SharePoint - EASY Document Approvals in SharePoint | Step-by-Step Tutorial

Key insights

• SharePoint Approval Workflows: Automate document routing for approval or rejection, enhancing efficiency and maintaining records of the process.


• Advantages: Improve efficiency by reducing manual intervention, ensure consistency, and provide transparency with detailed tracking of workflow history.


• Workflow Steps: Activate at site collection level, associate with specific lists or libraries, configure settings like approvers and notifications, initiate manually or automatically, and complete upon task conclusion.


• Transition to Power Automate: Shift from SharePoint 2010/2013 workflows to Power Automate for enhanced automation capabilities. SharePoint 2010 workflows retired in 2020; 2013 workflows deprecated in 2023.


• Modern Approvals: Enable or disable approvals via the Automate dropdown in lists/libraries. Request approvals through contextual menu or status column. Approvals can be managed in Teams.


• Limitations and Availability: Approvers need manual access to items. Approval requests auto-cancel if items change. Modern approvals affect list features like sync and rules.

Introduction to SharePoint Approval Workflows

Streamlining document approval processes is crucial for organizations aiming to enhance efficiency and maintain consistency. The YouTube video by Reza Dorrani provides a comprehensive, step-by-step tutorial on setting up document approvals in SharePoint, making it accessible even for beginners. This tutorial focuses on leveraging Microsoft Teams-based approvals to simplify workflows in SharePoint Libraries or Microsoft Lists. In this article, we will delve into the key aspects of SharePoint approval workflows, including understanding their functionality, advantages, and the transition to Power Automate. Additionally, we will explore how to create an approval workflow using Power Automate and discuss the challenges and limitations associated with modern approvals in SharePoint lists and libraries.

Understanding SharePoint Approval Workflows

SharePoint approval workflows are designed to automate and streamline the process of routing documents or items to designated individuals for approval or rejection. By integrating these workflows into your SharePoint environment, organizations can enhance efficiency, ensure consistency, and maintain a comprehensive record of approval processes. What Are SharePoint Approval Workflows?
An approval workflow in SharePoint is a predefined process that directs a document or item stored in a SharePoint list or library to one or more approvers. This automation manages and tracks all tasks involved in the approval process, providing a structured path from initiation to completion. Such workflows are invaluable for business processes requiring formal approval, such as policy updates, project proposals, or content publication. Advantages of Using SharePoint Approval Workflows

• Efficiency and Consistency: Automating the approval process reduces manual intervention, ensuring that each document follows a standardized path, thereby minimizing errors and delays.
• Transparency and Tracking: SharePoint maintains a detailed history of each workflow instance, allowing stakeholders to monitor progress and access records of past approvals for auditing purposes.
• Flexibility: Workflows can be customized to fit various business needs, accommodating serial (one after another) or parallel (simultaneous) approval processes, and can be tailored for different content types or departments.

Basics of SharePoint Approval Workflows

To implement an approval workflow in SharePoint, follow these fundamental steps:

• Activation: Ensure that the workflow feature is activated at the site collection level. Navigate to Site Settings > Site Collection Features > activate the Workflows feature.
• Association: Associate the approval workflow with a specific list, library, or content type. This association defines where the workflow will be available and applicable.
• Configuration: Define the workflow settings, including specifying approvers, setting due dates, determining the order of approvals (serial or parallel), and customizing task notifications.
• Initiation: Start the workflow manually or configure it to initiate automatically based on specific triggers, such as the creation or modification of an item.
• Completion: The workflow concludes when all assigned tasks are completed, and the item’s status is updated accordingly, reflecting its approval or rejection.

Transition to Power Automate

Historically, SharePoint utilized built-in workflows for approval processes. However, Microsoft has shifted towards using Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) for creating and managing workflows. This transition offers several benefits:

• SharePoint 2010 Workflows: Retired as of August 1, 2020, for new tenants and removed from existing tenants on November 1, 2020.
• SharePoint 2013 Workflows: Deprecated since April 2023, with plans to turn off for new tenants as of April 2, 2024, and removal from existing tenants by April 2, 2026.

Given these changes, it’s advisable to utilize Power Automate for creating approval workflows. Power Automate offers a more robust and versatile platform, integrating seamlessly with various services and providing enhanced capabilities for automating approval processes.

Creating an Approval Workflow with Power Automate

To set up an approval workflow using Power Automate, follow these steps:

• Access Power Automate: Navigate to the Power Automate portal through your Microsoft 365 app launcher.
• Choose a Template: Select a pre-built approval workflow template or create a flow from scratch, specifying SharePoint as the trigger.
• Define Workflow Steps: Configure the flow to start upon the creation or modification of a SharePoint item, add approval actions, set approvers, and define notification preferences.
• Test and Deploy: After configuring, test the workflow to ensure it operates as expected, then deploy it within your organization.

Challenges and Limitations of Modern Approvals

While modern approvals in SharePoint offer numerous advantages, they also present certain challenges and limitations that users must be aware of. User Experience
If an approver does not have permission to view a list item, sending an approval request to that user does not automatically share the underlying list item with that person. The approver must be granted access to the list item manually. Additionally, approval requests are auto-cancelled if the underlying list item changes (i.e., edited or deleted). Users will receive a warning that there is an active approval and it will cancel the request if edits are completed. Availability
In grid view, you can only request approvals, but you can respond to approval requests from the command bar. Effects on Other Features
If modern approvals are enabled on a list, Lists sync is automatically turned off for that list. List rules can use the Approval status column; however, certain conditions and filter criteria may not have a valid user in the designated field to send an email from the rule. Furthermore, content approval or request sign-off is not integrated with modern approvals. In conclusion, Reza Dorrani's YouTube tutorial provides valuable insights into setting up SharePoint approval workflows, offering organizations the tools needed to enhance their document approval processes. By understanding the basics, transitioning to Power Automate, and being aware of potential challenges, organizations can effectively leverage SharePoint to streamline their workflows and improve overall efficiency.

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