---
title: "Approval workflows"
slug: "approval-workflows"
updated: 2026-07-07T15:50:57Z
published: 2026-07-07T15:50:57Z
canonical: "help.wrapbook.com/approval-workflows"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.wrapbook.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Approval workflows

- Automate multi-step approvals
- Assign approvers by *role* or *individual*
- Route documents based on *project* or *department*
- Track approval progress in real time
- Reduce manual follow-ups and missed sign-offs

In Wrapbook, you can [create approval workflows](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#create-an-approval-workflow) for:

- Worker-submitted purchase orders
- Timecards & expenses
- Startwork packets
- Vendor payments
- Vendors
- AP invoices (when [PAS](/v1/docs/about-production-accounting) is enabled)

## Approval workflow requirements

In order to use an approval workflow in Wrapbook, you’ll need to:

- [Create the approval workflow at the company level](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#create-an-approval-workflow)
- [Make sure that the approval workflow is toggled on](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#update-or-turn-onoff-an-approval-workflow)
- [Assign the approval workflow to the project](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#assign-an-approval-workflow-to-a-project)
- For startwork, ensure each document has [signature fields](/v1/docs/electronic-signature-lines) for all required approvers

## Access Approval workflows

> [!NOTE]
> **Approval workflows are permission based**
> 
> To update, your account must have one of the following [roles](/v1/docs/permissions-and-access-control) enabled:
> 
> - Role: *Company Admin*
> - Custom role with: *General* *settings* - *Full access, Production entities - Full access, Manage*

**How to access approval workflows:**

1. In the left-side navigation, click the dropdown menu
2. In the dropdown menu, select **All projects**
3. In the left-side navigation, click **Company settings**
4. Scroll down to *Project preferences*
5. Click the **Manage** button next to *Approval workflows* to go to the company-level *Approval workflows management* page

## Create an approval workflow

Use the following steps to create a new approval workflow:

1. On the [*Approval workflows management page*](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#access-approval-workflows), click the **+ Add approval workflow** button
2. In the *Add workflow* popup, click the ***Approval type*** dropdown menu to select the type of approval workflow you want to create: *Purchase orders, Timecard & expenses, Startwork, Vendor payments, Vendors, or AP Invoices*
3. If your company has an [organizational hierarchy](/v1/docs/about-organizations) setup in Wrapbook, you can click the **Organization** dropdown to select the one that will have access to the workflow
  - By default, your company will be selected as the organization. This means that you won’t have to update this option if your company doesn’t use an organizational hierarchy.
4. On the *Add approval workflow* page, enter a *Workflow name* and optional *Description*
5. Optionally, click to toggle on/off *Workflow enabled*
  - *On* means the workflow will be turned on for approvers once you click the *Save* button
  - *Off* means that the workflow won’t be turned on for approvers once you click the *Save* button. If you toggle off, you’ll be able to return to the *Approval workflows management* page to toggle it on once the workflow is saved.
  - On the *Approvals workflows management* page, you can show or hide disabled workflows
6. In *Customize your approvals* section, click **+ Add approvers** button in *Step #1* to open the selection drawer
7. In the *Add approvers to step* drawer, you can click the checkboxes to select the approvers by [team member](/v1/docs/members) name or [role](/v1/docs/roles-permissions)
  - When you click to select a role, all team members within the organization that have been assigned to that role will be added as approvers
  - If you don’t see the person that you want to add as an approver, click the **Team management** link to [invite them](/v1/docs/members#team-management-options). Once they accept their invitation, their name will appear in the drawer.
  - Optionally, you can [create an approval group](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#create-an-approval-group), that you can reuse when creating approval workflows in the future
8. Once you’ve made your selections in the drawer, click the **Add** button
9. The approval workflow step will now display the selected approvers
  - To add additional team members to the step, click the **+ Add approvers** button
  - To [add a rule to the approval workflow step](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#how-to-set-up-rules-for-approval-workflows), click the **+ Add rule** button
10. To add another round of approvals that will occur after all approvers in the previous workflow approval step have signed off, click **+ Add step** button. This can be repeated as needed.
11. When your finished configuring all the steps in your approval workflow, click the **Save** button

