Workflow Template
Project Intake Workflow
Captures new project requests, sends the requester an acknowledgement, routes the request to the PMO for review of strategic fit, priority and decision, then notifies the sponsor and requester of the outcome (Approved, Deferred or Declined) and kicks off project setup when approved.
New project ideas usually arrive as emails, chats or a chance conversation in the corridor, which makes it hard to know what's been asked for or where it stands. This workflow gives every request a proper front door: it captures the details on a form, acknowledges the requester straight away, and routes the request to the PMO to weigh up strategic fit and priority before deciding. Once a decision is made, the sponsor and requester are notified automatically, and approved projects get a setup task with a due date so nothing sits waiting for someone to remember it.
Business Outcomes
- Faster acknowledgement of new project requests, so requesters aren't left wondering if anything happened
- Clearer visibility into where each request stands, from submission through to PMO decision
- More consistent PMO review, with strategic fit, priority and reasons captured on every request
- Reduced follow-up chasing, since sponsors and requesters are notified automatically at each outcome
- Quicker handoff into project setup for approved requests, with a task and due date created automatically
Workflow Steps
Steps
- 1Create Project Request Recordcreate record
Registers the submitted project request as a record.
- 2Set Status to Submittedupdate record
Marks the intake status as Submitted.
- 3Email Acknowledgement to Requestersend email
Sends the requester an acknowledgement email with their reference number.
- 4Set Status to PMO Reviewupdate record
Marks the intake status as PMO Review.
- 5PMO Review Taskcreate task
Creates a task for the PMO to assess strategic fit, priority and decide on the request, blocking until completed.
- 6Save PMO Review to Recordupdate record
Persists the strategic fit, priority, decision and reasons to the project request record.
- 7Route on PMO Decision
Routes the workflow based on the PMO's Approve, Defer or Decline decision.
pmo_decision: "Approve"→Set Status to Approvedpmo_decision: "Defer"→Set Status to Deferredpmo_decision: "Decline"→Set Status to DeclinedDefault→End - 8Set Status to Approvedupdate record
Marks the intake status as Approved.
- 9Create Project Setup Taskcreate task
Creates a fire-and-forget project setup task for the PMO due in 5 days.
- 10Email Sponsor of Approvalsend email
Notifies the sponsor that the project is approved to initiate.
- 11Email Requester of Approvalsend email
Notifies the requester that their project request has been approved.
- 12Set Status to Deferredupdate record
Marks the intake status as Deferred.
- 13Email Requester Deferral Reasonssend email
Sends the requester the PMO's reasons for deferring the request.
- 14Set Status to Declinedupdate record
Marks the intake status as Declined.
- 15Email Requester Decline Reasonssend email
Sends the requester the PMO's reasons for declining the request.
- 16Create Project Requests Table Viewcreate table view
Registers a table view listing project requests with key triage fields.
- 17Create Requests by Status Chart Widgetcreate widget
Registers a dashboard chart widget showing requests grouped by intake status.
Fields
Show all 15 fieldsShow fewer fields
FormProject Request Intake Form
- Requester Name*· Text
- Requester Email*· Email
- Project Title*· Text
- Problem or Opportunity*· Long text
- Expected Benefits*· Long text
- Scope*· Long text
- Sponsor Name*· Text
- Sponsor Email*· Email
- Estimated Cost*· Number
- Estimated Resources*· Text
TaskPMO Review Task
- Strategic Fit*· Choice
- Priority*· Choice
- PMO Decision*· Choice
- Decision Reasons*· Long text
Other fields
- Intake Status· Choice
- Requester Name*
- Requester Email*
- Project Title*
- Problem or Opportunity*
- Expected Benefits*
- Scope*
Forms
Project Request Intake Form
10 fields
Data Views
Project Requests
project_title, estimated_cost, strategic_fit, priority +1 more
Dashboard Widgets
Recommended integrations
Setup the following integrations to extend workflow capability.
Send email in the workflow
AWS SES
Similar Categories
FAQs
Do I need to set up anything before using this workflow?
No installation or development project is needed. Once your workspace publishes the template it's ready to run, with the request form live and the PMO review task ready to be assigned.
Can my team customise the request form or the review steps?
Yes. You can describe the change you want in plain English, or edit the steps directly in the workflow editor, and earlier versions are kept so you can compare or revert. This covers things like adding fields to the request form or adjusting the wording of notification emails.
Who actually reviews the project request?
The PMO review task is assigned to a team member in your workspace, who assesses strategic fit and priority and records a Decision along with Reasons. That task blocks the workflow, so nothing moves forward until it's completed.
What happens at the PMO decision point?
The workflow routes based on whether the PMO chose Approve, Defer or Decline. Approved requests move to project setup and notify the sponsor and requester; Deferred and Declined requests each trigger a status update and an email to the requester with the PMO's reasons.
Is this suitable for requests that don't need sponsor sign-off?
The workflow always captures a Sponsor Name and Sponsor Email on the request form and notifies the sponsor once a project is approved. If your process doesn't need a sponsor step, you can edit the workflow to remove that email notification.
Do requesters or sponsors need an account to take part?
No. Requesters submit through a public request form and receive updates by email, and sponsors are notified by email too. Neither needs to log in or hold an account in the workspace.
What happens to the project setup task after approval?
A project setup task is created for the PMO with a 5-day due date, and the workflow doesn't wait for it to finish before continuing. Any Setup Notes entered on that task stay with the task itself, visible in the record's task list, rather than being saved to the main record.
How do we track requests across their status?
Each request is a record with a reference number, a current status (Submitted, PMO Review, Approved, Deferred or Declined) and a timeline showing what happened. The workflow also creates a table view of project requests and a dashboard chart grouping requests by status, so you can see intake volume and outcomes at a glance.
Can we send notifications through our own email or SMS setup?
Yes, a workspace can optionally send email through its own AWS SES account or SMS through AWS SNS or Twilio. This workflow uses built-in email for the acknowledgement, decision and setup notifications, and you can connect your own account if preferred.
Ready to use this workflow?
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