Your first approval process
You want to approve vacation requests, orders, or invoices digitally. The planner guides you through all decisions before the first flow is created.
Template for businesses
Approval Toolkit for Power Automate.
Product language: German. An English edition is planned.
Plan, build, and test approval processes that stand up to everyday use: with deadlines, reminders, escalation, delegation, logging, and clearly defined licensing requirements. Ten building blocks presented as detailed step-by-step guides, four scenarios from vacation requests to contract approval, an Excel planner, and a template for process description and acceptance.
You receive step-by-step guides and planning documents and build the flows yourself. Basic knowledge of cloud flows, dynamic content, and SharePoint lists is required.
- 93-page handbook
- 10 building blocks
- 4 scenarios
- €179 plus VAT
Freigabe-Baukasten-Power-Automate_Planer.xlsx
Maximum duration15 days
One flow is enough
Building blocksB01B02B04B05
- 1 · cost center6 days
- 2 · purchasing at €5,000 or more4 days
- 3 · management at €25,000 or more5 days
StartFact sheetStagesPattern selectionLicensesTest log
01When the toolkit pays off
The first flow is quick to build. Day-to-day operation takes more work.
Requests sit untouched during vacations, nobody receives reminders, decisions cannot be substantiated later, and the flow depends on one person's account. The toolkit gives your team a proven method to get this right from the start.
A flow is causing trouble
Requests sit untouched, expire after weeks, or fail because of absences. The building blocks for deadlines, escalation, and delegation solve exactly that.
Evidence is required
Internal auditors, external auditors, or internal control teams want to know who made the decision and when. The log keeps a traceable record of every decision beyond the 30-day run history retention period.
Several processes, one pattern
Every business unit builds approvals differently. With the toolkit, all processes follow the same data model, the same building blocks, and the same test cases.
02The package
Three files, one well-thought-out process.
You receive a ZIP package with all files, ready to use immediately and for any number of your own approval processes.
XLSX
Planner (Excel)
Document the process, define stages and deadlines, choose suitable building blocks, check licenses, plan the data model and permissions, and log all test cases.
DOCX
Process description and acceptance (Word)
Structured template that describes the finished approval process: roles, flow, rules, data, permissions, technology, operations, test result, and acceptance.
PDFHandbook (PDF)
Step-by-step procedure, approval fundamentals, ten building blocks presented as detailed step-by-step guides, and four scenarios from vacation request to contract approval.
The sheets of the planner
- Stagesup to six stages with deadline, reminder, escalation, and delegation, with validation of the entries
- Pattern selectiontwelve questions, from which the building blocks your process needs are derived
- Licensesconnectors used, standard or premium, is the Microsoft 365 license sufficient?
- Data modelall lists and columns with internal names; what you need is marked
- Test logthe test cases of your building blocks with expected results
03How it works
In six steps to an accepted process.
Plan first, then build, then test. The planner records every decision, and the handbook guides you step by step through the build.
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Document the process
Fill in the fact sheet: who submits requests, who decides, how many requests come in, and which rules apply.
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Define stages and deadlines
For each stage, define the condition, approvers, type of approval, deadline, reminder, escalation, and delegation.
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Choose building blocks
Answer twelve questions. The planner shows which building blocks you need and in which chapter they are described.
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Clarify licenses, data, and permissions
Check connectors, plan lists and columns, and define permissions for each role.
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Build
Build the chosen building blocks using the step-by-step guides in the handbook, first in a test or development environment.
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Test and accept
Run all relevant test cases, record the results, and have the process formally accepted using the process description.
04The building blocks
Ten building blocks in three groups.
Each building block is a detailed step-by-step guide with action names in German and English, expressions to copy, pitfalls, and test cases. You build only what your process needs. All of them work with the standard connectors of the Microsoft 365 license, except in Managed Environments. Four scenarios show how the building blocks fit together into typical approval processes.
