Workflow Template
Project Approval Workflow
End-to-end project proposal intake, PMO business case review with revision loop, cost-based executive/portfolio approval, and project initiation tracking through to kick-off.
Someone submits a new project idea, and suddenly you're chasing business case reviews, approval sign-offs, and status updates across emails and spreadsheets. This workflow handles the whole journey automatically: it logs the proposal, routes it to the PMO for business case review, loops back to the proposer if more detail is needed, then sends it to executive or portfolio manager approval based on the estimated cost, before tracking initiation through to kick-off. Your team just works the tasks assigned to them, while the record's status and timeline keep everyone else up to date without extra chasing.
Business Outcomes
- Faster turnaround from proposal submission to approval decision
- Fewer proposals stalled due to missing business case details
- Clearer visibility into where each project sits in the approval process
- More consistent routing of approvals based on project cost
- Reduced manual follow-up for kick-off details after approval
Workflow Steps
Steps
- 1Create Project Proposal Recordcreate record
Registers the submitted proposal as a project_proposal record.
- 2Set Status to Submittedupdate record
Updates the record status to Submitted.
- 3Email Acknowledgementsend email
Sends the proposer an acknowledgement email with their reference number.
- 4Set Status to Business Case Reviewupdate record
Updates the record status to Business Case Review.
- 5PMO Business Case Reviewcreate task
PMO reviews the business case, records assessment, stakeholder input, and a recommendation.
- 6Save PMO Review to Recordupdate record
Persists the PMO's assessment, stakeholder input and recommendation to the record.
- 7Route on PMO Recommendation
Routes based on whether the PMO recommends approval or requests more information.
pmo_recommendation: "Ready for approval"→Check Estimated Cost Thresholdpmo_recommendation: "More information needed"→Set Status to Awaiting Additional InformationDefault→End - 8Set Status to Awaiting Additional Informationupdate record
Updates the record status while additional details are requested from the proposer.
- 9Request Additional Details from Proposerrequest external input
Emails the proposer the PMO's comments and asks them to submit the extra details requested.
- 10Save Additional Detailsupdate record
Persists the proposer's additional details to the record.
- 11Return to PMO Reviewrestart from step
Restarts the workflow from the PMO review task now that additional details have been supplied.
- 12Check Estimated Cost Threshold
Routes to executive approval if estimated cost exceeds $100,000, otherwise to portfolio manager approval.
estimated_cost: "100000"→Executive ApprovalDefault→Portfolio Manager Approval - 13Executive Approvalrequest approvalrequires approval
Requests executive approval for the project given its estimated cost exceeds $100,000.
- 14Route on Executive Approval Outcome
Routes based on the executive's approval decision.
approval_status: "approved"→Set Status to Approvedapproval_status: "rejected"→Set Status to RejectedDefault→End - 15Portfolio Manager Approvalrequest approvalrequires approval
Requests portfolio manager approval for smaller projects at or below $100,000.
- 16Route on Portfolio Manager Approval Outcome
Routes based on the portfolio manager's approval decision.
approval_status: "approved"→Set Status to Approvedapproval_status: "rejected"→Set Status to RejectedDefault→End - 17Set Status to Rejectedupdate record
Updates the record status to Rejected.
- 18Email Rejection Noticesend email
Notifies the proposer that the project was not approved.
- 19Set Status to Approvedupdate record
Updates the record status to Approved.
- 20PMO Initiate Projectcreate task
PMO initiates the approved project, recording the approved budget, project manager, project code and kick-off date.
- 21Save Initiation Detailsupdate record
Persists the approved budget, project manager, project code and kick-off date to the record.
- 22Set Status to Initiatedupdate record
Updates the record status to Initiated.
- 23Email Initiation Confirmationsend email
Notifies the proposer that the project is approved and initiated, including the kick-off date.
Fields
Show all 21 fieldsShow fewer fields
FormProject Proposal Form
- Proposer Name*· Text
- Proposer Email*· Email
- Project Name*· Text
- Objectives*· Long text
- Expected Benefits*· Long text
- Scope*· Long text
- Estimated Cost*· Number
- Resources Needed*· Long text
- Key Risks*· Long text
- Dependencies*· Long text
- Proposed Start Date*· Date
- Business Case Document*· File upload
TaskPMO Business Case Review
- PMO Assessment*· Long text
- Stakeholder Input*· Long text
- PMO Recommendation*· Choice
TaskPMO Initiate Project
- Approved Budget*· Number
- Project Manager*· Text
- Project Code*· Text
- Kick-off Date*· Date
Other fields
- Project Status· Choice
- Additional Details from Proposer*· Long text
- Proposer Name*
- Proposer Email*
- Project Name*
- Objectives*
- Expected Benefits*
- Scope*
Forms
Project Proposal Form
12 fields
Data Views
Project Proposals
project_name, estimated_cost, approved_budget, kick_off_date +1 more
Dashboard Widgets
Recommended integrations
Setup the following integrations to extend workflow capability.
Send email in the workflow
AWS SES
Similar Workflows
Similar Categories
FAQs
Do I need to set up separate processes for small and large projects?
No, this single workflow handles both. It checks the estimated cost automatically and routes projects over $100,000 to executive approval, while smaller projects go to portfolio manager approval, so you don't need to manage two separate processes.
Can my team send proposals back for more information without starting over?
Yes. If the PMO recommends that more information is needed, the workflow emails the proposer the PMO's comments, collects the additional details, saves them to the record, and returns straight to the PMO review step rather than restarting the whole request.
Who is involved in reviewing and approving a proposal?
The PMO reviews the business case and records an assessment, stakeholder input and recommendation. Depending on the estimated cost, either an executive or a portfolio manager then makes the approval decision, and the PMO handles project initiation once approved.
What happens if a project gets rejected?
If either the executive or portfolio manager rejects the project, the record status is set to Rejected and the proposer automatically receives an email letting them know the project was not approved. The decision and status change are kept in the record's timeline.
Is this workflow suitable for organisations with a formal PMO process?
It's designed for exactly that kind of setup, with a dedicated business case review step, a revision loop, and cost-based approval routing built in. Each business should confirm the specific approval thresholds and information requirements match their own governance needs, since the workflow's steps can be adjusted to fit.
Can we change the $100,000 approval threshold or the approval steps?
Yes, you can describe the change you want in plain English or edit the steps directly in the workflow editor, including adjusting the cost threshold or who approves at each stage. Earlier versions of the workflow are kept, so you can see what changed and when.
Do proposers need an account to submit or respond to requests?
No. Proposers submit their initial proposal through a public request form, and any follow-up requests, like the additional details request, are sent to them by email as a form to fill in. They never need to log in or create an account.
What gets recorded once a project is approved and initiated?
When the PMO initiates the project, the approved budget, project manager, project code and kick-off date are all saved to the record and the status is set to Initiated. The proposer then receives a confirmation email including the kick-off date, and everything is visible in the record's timeline.
How do we track where a proposal is in the process?
Every submitted proposal becomes a record with a reference number, a current status, and a timeline of everything that's happened to it. Table views and dashboards show records grouped by status, so your team can see at a glance what's in review, pending approval, or initiated.
Ready to use this workflow?
Create a free account and customise this workflow for your business.