Set up multi-stage approval workflows with sign-offs, decisions, and rejection handling.
Understanding Approval Stages
WorkflowHero's approval system allows you to create sophisticated multi-stage workflows where different team members can review, approve, or reject items at each stage. Each approval stage can have multiple assignees with customizable sign-off requirements.
Stage Types
Task: Standard work item that needs to be completed
Approval: Requires explicit approve/reject decision from assignees
Review: Content review and feedback stage
Upload: Document upload and verification stage
Form: Custom form submission and validation
Assigning Approvers
Each approval stage can have multiple assignees. You can specify:
Which users are assigned to the stage
Whether each assignee is required or optional
The role or responsibility of each assignee
Whether all assignees must sign off or just one
Mandatory Sign-Offs
Enable mandatory sign-offs to require specific approvers:
Require All Assignees: All assigned users must approve
Required Assignees: Specify which specific users must approve
Partial Sign-Off: Allow stage progression after a subset approves
Approval Decisions
Approvers can make the following decisions:
Approve
Approve the stage and allow workflow to progress. Can include optional comments and digital signature.
Reject
Reject the stage with a required reason. Choose from categories: Missing Information, Incorrect Data, Policy Violation, Quality Issue, or Other.
Rejection Handling
Configure what happens when a stage is rejected:
Move to Next Stage: Continue to the next stage despite rejection
Complete Workflow: End the workflow immediately
Restart Workflow: Go back to the first stage (default)
Require Unanimous Approval: All approvers must approve; one rejection fails the stage
Digital Signatures
Approvals can include digital signatures for audit compliance:
Text-based signature confirmation
Base64-encoded signature images
IP address and user agent tracking
Timestamp of sign-off
Audit Trail
Every approval action is logged with complete audit information:
Who made the decision (user ID, name, email)
What decision was made (approve/reject)
When it happened (timestamp)
Why (reason and category for rejections)
From where (IP address and browser info)
Additional comments or notes
Best Practice
For critical approvals, enable mandatory sign-offs and require unanimous approval. This ensures all stakeholders review and approve before the workflow progresses.