Organizations rely on structured approval processes to maintain efficiency, accountability, and compliance. Whether it’s purchase orders, HR requests, or project proposals, approvals are at the heart of daily business operations. Microsoft SharePoint has long been a popular platform for managing approvals, but many organizations discover that out-of-the-box workflows or legacy tools like SharePoint Designer don’t provide the flexibility they need.

This is where NITRO Studio, Crow Canyon Software’s no-code automation platform for Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, excels. With its robust features, NITRO Studio empowers organizations to create, customize, and optimize approval workflows that work exactly the way they need—without heavy development or IT dependency.

What Is a SharePoint Approval Workflow?

A SharePoint approval workflow is an automated process that routes documents, requests, or forms to designated approvers. Typical examples include:

  • Document reviews – ensuring policies, contracts, or marketing materials are reviewed and approved before release.

  • Purchase requests – sending requisitions through budget holders before ordering.

  • HR processes – onboarding, vacation requests, or policy acknowledgments.

  • IT approvals – software installation requests or access control approvals.

The goal is consistency, visibility, and speed—removing manual email chains and providing a clear audit trail.

The Limitations of Legacy SharePoint Workflows

For years, organizations relied on SharePoint Designer or InfoPath to build approval workflows. But both tools are deprecated, leaving businesses with unsupported and often brittle solutions. Power Automate, Microsoft’s suggested alternative, works for some scenarios but is often too limited or complex for organizations that require multi-step approvals, conditional logic, or tight integration with SharePoint lists and libraries.

This is where many businesses turn to NITRO Studio.

How NITRO Studio Enhances SharePoint Approval Workflows

NITRO Studio is a no-code workflow automation and forms solution designed for SharePoint and Microsoft 365. It enables organizations to build advanced approval workflows directly within their existing SharePoint environment.

Key Features for Approval Workflows:

  • Customizable routing: Approvals can be routed based on department, budget, role, or any business rule.

  • Parallel and sequential approvals: Handle simple one-step approvals or complex multi-level processes.

  • Mobile and email approvals: Approvers can review and approve requests directly from email or mobile devices.

  • Audit trails: Full visibility into who approved what, when, and why.

  • No-code design: Business users can configure workflows without relying on IT developers.

Case Study 1: Streamlining Purchasing Approvals for a Government Agency

A mid-sized government agency struggled with manual approval processes for purchasing. Each requisition had to be printed, signed, and walked around the office for authorization. This caused delays, lost documents, and compliance risks.

By implementing NITRO Studio in SharePoint Online, the agency built a purchase request approval workflow that automatically routed requisitions to budget managers and department heads. Approvers received notifications by email and could approve with a single click.

Results:

  • Approval times dropped from 2 weeks to 2 days.

  • Lost paperwork was eliminated.

  • The agency gained a digital audit trail for compliance reviews.

Case Study 2: HR Onboarding Approvals in Higher Education

A university HR department needed a better way to manage new employee onboarding. Each onboarding request required approvals from HR, IT, and Facilities. Previously, the process was a mix of emails, spreadsheets, and manual tracking.

With NITRO Studio, the university built an HR onboarding approval workflow directly in SharePoint. The workflow automatically triggered tasks for IT to set up accounts, Facilities to assign office space, and HR to schedule orientations. Each approval step was clearly tracked in SharePoint.

Results:

  • Reduced onboarding delays by 40%.

  • New hires received accounts and equipment on day one.

  • HR staff saved hours of manual coordination each week.

Why Choose NITRO Studio for SharePoint Approval Workflows?

Organizations choose NITRO Studio because it:

  • Works natively in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint.

  • Offers cost-effective automation compared to alternatives like ServiceNow or Nintex.

  • Provides flexibility to design workflows that match exact business needs.

  • Delivers a user-friendly interface for both staff and approvers.

Conclusion

A SharePoint approval workflow is essential for organizations that want efficiency, accountability, and compliance in their business processes. While traditional tools like SharePoint Designer are no longer viable, NITRO Studio offers a powerful, no-code solution that helps organizations design approval workflows tailored to their exact needs.

Whether you’re a government agency streamlining purchasing approvals or a university modernizing HR onboarding, NITRO Studio provides the tools to transform your workflows.

👉 Are your approval processes slowing you down, or are you ready to streamline them with modern automation?

Request more info here:

Privacy Notice:
By submitting this form, you consent to Crow Canyon Software collecting and processing your personal information to respond to your inquiry. Do not include sensitive health or personal data unless specifically requested.