In today’s fast-paced, hybrid work environment, approvals can’t just live in email chains or get lost in Teams chats. Whether it’s a quick “Does this look good?” or a formal PTO request, organizations need a structured, trackable way to manage sign-offs. Enter Microsoft Approvals—a powerful, flexible solution that integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams and Power Automate to keep your processes moving forward.

In this session, Lindsay and Heidi will show you how to transform approvals from a manual headache into an automated, efficient workflow. We’ll start with the essentials:

Building Approvals in Power Automate—from simple, out-of-the-box options to custom, layered processes.
Viewing and Managing Approvals in Teams—including adaptive cards for intuitive user interaction.
Designing the Process Before the Tech—why discovery conversations matter and how to plan for success.
Next, we’ll explore the four pillars of the approval lifecycle:

Creation—choosing between standard Approvals or custom flows.
Notification—email vs. adaptive cards and what works best.
Monitoring—tracking active approvals and adding reminders.
Documentation—recording and sharing outcomes for compliance and transparency.
Finally, we’ll highlight advanced integration points, like triggering flows from Teams messages and leveraging pre-built templates to accelerate adoption. You’ll leave with practical strategies and real-world examples to build approval solutions that are efficient, scalable, and user-friendly—whether your needs are simple or complex. (this last part might not fit into 45 minutes)

Products Covered: Microsoft Teams, Power Automate, Microsoft Outlook