Approval forms are essential tools for organizations to streamline decision-making processes.
They allow teams to submit requests, such as project proposals or expense approvals, that require managerial consent.
Using approval forms ensures consistency, transparency, and accountability in workflows.
Paired with automation, these forms help reduce delays, centralize communication, and provide a structured approach to obtaining approvals.
How to create approval forms in Formaloo
With Formaloo, you can either build an approval form from scratch or take advantage of our ready-to-use templates designed for various use cases.
In this tutorial, we will walk you through creating an approval form using the "Purchase order approvals app" template, perfect for streamlining your purchase approval workflows.
Follow these steps to create an approval form in Formaloo and automate your workflows:
Step 1: Create a new form
Log in to your Formaloo account and navigate to the +New Formaloo button.
Click on Form, and name your form. You can delete the default pages and add a new form to create it from scratch.
Step 2: Customize the form fields
Add the necessary fields to your form, such as:
Text fields: For names, descriptions, or any required information.
Repeating section field: Add a repeating section field for "Purchase order details." This allows users to input multiple order details in a structured and repeatable manner, such as item name, quantity, and price.
File upload for attaching supporting documents.
Admin-only field: Add the following admin-only fields to manage the approval process:
Urgency: To track how urgent the purchase request is.
Approval status: To monitor the approval stage (e.g., Pending, Approved, or Denied).
Budget code: For recording the budget allocation or code related to the purchase.
Budget approver’s comments: To capture any notes or feedback from the budget approver during the review process.
Date picker for deadlines or event dates.
For each field, you can set validation rules to ensure complete and accurate data submission.
📝 Additional insights:
Add Conditional Logic
Use conditional logic to guide users based on their input. For instance, if the request is related to a high-budget project, you can require additional approvals.
Insert signature field
To finalize approval forms, you can include a signature Field for digital signing. This ensures that managers or approvers can sign directly on the
Step 3: Enable automated notifications
Go to the Notify tab in the form editor.
Set up automated notifications to alert relevant email addresses when a form is submitted or when a decision is made.
You can create different email templates for each approval stage and customize recipients based on conditions.
Step 4: Add a table of results and a Kanban board
Now, you can add result pages to see all the submitted data from your form.
In the table view, you can see all the results in one place, add tags, and edit notes to manage orders.
Track approvals with Kanban boards
To visualize approval progress, use Kanban boards.
In your admin panel, add a Kanban view to move approval requests through stages such as “Pending,” “In Review,” and “Approved.”
📝 Additional insights:
Set role-based access control
To ensure the right people have the correct access, manage access levels for your team members.
Assign roles like Admin, Editor, or Viewer to different team members.
Step 5: Publish and share the form
After finalizing the form, publish and share the form link with your team or embed it on your website.
Monitor submissions and manage approvals from your Formaloo dashboard.
That’s it! Now your purchase order approval form is ready to streamline your approval process.
You can start using it immediately or further customize it based on your team's needs. Just follow these steps, and you'll have an efficient, automated approval workflow up and running in no time!
For more insights, you can read about how to Streamline your business with approval forms and workflows on our blog.