How to automate approval workflows across all departments

“Approved? Denied? Nobody knows.”

Sound familiar?
An approval request gets lost in email threads, someone forgets to reply, and deadlines get missed.
This happens every day in companies that still rely on manual approval processes.

With BPM and AI-powered automation, those bottlenecks disappear — approvals become transparent, traceable, and fast.

What approval workflows are (and why they matter)

Approval workflows are the backbone of business control.
They ensure that key decisions — hiring, payments, purchases, budgets — follow a consistent and auditable logic.

When automated, they bring:

  • Speed: no more manual follow-ups.
  • Accountability: every step is tracked.
  • Governance: approvals follow rules, not instincts.

How BPM drives approval automation

A BPM platform connects every department — HR, Finance, Procurement, Sales, Operations — under one structured process logic.
It defines who approves what, when, and why.
And when powered by AI, it learns from usage patterns to continually improve.

How to automate approval workflows step by step

1️⃣ Map your current approvals.
Spot delays, overlaps, and unclear responsibilities.

2️⃣ Set clear rules.
E.g.: “Expenses over $1,000 require dual approval.”

3️⃣ Design your ideal flow.
Each step is defined visually in your BPM — request, validation, approval, notification.

4️⃣ Automate it.
Once a request is submitted, the system routes it to the right approver automatically.

5️⃣ Add alerts and reminders.
Never lose track of pending approvals.

6️⃣ Monitor in real time.
Track process times, bottlenecks, and performance with dashboards.

7️⃣ Leverage AI for optimization.
AI detects patterns — like approval delays — and suggests rule adjustments.

Examples by department

  • HR: vacation approvals, new hires, and overtime requests.
  • Finance: payments, reimbursements, supplier validations.
  • Procurement: purchase orders, vendor quotes, and price thresholds.
  • Sales: discounts, custom contracts, and proposal reviews.
  • Operations: maintenance approvals, production stage sign-offs.

No matter the department, automation brings clarity and control.

How Jestor makes it simple

With Jestor, building approval workflows is visual, intuitive, and 100% no-code.
You can:

  • Create conditional approval forms and flows;
  • Set rules by value, team, or department;
  • Integrate with ERP, CRM, and email;
  • Get real-time alerts and AI insights.

Approvals stop being blockers and become strategic checkpoints for growth.

Conclusion

Automated approvals save time, prevent errors, and improve governance — all while giving teams autonomy and confidence.

Jestor is a BPM platform that lets you automate workflows, connect departments, and build internal systems your way — all without code and powered by AI.
🌎 Jestor US

Read more