @Amanda Alv you have changed the game! Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! I really appreciate the screenshots. This is SO much better than our system before.

Jon Mark H

@Brittany LK

You're very welcome! Glad we could help!