Approval Workflows

The Multistage Approval Process feature is designed to mirror more complex approval processes involving several people. It allows you to build various workflows, ranging from simple 2-steps processes to multiple tiers including AND/OR conditions for approvers. 

In other words: you can create the kind of approval process you want!

The feature is available in the Enterprise package by default and can be accessed via Settings > Approval Workflows. 

You can create, edit and delete workflows in the Settings

How to Create a Workflow

To create a new workflow, navigate to the Approval Workflow settings page and click on Create Workflow. You'll need to input a name for your workflow and define at least one step with assigned approvers. 

Steps can be connected using Then, And, or Or connectors to map out the logical flow of the approval process. Within each step, approvers can be connected using And or Or logic for flexibility in configuration.

 

Example 1: 2-Step Approval Process with one person per step

A basic two-step sequential approval process might look like this:

Step 1 (User A) 

THEN Step 2 (User B)

In this scenario, User B can only proceed with their approval after User A has approved the post. If User A rejects the post at any time, step 2 won't even start.

 

 

Example 2: 2-Step Approval Process with two people per step 

For more complex requirements, you might need multiple approvers per step, such as:

Step 1 (User A AND User B) 

THEN Step 2 (User C OR User D)

This configuration demands approval from both User A and User B in Step 1 to advance to Step 2. In Step 2, either User C or User D can approve the post for it to proceed. Any rejection in Step 1 or 2 ends the process immediately.

 

 

Example 3: 2-Step Approval Process with teams

This configuration uses teams instead of single users as approvers for the individual steps. This means that every member of the team has the right to approve or reject the post at this point. Each member is treated with an OR condition.

Step 1 (User A) 

THEN Step 2 (Team B)

Step 2 unfolds only after User A's approval, requiring any person belonging to Team B to approve or reject the content.

 

 

Example 4: Multistep approval with AND and OR conditions between steps

So far, the workflows have followed a simple Step 1, then step 2 pattern. But workflows can also be built on OR as well as AND conditions between steps. Let’s look at the following example:

Step 1 (User A) 

AND Step 2 (Team B)

OR Step 3 (User B)

THEN Step 4 (User C)

AND Step 5 (Team D)

Next to User A’s approval, the post also requires the approval of someone from Team B OR User B. Only then does the next part unlock where both User C and someone from Team D have to approve or reject the post. This is one of the more complicated and complex builds to highlight the freedom of workflow creation. 

 

 

Stopping/Deleting a Workflow

There are three scenarios for a workflow to finish:

• The post gets approved at all stages and is planned/published
• The post gets rejected at any step in the workflow and will not be planned/published
• An admin, that is not part of the workflow, approves or rejects the content

If you want to delete a workflow, you have to make sure it isn’t actively being used. The workflow will have to be completed first by either approving the post at all stages or rejecting it. 

Upon deletion, a confirmation is required, and all data linked to the deleted workflow is lost.

 

Other important things to note

• Admins retain the ability to override the workflows at any approval step.
• Removal of approvers from an account may stall the workflow unless adjustments are made by an admin.
• You can always check the current status of each workflow for each post waiting for approval. Approved will be marked with a green check, rejected with a red x and waiting with a grey question mark.