Power Apps Approval: Multi-Step Workflow

Key insights

• Power Apps, Power Automate and SharePoint form a complete solution to build a multi-step approval app.
  Use the modern Approval Request screen in Power Apps as the requester and approver interface, and let Power Automate run the approval logic.
• Solution architecture follows Power Apps → SharePoint → Power Automate → Dynamic Approvers → Approval Status.
  Store requests in SharePoint and keep approver rules in a separate Approval Configuration list to avoid hardcoding.
• Key actions include saving the request with SubmitForm, using Start and wait for an approval in Power Automate, and looping through approvers by order.
  Create deep links so approvers open the exact item in the app for fast, contextual review.
• Approval Request screen shows stages like Completed, In Progress, Waiting and Rejected so users see status at a glance.
  Design the UI to highlight the current approver and to display approval comments and timestamps for each step.
• Dynamic approver selection and sequential control let you route requests based on business rules such as amount or department.
  This improves accuracy, avoids manual routing, and keeps the flow moving only when prior steps approve.
• Benefits include centralized request handling, clear audit history, conditional routing, and a mobile-friendly experience.
  Trigger the approval flow directly from Power Apps and update the request status in SharePoint for a single source of truth.

Overview of the video and purpose

In a clear, step-by-step tutorial, Reza Dorrani shows how to build a multi-step approval solution that combines Power Apps, SharePoint, and Power Automate. He uses the new Approval Request Modern screen template as the user-facing approval experience and then wires that screen into a dynamic, sequential workflow. As a result, viewers can see how a purchase request moves through distinct approval stages while the app reflects each change in real time. Overall, the video focuses on practical patterns rather than high-level theory, which helps teams adopt the approach quickly.

How the solution works

The core pattern places Power Apps at the front end to capture requests and display approval status, while Power Automate handles orchestration and routing. A simple SharePoint list stores the approval configuration and the request items, which lets the flow look up approvers in order rather than baking them into the app or the flow. This dynamic approach enables sequential routing so that each approver is only asked to act when their turn arrives. Moreover, the app shows a visual timeline with states such as completed, in progress, waiting, and rejected, which improves visibility for both requesters and approvers.

Building the app and the workflow

First, Dorrani demonstrates how to add the Approval Request Modern screen template to a responsive app and then connect it to a SharePoint list to persist form data. He then walks through using SubmitForm and deep links to ensure approvers open the correct record inside the app, which reduces confusion and speeds decisions. After that, the video explains how to trigger a Power Automate flow from the app to kick off the approval sequence, and how to use the configured approval order list to loop through approvers dynamically. By following these steps, the solution keeps approvals centralized and auditable without hardcoding people into the process.

Detailing the flow logic and configuration

Next, the tutorial covers the flow design that performs the sequential approvals and writes back statuses to the SharePoint item so the app reflects the latest state. Dorrani shows how to use conditional logic and looping constructs in Power Automate so the flow advances only when the previous approver grants approval, which aligns with many real business policies. He also highlights storing comments and timestamps to build a clear approval history that auditors and managers can review. Importantly, the video demonstrates how to handle rejections so the process stops and notifies stakeholders when a request fails to pass a stage.

Tradeoffs to consider

Choosing a dynamic, sequential model improves control and auditability, but it also adds design complexity compared with a simple single-step approval sent by email. For example, keeping approvers in a SharePoint configuration list makes the system flexible, yet it requires governance to ensure the list stays accurate and secure. Likewise, embedding deep links into notifications gives users fast access to the exact record, though links must be managed carefully to avoid access or permission issues. Therefore, teams should balance flexibility and maintainability when deciding how many moving parts to expose in their solution.

Challenges and common pitfalls

One challenge is error handling in the flow when an approver is unavailable or has insufficient permissions, which can stall the workflow unless designers add fallback steps or notifications. Another common pitfall is performance: complex loops or heavy SharePoint calls can slow the flow, so optimizing queries and limiting unnecessary updates matters. Additionally, creating a consistent user experience across devices requires attention to responsive layout and testing, because approvers may act from a phone or desktop. As a result, testing scenarios and planning for exception handling are essential parts of a production rollout.

Practical takeaways for teams

Teams can adopt the pattern shown by Dorrani to move away from fragmented email approvals toward a centralized, auditable app-based process that matches many organizational needs. To succeed, teams should document the approval rules, secure the SharePoint configuration list, and design the flow with retries and error handling in mind. They should also test deep-link behavior and permissions so approvers get a consistent experience regardless of device. Finally, starting with a simple proof of concept helps reveal real-world limits and informs decisions about adding conditional routing or other advanced logic.

Conclusion and next steps

The video offers a practical blueprint for creating a modern approval experience using Power Apps, Power Automate, and SharePoint, and it emphasizes dynamic approver configuration and clear status tracking. While the approach adds some complexity, it pays off in flexibility, visibility, and auditability when teams need sequential decision-making. Editors and developers reading the video can use it as a starting point, and then adapt the model to their own governance, scale, and performance needs. In short, the tutorial gives a working pattern that balances usability with control, and it points toward the key tradeoffs organizations must manage during implementation.

Keywords

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