Why Sequential Approvals?

First things first, why should you even care about sequential approvals? Because in previous approval setups, you had to create individual flows and track responses one by one. With sequential approvals, one streamlined flow handles the entire chain automatically. No more extra manual tasks. This means saved time and fewer errors. It’s simple, efficient, and everything is captured in one place!

While this new feature is incredible, like all new tools, it has a few hiccups I’ll point out so you know exactly what to expect and how to work around any bugs. Let’s get started!

Setting Up Static Sequential Approvals

For this example, we’ll be working with an existing Capital Expenditure (CapEx) form. Initially, I’ll show you how to create static sequential approvals, which means you hardcode approvers into your workflow. These can be individuals or groups.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we’ll be doing:

1. Trigger the approval process: I prefer giving control to the users by adding a button they can click to trigger the approval process once all the necessary details are entered. This ensures users submit for approval when they’re actually ready.
2. Update the item status: Once the approval process starts, we update the item status to show it’s pending approval. That way, everyone is on the same page.
3. Set up the approval chain: You can choose specific approvers or use groups, making everything much more manageable during holiday seasons or when someone’s on leave.
4. Handle outcomes: Based on whether the request is approved or rejected, we then update the item and send notifications.

To break it down for you, we’re creating a flow that automates approval handling with greater flexibility. Now, let’s walk through the process!

1. Trigger approval with a button: I’m using a PowerApps button that calls a Power Automate flow. You should check out my earlier video for a complete breakdown on how to create these buttons.
2. Updating the status: As users trigger the approval, you’ll want the system to update the status of your item (CapEx form, in our case) to “Pending Approval”.
3. Starting the sequential approval workflow: In Power Automate, I add an action to “Start and Wait for an Approval”. Then, specify the approval type as “Sequential”. I assign individual approvers by hardcoding their Group or User IDs here.
4. Conditions & Outcomes: Once approvals are done, based on results, you add conditions. For approvals, move to the next step. For rejections, send a notification.

That’s it! Congrats—you’ve just set up a basic static sequential approval!

Example of Testing the Flow

To see this setup in action, we tied our flow to a trigger, and voila! The system started Baron’s approval, then moved to the next in line once Baron was done. I pulled up Teams and emails to check how the process unfolded, and all steps fired perfectly. Comments, results, everything showed up neatly in the responses.

Testing isn’t always glamorous, though. The first test actually failed—whoops! It’s super helpful to show this, though, because troubleshooting in Power Automate teaches more than a flawless walkthrough.

When my test failed, I noticed I assigned the wrong output to the “People Picker”, but fixing it was a breeze. One small edit, and bam—smooth tests after that!

Need More Power? Try Dynamic Sequential Approvals with a SharePoint List

Static approvers are great, but they’re limiting. You know what’s better? Dynamic approvals!

Why? Because they adapt as your business grows. People leave, new people join, roles change, and static flows don’t handle that very well. Enter: SharePoint Lists. By setting up approvals based on a dynamic data source—like a SharePoint list—you prepare yourself for flexibility down the line.

Here we go:

1. Create a SharePoint List: In this demo, I created a SharePoint list with approver names, their approval order, and a toggle for active/inactive. This lets us add or remove approvers easily.

   Example columns include:

   • Approver
   • Approver Order (determines the approval sequence)
   • Region (useful for global organizations)
   • Active/Inactive status
2. Fetching approvers dynamically: Now that we’ve created the list, I set up the flow to fetch the approvers dynamically. In the flow, I retrieve these values from the SharePoint list and sort them by the “Approval Order” column.
3. Adjusting to new conditions: Let’s say Baron is active today, but may need to leave tomorrow. By simply switching his status to “inactive” in the SharePoint list, you adjust the flow instantly—without needing to rebuild it.
4. Linking back to Power Automate: Back in Power Automate, I replace the static approvers with the dynamically fetched ones from our SharePoint list. This sets up a true dynamic approval system that can evolve with your business needs.

Now all approvers get involved in the right sequence, without having to lift a finger! 👏

Troubleshooting Flow Issues

During the testing of the dynamic sequential flow, things didn’t always go smoothly. In true Power Automate fashion, the initial run failed due to incorrect outputs. But after reviewing the error and adjusting the flow’s output (especially fixing the “People Picker” input), everything worked like a charm on retest!

Approvals started in order, comments were captured, and feedback was perfectly formatted.

Workflows often hit snags, but by understanding error messages and knowing how to fix them, you’ll become a Pro quickly.

Capturing Responses (With Comments!)

If you want to go deeper and capture more detailed responses—including comments—Power Automate makes it easy. Using an append-to-string variable, we can pull in fields like:

• Approver name
• Response type
• Request/Response dates (formatted to human-friendly versions)
• Comments (if any)

I love adding comments in approvals. They give more context than a simple “approve” or “reject,” which helps everyone understand decisions better.

After capturing these details, I push them back into the corresponding item in SharePoint. Now you’ll have a clean record of every approval, response, and piece of feedback.

Closing Thoughts

And that’s a wrap! You’ve now got the tools and knowledge to set up sequential approvals in Power Automate, whether you’re hardcoding users or going fully dynamic with a SharePoint list. It’s a super useful feature that can make the difference between a tedious approval process and a streamlined, efficient workflow.

Ready to give it a try yourself? Let’s go—your team (and vacation time) will thank you.

If this tutorial helped you out, feel free to smash that like button and leave a comment below. What other Power Automate tricks would you like to learn? Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to stay updated on all things Power Platform. Thanks for sticking around, and I’ll see you in the next one! 💪