Easy Setup Approval System for SharePoint

Approvals are common but complicated...

Approval workflows are one of the most common requirements in SharePoint, yet they are also one of the areas where organizations consistently run into friction. On the surface, approvals sound simple—someone submits a request, someone else reviews it, and a decision is made. But in practice, these processes quickly become complicated. There are multiple stakeholders, conditional steps, escalations, reminders, and a need for clear visibility into status. When these elements are not handled cleanly, what should be a straightforward workflow turns into a source of confusion and inefficiency.

Many organizations attempt to solve this using traditional approaches such as Power Automate or custom-built solutions. While these tools are powerful, they often introduce a level of complexity that is hard to justify for what is fundamentally a common business process. Power Automate flows can become large, difficult to troubleshoot, and highly dependent on the person who built them. Even small changes—like adding an approval step or modifying notification logic—can require digging through layers of conditions and actions. Over time, this leads to brittle solutions that are hard to maintain and even harder to hand off to others.

Custom development introduces a different set of challenges. It may provide flexibility, but it also increases cost, extends timelines, and creates long-term dependency on developers. For many teams, this simply isn’t practical. What organizations really need is a way to implement structured approval workflows that are easy to configure, easy to understand, and easy to maintain—without writing code or managing complex automation logic behind the scenes.

An Easier Way to Do Approvals

In our upcoming webinar, we will demonstrate exactly that: a fast, practical, and highly effective SharePoint approval system built using the new Approval Control in Infowise Ultimate Forms. This solution is designed specifically to eliminate the friction associated with traditional approaches. Instead of building workflows from scratch, you configure approvals directly within your SharePoint forms. The result is a system that is not only faster to implement but also far easier to manage over time.

One of the biggest advantages of this approach is how naturally it integrates into the form experience. Approval workflows are not treated as a separate process—they are embedded directly into the form itself. This means users can immediately see the status of a request, who is responsible for the next step, and what actions have already been taken. There is no need to jump between different tools or dig through email threads to understand what is happening.

The system supports both simple and complex approval scenarios. You can assign one or multiple approvers, configure sequential or parallel approval steps, and adapt the workflow to match your organization’s real-world processes. Whether you are handling purchase requests, project approvals, or internal reviews, the structure is flexible enough to accommodate your needs without adding unnecessary complexity.

Simple Email Approvals

Another key feature is email-based approvals. Approvers can review and act on requests directly from their inbox, without needing to log into SharePoint. This significantly reduces friction and speeds up response times. When combined with automated email notifications, the system ensures that the right people are informed at the right time, without manual follow-up.

Transparency is also a major focus. The approval status and full history are displayed directly within the form, providing a clear audit trail of decisions and actions. Users can quickly understand where a request stands and how it got there. Visual indicators highlight the current stage of the workflow, making it easy to identify bottlenecks or delays.

From a configuration standpoint, the system is designed to be straightforward and intuitive. Outcomes such as Approved, Rejected, or Pending can be easily defined, along with the actions that should occur when those outcomes are reached. This might include updating fields, sending notifications, or triggering additional steps. Because everything is configured within Ultimate Forms, there is no need to manage separate workflows or external logic.

The solution is also fully responsive, working seamlessly across desktop and mobile devices. This is especially important for organizations where approvals need to happen on the go. Whether someone is at their desk or using their phone, they can participate in the approval process without any limitations.

A Complete SharePoint Approvals Solution

In this webinar, we will walk through the complete setup of an approval system from start to finish. You will see how quickly a fully functional workflow can be implemented, and how easily it can be adapted to different scenarios. The focus will be on practical, real-world usage—not theory—so you can immediately apply what you learn.

As an added bonus, all attendees will receive a downloadable template that includes everything demonstrated during the session. This template provides a ready-to-use foundation, including SharePoint lists, customized forms, approval configurations, and automation settings. Instead of starting from scratch, you will have a working solution that you can deploy and modify to fit your specific requirements.

If you have struggled with building or maintaining approval workflows in SharePoint, this session will give you a clear alternative. The goal is not just to show what is possible, but to provide a realistic path to implementing approvals in a way that is efficient, maintainable, and aligned with how your organization actually works.