01Approval patternsSingle-stage, sequential multi-stage, and parallel approval3
- B01Single-stage approval: basic pattern: trigger with status column, one approval, write back the result, and notify.
- B02Sequential multi-stage approval: Additional stages run in sequence, each only when needed, for example at or above a set amount.
- B03Parallel approval: several people or business units at the same time: one is enough, all must approve, or separate branches.
02ControlApprovers, deadlines, delegation, and clarification requests4
- B04Determining approvers: managers from Microsoft Entra ID, responsibilities from the ApprovalRules list, substitutes, and two-person review.
- B05Deadlines, reminders, and escalation: timeout per stage, escalation after the deadline, and a daily reminder flow.
- B06Delegation and absence: include the delegate from the Delegations list in the request, and allow reassignment by approvers.
- B07Clarification, revision, and withdrawal: custom responses with "Request Info" for clarification requests, resubmission, and withdrawal during the review.
03Evidence and operationsLog, error handling, permissions, and service account3
- B08Log and traceability: every event as an entry in the ApprovalLog list, protected against changes.
- B09Error handling and restart: Try and Catch for approvals: status "Error," message with a link to the run, restart via the status.
- B10Permissions and operations: solution, service account, permissions, a watchdog flow for manual changes, and monitoring.
Four scenarios from vacation request to contract approval
Vacation request
Employees request vacation, and their manager decides. If the manager is absent, the delegate decides.
Purchase requisition
Orders are approved in up to three stages depending on the amount: cost center, purchasing, and management for amounts at or above a high threshold.
Invoice approval
Incoming invoices are checked for factual and financial accuracy before payment. At or above a specified amount, management also decides.
Document and contract approval
The business unit and the legal department review a document at the same time. For a high ContractValue or a long term, management then decides.
05A look inside
This is how each building block is structured.
Goal, use, prerequisites, numbered steps with the actions, expressions, pitfalls, and test cases. Here is the overview of one building block and pages from the handbook.
Deadlines, reminders, and escalation
8 steps8 test casesStandard connectors only
Each stage gets a deadline. Before it expires, a separate flow reminds the approvers; after the deadline, the request also goes to an escalation contact. If nobody responds there either, the request is considered expired.
How to build it
- Record the deadline and reminder in the request
- Timeout of the approval
- Report the escalation
- Send the escalation request
- Mark the end of the request
- Use the results from both requests
- Create the reminder flow
- Send daily reminders
When you need it
When decisions have to be made within a certain time, for example because of an early payment discount. When requests get lost in everyday work and reminders are needed. When another decision-maker should step in if no action is taken.
Example from step 7: create the reminder flow
Filter query · Due Reminders
Status eq 'In Review' and RemindFrom le '@{utcNow()}'
Check before you buy whether the structure and approach fit your team. The sample includes the table of contents, the first two chapters, the overview of all ten building blocks with the beginning of building block B01, and the purchase requisition scenario, on original pages from the handbook (in German).
Open sample (PDF, German) (opens in a new tab) 339 KB06Price and license
Buy once, use across the whole company.
One license applies to your company, all employees, and any number of your own approval processes.
The license terms apply.
System requirements. For the planner: Microsoft Excel 2016 or later or Microsoft 365 on Windows or macOS, alternatively Excel for the web. For the process description: Microsoft Word 2016 or later or Microsoft 365. For the handbook: a program for PDF files. For building the flows: Power Automate with standard connectors, for example via a Microsoft 365 license, and a SharePoint site. In Managed Environments, premium licenses are required (handbook, chapter 08).
Purchase via Digistore24
I will sell my products through Digistore24, a sales platform for digital products. Sales will start shortly; until then, you can ask to be notified by email.
- Seller and contractual partner: Digistore24 GmbH in Hildesheim, Germany. It sells in its own name.
- Payment and invoice: Via Digistore24; the invoice is sent by email.
- Download: After payment, you receive the link to the ZIP package. It is valid for 30 days and allows up to 10 downloads.