![Interface for managing approval workflows with an option to add a new workflow.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/67f3ef76-1568-46b4-8047-4792fc3a99ce/Images/Documentation/Untitled - 2025-10-15T152930.962.png)

*Click the* ***+ Add approval workflow*** *button*

![Workflow setup window showing approval type and organization fields for submission.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/67f3ef76-1568-46b4-8047-4792fc3a99ce/Images/Documentation/Untitled - 2025-10-15T153252.732.png)

*Click the* ***Approval type*** *dropdown menu to select the type of approval workflow you want to create, then click the* ***Organization*** *dropdown to select the organization that will have access to the workflow. Once. you’ve made your selections, click the* ***Continue*** *button.*

![Form for adding an approval workflow with fields for name and description.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/67f3ef76-1568-46b4-8047-4792fc3a99ce/Images/Documentation/Untitled - 2025-10-15T154649.697.png)

*Enter the Workflow name, and Description (optional), click to toggle on/off Workflow enabled (optional), and then click the* ***+ Add approvers*** *button*

![Interface for adding approvers with user roles and email addresses listed.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/67f3ef76-1568-46b4-8047-4792fc3a99ce/Images/Documentation/Untitled - 2025-10-15T155932.675.png)

*In the panel, you can use the Search bar to find team members. Click the checkboxes next to the team members that you want to include in the first approval step, then click the* *Add* *button.*

![Approval flow customization interface showing steps and options for purchase orders.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/67f3ef76-1568-46b4-8047-4792fc3a99ce/Images/Documentation/Untitled - 2025-10-15T163110.597.png)

*To add another round of approvals, click the* ***+ Add step*** *button. When you’re done configuring the approval workflow, click the* ***Save*** *button.*

### Workflow approval groups

Approval groups are pre-assigned sets of approvers who share responsibility for a workflow step.

You can choose whether:

- **All approvers** must approve before advancing, or
- **Any approver** can approve to move forward

#### Create an approval group

1. In the *Add approvers to step* panel, click the toggle next to *Add as group*
2. Enter a **Group name**
3. Under *Require approval from*, choose **Any approver** or **All approvers**
4. Click **Add**

The group is now saved and available for future workflows.

#### Update or delete an approval group

1. On the **Approval workflows** page, click the **Approval groups** tab
2. Click **Edit** next to the group
3. Update the information and click **Save**
4. To delete, click **Delete group** at the bottom of the page and confirm

### Rules for approval workflow steps

When adding steps to an approval workflow, you’ll have the option to set conditional *rules* that determine how the workflow should progress.

#### How to set up rules for approval workflows

1. When adding a step to an approval workflow, click the **Rule** button
2. In the *Add rule* popup, you have the following options:
  - *When…*
    - When you click to select a role, all team members within the organization that have been assigned to that role will be added as approvers
    - If you don’t see the person that you want to add as an approver, click the **Team management** link to [invite them](/v1/docs/members#team-management-options). Once they accept their invitation, their name will appear in the drawer.
    - Optionally, you can [create an approval group](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#create-an-approval-group), that you can reuse when creating approval workflows in the future
  - Click the dropdown menu to select a*ll* or a*ny*
  - Click the next dropdown menu to select the [conditions](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#rule-conditions-by-approval-workflow-type). Note that the options in the dropdown menu are based on the the type of approval workflow you’re updating.
  - To create more than one condition groups, click **+ Add condition** and then make your selections from the dropdown menus
  - When you’re finished setting up the rule, click the **Apply** button

![Approval workflow showing roles and steps for purchase order submission and approval.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/67f3ef76-1568-46b4-8047-4792fc3a99ce/Images/Documentation/Untitled - 2025-11-03T130834.263.png)

*Click the* ***+ Add rule*** *button*

![Conditions for purchase order approval including date, department, and worker type specified.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/67f3ef76-1568-46b4-8047-4792fc3a99ce/Images/Documentation/Untitled - 2025-11-03T132150.061.png)

*Example of a rule being setup for an approval workflow. Click any of the dropdown menus to make your selections. Click* ***+ Add condition group*** *to add more conditions. When your ready, click the* ***Apply*** *button.*

### Rule conditions by approval workflow type

Conditions in approval workflow rules are the “if” statements that decide when a step needs approval. A condition compares fields on the item being approved to criteria you set. When the condition is true, the step is required; when it’s false, the step is skipped.

