Approval software that waits for the right sign-off.
Put each approval inside the process it controls. Only the named approver can complete it, nothing after it can start until they do, and their decision is recorded with their name and the time.
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Approval software routes a request to the people who must sign it off, in order, and records each decision. In CheckFlow an approval is a step inside the process: assigned to the approver, completable only by them, and set to hold everything after it until it is done. Decisions are recorded in a required field, and different amounts or answers can route to different approvers.
Approvals that cannot be skipped, lost or disputed.
Nothing moves without sign-off
A halt keeps every later step locked, so the purchase order cannot be raised before the approval.
Only the approver can approve
Approval steps can be completed only by their assignees. Nobody can tick it on their behalf.
The decision is on record
Who decided, what they decided and when, logged on the checklist without anyone writing a note.
The approval step
How an approval works in CheckFlow
CheckFlow builds approvals from four settings on an ordinary task. Assign it to the approver, a person or a group. Tick Only Assignees Can Complete This Task, so it is greyed out for everyone else. Add a halt, so nothing after it can be completed until it is done. And add a required Decision drop-down with Approved and Not approved, so the step cannot be completed without a decision.
There is no separate approval field to learn: the same tasks, fields and rules as the rest of the process. That also means an approval can carry whatever the approver needs to see, such as the request details copied in from earlier steps, the quotes as files, or a comment thread with the requester.
- Halt until this step is complete, or until it and every step before it are
- A reason field shown only when the answer is Not approved
- Copy the requester’s answers into the approval step automatically
Routing
Sequential, multi-level and conditional approvals
For a chain of approvals, put the steps in order and halt each one: the budget holder, then the finance director, then the board. Each halt is checked on its own, so the second approver’s step unlocks only when the first has finished.
Conditional logic decides which approvers a request needs. Choose a spend band and the board step appears only above the top threshold; mark a contract as high risk and legal review is added. When an approver chooses Not approved, a rule can show a revise-and-resubmit step for the requester instead of letting the process carry on.
- Approval tiers by amount, risk, region or request type
- Assign an approval to whoever is picked in a Members field
- A hidden approval step never blocks the route that skips it
Notifications
Approvers are told, requesters hear back
When an approval step becomes theirs, the approver is notified by email or Slack with a link straight to it. Its due date can be counted from when the request was submitted, and if it runs overdue the approver is reminded.
Custom notification rules tell anyone else who needs to know: procurement when the approval step is completed, finance when the whole checklist is complete, or an outside email address when an approval is overdue by a day.
- Each person chooses email, Slack or both
- Due-in and overdue-by rules measured from each step’s due date
- Comment and @mention the approver on the step itself
Audit trail
A dated record of every decision
Every checklist keeps an activity feed: who set the Decision field and to what, who completed the approval step, and when, alongside every file, comment and other answer. Nothing has to be written up afterwards, and a finished checklist shows the process as it was followed.
Because the decision is a field, it is also reportable. Filter the Reports Grid to every request not approved this quarter, export it for an auditor, or find a request by its answers through the API.
- Guests who approve are logged under their own names
- Completed checklists are not changed by later template edits
- Keep preparer and approver apart by assigning them to different people
Compared
Approvals by email, or approvals in CheckFlow
Email is where most approvals start and where most of them get stuck.
| What matters | Email and chat | CheckFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Who is approving now | Somewhere in a thread | The open approval step, with its assignee |
| Work starting too early | Nothing stops it | Later steps locked until the approval is done |
| Someone approving for someone else | Easy to forward | Only the assignee can complete the step |
| Different approvers by amount | Remembered by the requester | Conditional logic adds the right steps |
| Proof for an auditor | Search the inbox | Name, decision and time on the checklist |
Approval steps, halts, conditional logic and notifications are all in the Business plan at $10 per user per month, or $9 billed annually.
Examples
Approvals teams run in CheckFlow
Capital expenditure
Approval tiers by amount, with the board only above the top threshold.
Capex approval templateJournals and month-end
A controller signs off every journal, with preparer and approver kept apart.
Journal entry review templateHiring
Finance and HR approve a new post, then the offer, with an extra approver for exceptions.
Job requisition approval templateSupplier bank changes
No change to a supplier’s bank account without a call-back and a second approver.
Bank detail change templateIT changes
Change advisory board approval before a change goes live, and a rollback plan on file.
IT change management templateScope changes
Project manager, sponsor or change board by threshold, then a client change order.
Scope change request template
Approvals, drafted and chased with AI.
AI can draft the approval workflow and tell you what is waiting on you. The decision itself stays with the approver.
Draft the approval workflow
Describe the request and who signs it off. The AI generator adds the steps, the Decision fields, halts on the approval steps and the rules for each tier.
Try the AI generatorAsk what is waiting on you
Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Copilot or any other AI assistant can list the approvals assigned to you through the MCP server, and record your decision when you tell it to, as you.
AI in CheckFlowThe same rules apply to AI
An assistant cannot complete an approval assigned only to someone else, or a step behind an incomplete halt. The API refuses it.
Developer overview
What approvals are waiting on me this week?
assignee: "me" status: "DueToday,DueInFuture,Overdue" sort: "dueDateTime:asc"
Two approvals are yours: Finance director approval on Capex Request – Warehouse racking, due Friday, and the journal entry review for September, due tomorrow. Open either one and I can summarise what was submitted.
Approval templates to start from.
Each has its approval steps, halts and tiers already in place.
Related features
Approval software questions
What is approval software?
Approval software routes a request, such as a purchase, an invoice, a document or a change, to the people who must sign it off, in a defined order. It assigns each approval to a named person, reminds them when it is due and records who approved what, and when, so decisions do not get lost in email.
How do approvals work in CheckFlow?
An approval is a task in the checklist, assigned to the approver and set so that only its assignees can complete it. A halt keeps every later step locked until it is done, and a required Decision drop-down, with Approved and Not approved, records the outcome. There is no separate approval field: it is built from the same tasks, fields and rules as the rest of the process.
Can I set up multi-level or sequential approvals?
Yes. Put the approval steps in order and halt each one, so each approver’s step unlocks only when the previous one is complete. Conditional logic adds or removes levels by amount, risk or request type, for example a board approval only above a threshold.
What happens when a request is not approved?
A rule on the Decision field can show a revise-and-resubmit step for the requester, and a reason field for the approver, when the answer is Not approved. When the approval step is completed, a custom notification can tell anyone who needs to know, such as procurement.
Can people outside our team approve?
Yes. Invite them as Guests: they see and complete only the tasks assigned to them, their actions are logged under their own name, and Guests are free and unlimited on every plan.
How do I keep the person who requests separate from the person who approves?
Assign the request and the approval to different people, and set the approval so only its assignee can complete it. To check the separation holds over time, run a periodic segregation of duties review, such as the segregation of duties review template.
What types of approvals can CheckFlow manage?
Any process where steps must be confirmed by specific people in order: purchase orders and capex, invoices and journals, budget requests, job requisitions and offers, policy and document sign-off, IT change approvals, contract review and client deliverables.
How much does CheckFlow cost?
The Business plan is $10 per user per month, or $9 billed annually, with halts, assignee-only tasks, conditional logic, notifications and reporting included. Guests are free. Try it free with no credit card; see pricing.
Get approvals out of the inbox.
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