Create An Approval Flow Using Microsoft Power Automate

Microsoft Power Automate

Microsoft Power Automate (formerly known as Microsoft Flow) is a cloud-based service that allows users to create automated workflows between different applications and services. It enables users to automate repetitive tasks and streamline business processes by connecting various Microsoft and non-Microsoft applications, including Office 365, Dynamics 365, SharePoint, and OneDrive. Power Automate allows users to create workflows using a simple drag-and-drop interface without the need for any coding skills. Users can choose from a range of pre-built templates or create custom workflows tailored to their specific needs. Workflows can include many actions, such as sending emails, creating tasks, updating records, and more.

Power Automate also provides users with real-time insights and analytics, allowing them to track the performance of their workflows and identify areas for optimization. It also integrates with various Microsoft services and third-party tools, allowing users to build robust, complex workflows that can automate almost any business process.

Different Types of Approval

There are several different patterns for approvals in Power Automate, including,

Sequential Approval

This type of approval involves a single approver who must approve or reject the request before the next approver can take action. The approval process proceeds in a linear sequence, with each approver taking action only after the previous approver has taken action.

Parallel Approval

This type of approval involves multiple approvers who can take action simultaneously. The approval process proceeds in parallel, with each approver receiving the approval request simultaneously and taking action independently.

Custom Approval

This type of approval involves a custom approval process that can be configured to meet specific requirements. Approvers can be added, removed, or reordered as needed, and approval rules can be specified to dictate the approval process.

Escalation Approval

This type of approval involves an automatic escalation process triggered if the approval request is not acted upon within a specified timeframe. The approval request can be automatically escalated to a higher-level or backup approver if the original approver does not take action within the specified timeframe.

These are some of the most common approval patterns in Power Automate, but the specific pattern that works best for your use case will depend on your requirements and preferences.

Steps to Create an Approval Flow

Using Microsoft Power Automate, various types of approval flows can be created by employing a range of actions. Creating an approval flow is a common scenario that can be effortlessly accomplished. Here are the steps to create an approval flow using Power Automate:

Go to the following link.
Sign in to the Power Automate portal with proper authentication.
Click "Create" in the left navigation bar, as shown in figure 1.

Create an Approval Flow using Microsoft Power Automate
Figure 1: Create Microsoft Power Automate

Select "Instant Cloud Flow" and choose a trigger. In this case, choose "Manually trigger a flow".
Now add an action "Approvals" action. You can choose from a range of approval types.

Different Approach to start Approval

As a workflow development platform, Power Automate offers several actions for creating workflows that require human interaction and data collection from human users. These workflows can include approval, rejection, or custom steps based on the collected information.

Figure 2: Different Approaches to start Approval

Two main approaches for achieving this in Power Automate are the "Start and Wait for an Approval" and "Create an Approval" actions. These actions provide the necessary tools to collect information from users, process it, and make decisions on the next steps in the workflow based on the submitted values.

Start and Wait for an Approval

This action starts an approval process and waits for the approval outcome before proceeding to the next step in the workflow.

Figure 3: Start and wait for an approval

Figure 3: Start and wait for an approval

Create an Approval

This action creates an approval request and allows the workflow to continue without waiting for the approval outcome. The "Get Approval" action can retrieve the approval outcome later.

Figure 4: Approval Action - Create an Approval and Wait for an Approval

Wait for an Approval

This action pauses the workflow until a specified approval request has been completed. The approval outcome can be either approved or rejected, and the workflow continues based on the outcome.

Configure the approval action by selecting Approval Types and other necessary fields, including the approver's email address and any custom message or options you want to include.

Different Approval Type

"Every One Must Approve"

In this approval type, every assigned approver must approve the request before it can be considered complete. Either single or multiple approvers can be added to the approval process, and the request will be sent out to all of them simultaneously. For the approval to be granted, all approvers must give their approval. If any one of the approvers rejects the request, the approval process will be terminated, and the other approvers will take no further action.

Figure 5: Different Types of Approval

"First to Respond"

In this approval type, the first approver to respond to the request is considered the approval outcome. The approval process will stop as soon as one approver responds, even if other approvers have not responded. Single or multiple approvers can be added to an approval process, and the approval request will be sent out in parallel to all approvers. For the request to be approved, it only takes one approver to approve. However, any approval or rejection from any approvers will end the approval process, and any further actions from the other approvers will be omitted.

Other than these two, there are two custom types: "Wait for All Responses" and "Wait for One Response", on which a minimal level of customization can be done but mostly similar to the previous ones.

To set the approval, select assigned to the column.

Define Approver

To define an approver in Power Automate, you can use the Approver's Email ID or the Approver's User Principal Name (UPN). You can also use the Azure Active Directory (AAD) ID of the Approver, which may require additional configuration and setup within your organization's AAD environment. It's worth noting that the specific method for defining an approver may depend on the specific action or connector being used within Power Automate, as some may have unique requirements or options for identifying and selecting approvers.

Figure 6: Define Approvers

After completing the approval action, add a condition to check the approval outcome. For example, you might check whether the approval was "Approved" or "Rejected".
Based on the outcome, add additional actions to perform the necessary tasks. For example, if the approval was "Approved", you might send a notification to the user and update a record in a database. If the approval was "Rejected", you might send a notification to the user and ask them to revise the request.

Once you have completed these steps, your approval flow is ready to use. You can trigger it manually or integrate it with other applications or services to automate your business processes.

Approval Panel

This is your approval dashboard, where you will receive approval actions like "Test Approval to Respond". On this dashboard, you'll find options to approve or reject the approval, along with the received time, approval details, and requester information.

Figure 7: Approval Panel

When you select either approve or reject, a panel will open, allowing you to act further. This panel provides an overview of the approval, the approval details, and a dropdown to select the desired action. You must select an option and click the "Confirm" button. The comments section is optional. Currently, the form cannot be customized.

Approve From Email

From our email inbox, which has received a message from a Microsoft Flow account, we can take action through actionable messaging. An adaptive card will be presented to the user with all relevant details related to the approval in the email. They can select either Approve or Reject from the buttons provided. The user may also leave comments, though it is not mandatory, before clicking the Submit button at the end. Once the Submit button is clicked, the Approval action will be completed.

Create an Approval Flow using Microsoft Power Automate
Figure 8: Approver from Email

Conclusion

Generally, when you set an approver for an approval request, you have to select individuals from your organization. But to send approval requests to individuals outside your organization, you can leverage Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) guest users. Inviting users from other tenants as guests will allow you to utilize this feature. When you grant a role to a guest, they will be granted the necessary permissions to participate in the approval process.