#### Startwork approval workflows

These rule conditions evaluate data from the hiring form and worker profile:

*Worker type*

- Route workflow based on [worker type](/v1/docs/worker-classification): *Employee, Contractor*, or *Loan‑out*
- Route based on if the worker has an [assigned project department head](/v1/docs/adding-employment-type-job#department)
  - If no department is assigned, the rule evaluates to false

*Allowances*

- Route workflow based on the *cap amount*
- Route workflow based on *amount*
- Route workflow based on the [allowance category granted to the worker](/v1/docs/worker-allowances-admin)

*Union*

- Route workflow based on worker’s union affiliation: *DGA, IATSE,* Non-Union, Non-Union (PHBP), *Teamsters*, *SAG-AFTRA, WGA,* *AFM*, *CWA*, or *Basic Crafts*

*Project department*

- Route workflow based on the assigned [department](/v1/docs/additional-settings#departments)

![Interface for adding rules based on project worker and allowance conditions.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/67f3ef76-1568-46b4-8047-4792fc3a99ce/Images/Documentation/Untitled - 2025-11-21T090556.753.png)

*When configuring startwork approval workflow rules, you’ll have the option to select from the conditions highlighted*

#### Timecard approval workflows

These rule conditions evaluate timecard fields.

*Worker type*

- Route workflow based on [worker type](/v1/docs/worker-classification): *Employee, Contractor*, or *Loan‑out*

*Project department*

- Route based on the [department](/v1/docs/assign-project-workers-to-a-department-or-location) the project workers have been assigned to

*Union*

- Route workflow based on worker’s union affiliation: *DGA, IATSE,* Non-Union, Non-Union (PHBP), *Teamsters*, *SAG-AFTRA, WGA,* *AFM*, *CWA*, or *Basic Crafts*

#### PO approval workflows

These rule conditions evaluate purchase order fields.

*Purchase order*

- Route workflow based: *Date, Purchase order number*, or *Total*

*Project department*

- Route based on the [department assigned to the PO](/v1/docs/update-pos)

*Project worker*

- Route based on the PO submitter’s [worker type](/v1/docs/worker-classification)

![Interface for adding rules to an approval process with various conditions listed.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/67f3ef76-1568-46b4-8047-4792fc3a99ce/Images/Documentation/Untitled - 2025-11-13T164657.761.png)

*When configuring PO approval workflow rules, you’ll have the option to select from the conditions highlighted*

#### Vendor payments approval workflows

These rule conditions evaluate vendor payments fields:

*Payment batch project*

- Route workflow based on *Project name*

*Payment group*

- Route workflow based on *Payment method*

*Vendor*

- Route workflow based on the vendor’s *Display name*

*Invoice*

- Route workflow based on the *Payment date*
- Route workflow based on the *Payment amount*

![Interface for adding rules with highlighted conditions for payment processing approval.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/67f3ef76-1568-46b4-8047-4792fc3a99ce/Images/Documentation/Untitled - 2026-01-27T112407.574.png)

*When configuring Vendor payments approval workflow rules, you’ll have the option to select from the conditions highlighted*

#### AP invoice approval workflows

These rule conditions evaluate AP invoice fields.

*Project*

- Route workflow based on project name

*Invoice amount*

- Route workflow based on dollar threshold (for example, invoices over $5,000)

*Invoice date*

- Route workflow based on date threshold (for example, invoices after wrap date)

*Payment type*

- Route workflow based on payment method (For example, checks, wire transfers)

*PO linked*

- Route workflow based on if PO was matched (for example, invoices without PO need approval)

*Payment date*

- Route workflow based on payment date threshold (for example payment after wrap date)

*Vendor*

- Route workflow based on vendor name

### Update or delete a rule for an approval workflow step

To change or delete an approval workflow rule:

1. Go to the company-level [*Approval workflow management page*](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#access-approval-workflows)
2. Click the name of the approval workflow that you want to update rules for
3. On the *Edit approval workflow* page, scroll down to the *Customize your approvals* section and then click the **Edit rule** button in the *Step* that you want to update
4. In the Edit rule popup, you can click the dropdown menus and options to make your changes, or click **Delete rule** to remove it completely
5. When you’re done editing the rule for the approval workflow step, click the **Apply** button

## Update or turn on/off an approval workflow

To change or turn on/off an approval workflow:

1. On the [*Approval workflows management page*](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#access-approval-workflows), click the **Approval workflows** tab
2. Click **Edit** next to the workflow
3. Update details, approvers, or steps as needed
4. To turn an approval workflow on or off, click the toggle **Workflow enabled** off
5. Click **Save**

## Assign an approval workflow to a project

Remember, in order to use an approval workflow, it must first be [created at the company level,](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#create-an-approval-workflow) and [toggled on](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#update-or-turn-onoff-an-approval-workflow).

To assign an approval workflow to a project:

1. In the left-side navigation, click the dropdown menu and select the project that you want to assign an approval workflow to
2. In the left-side navigation, click **Project settings**
3. In the *ADDITIONAL SETTINGS* sub-menu, click **Approval workflows**
4. On the project’s *Approval workflow management* page, click the search bar to see the list of available approval workflows. Click to select the approval workflow(s) that you want to assign to the project.
5. Click the **Save** button

## How to use you Approvals dashboard

Company team members that have been [added to an approval workflow](/v1/docs/approval-workflows#create-an-approval-group) can access the items they need to review and approve from the project’s *Approvals* dashboard:

1. In the left-side navigation, click the dropdown menu and select the project that you want to approve items for
2. In the left-side navigation, click **Approvals**
3. On your *Approvals* dashboard, click the tab to see the list of items waiting for your approval: *Purchase orders*, *Timecards*, *Startwork, Vendors or AP Invoices*. Note that you’ll only see the tabs and items that you have been authorized to approve.

Note:

- Custom or uploaded startwork can be bulk approved
- Wage Theft Prevention Act (WTPA) forms can be bulk approved
- Government-issued forms (like W-4 or I-9) **cannot** be bulk approved due to compliance rules

### Approval workflow notifications

Wrapbook notifies the right team members at the right time as approvals move through your workflow. Below is what to expect and how each notification works.

#### Notification channels

- In‑app notification alert (bell icon)
- Emails come from @wrapbook.com

#### Types of notifications

- **Approval requested *(Immediate)***: Sent as soon as an approver is added to an approval step and the item enters their queue
- **Approval requested *(Reminder)***: Follow‑up if an approval request is still pending after the initial notification
- **Approval requested (*Digest*):** Scheduled batched summary of pending approvals instead of individual messages
- **Approval approved:** Confirms that an approver approved the request
- **Approval denied:** Confirms that an approver denied the request
- **Request sent back:** Signals that a request was sent back to a prior step or approver for changes
- **Workflow comment added**: Notifies participants when a comment is added on the approval thread
- **Startwork deal edited***:* Alerts relevant participants that a worker deal was edited during a startwork approval workflow

(Directors Guild of America) Covers directors, UPMs and assistant directors on the West Coast and includes location managers on the East Coast. (Film and TV example used here).

(International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees) A union which includes separate locals for most below-the-line employees (crew).

Screen Actors Guild- American Federation of Television and Radio Artists; the union which has jurisdiction over all performers.

Writers Guild of America represents film and television writers.

A coalition of Hollywood unions that bargain their own agreement separate from IATSE. These include Teamsters Local 399, IBEW Local 40, Studio Plumbers Local 78, Laborers Local 724 and Studio Plasterers Local 755.

(Purchase Order) A financial document committing the production to expenditure.

(PO) A document used to inform the production of a financial commitment and to obtain approval for that expenditure.For example, Production places an order for 100 walkie talkies to be used for 5 months.They must create a purchase order that outlines the vendor's name and contact information, payment terms, rental dates, and the full cost to the production. This purchase order is then sent for approval and, once approved, allows for the vendor to be paid.

Federal tax withholding form completed at time of initial hiring for tax calculation purposes.

A form to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States