- Content and license: The product materials are created by me, and my license terms apply. For questions about payment and invoices, Digistore24 will help; for questions about the content, I will.
07License terms
Clear rules for use.
The same terms apply to all my products: powerbunch GmbH's license terms for digital products. With the purchase, your company receives the company license. Here you can see the key points at a glance, followed by all sections in detail.
Your license
Company license
For all employees and other persons acting on behalf of the purchasing company.
- Use by all employees and other persons acting on behalf of the purchasing company for any number of that company's own projects
- Affiliated companies need their own license; client projects require a consultant license unless the product description permits them without one
- The company may adapt the templates and use them as its own documents, but may not pass them on or sell them as templates
- The company may publish work products internally and provide them to third parties for its own purposes
- The company may incorporate code and formulas into its own software, flows, and apps and may also distribute or sell them, including as open source
- Offer for businesses only, no entitlement to updates, no training of AI models with the product
As of November 1, 2026 · Version 1.0. On request, the consultant license is available for use with clients, and the group license for affiliated companies. This offer is directed exclusively at businesses.
08Prefer to have it implemented?
I build your approval process.
Would you prefer not to build the process yourself? Does it need integrations with ERP, accounting, or signature services, or would you like a second opinion on your design? I implement the approval process for you, from concept to handover to your team.
Purchase price credited: If you commission the implementation of an approval process after purchase, I deduct the toolkit's purchase price from my quote.
09Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions
What distinguishes the toolkit from the free guide?
The guide "Power Automate Performance: 50 tips" explains what makes cloud flows fast and stable, for all kinds of flows. The toolkit focuses on approvals: planning stages and deadlines, ten step-by-step guides covering single-stage approval through escalation, delegation, and logging, four scenarios, and a test log. For general topics such as error handling, it refers to the relevant tip in the guide.
Do I need a premium license?
Usually not. All building blocks use only standard connectors: Standard approvals, SharePoint, Office 365 Outlook, and Office 365 Users. These are part of Power Automate in many Microsoft 365 plans. The exception is Managed Environments, where the flows need premium licenses. The planner checks this for your process.
Are there ready-made flows to import?
No. You receive detailed step-by-step guides and build the flow yourself. This way, it fits your lists, rules, and connections, and your team understands it and can maintain it later.
What prior knowledge do I need?
You should already have built cloud flows and know dynamic content and simple expressions. Every step is explained in the handbook, and all expressions are available to copy in the planner.
For how many processes may I use the toolkit?
For as many of your own approval processes as you like. The company license applies to all employees and other persons acting on behalf of the purchasing company. Affiliated companies need their own license. For each process, create a copy of the planner.
May service providers use the toolkit with clients?
Service providers may use the toolkit on behalf of the purchasing company for its own processes. Anyone who wants to use it as a consulting firm with clients needs a consultant license. It is available on request; just contact me.
How up to date is the content?
All information has been checked against Microsoft's documentation (as of November 1, 2026). I also tried out the most important expressions, filters, and trigger conditions in a test environment. Each building block names its sources. Microsoft continuously develops Power Automate; the version and date are shown on the cover page of the handbook.
How do I receive the files and an invoice?
You buy through my sales partner Digistore24 (Digistore24 GmbH, Hildesheim, Germany). Digistore24 is your contractual partner for the purchase, receives the payment, and sends you the invoice by email. The VAT treatment depends on your company's registered office and the details provided during checkout. Immediately after payment, you receive the link to download the ZIP package. It is valid for 30 days and allows up to 10 downloads, so please save the files right after your purchase. For questions about payment and invoices, Digistore24 support will help; for questions about the content, I will.
10Further reading
Related to this topic
Questions about the Approval Toolkit? Contact me.
Whether you need a license for your consulting firm, have questions about a building block, or want your approval process implemented, we clarify what you need in a free, no-obligation initial consultation via Microsoft Teams.