Manage Approvals in Google Workspace
This article explains how to manage all types of Workflow at one Place in Google Workspace. Reviewers can approve, reject, or leave feedback on the documents directly within Drive, Docs, and other Google Workspace editors.
What is Approval?
Approval is a feature using which users can send documents in Google Drive through a formal approval process. Reviewers can approve, reject, or leave feedback on the documents directly within Drive, Docs, and other Google Workspace editors.
This feature is available from Business Standard onward.
How it works
When a user sends a document for approval, approvers get email or Drive notifications about the request. If the user sets a due date, reviewers get email reminders that their approval is needed within the date. Users decide whether Editors are able to edit the content, leave comments or make suggestions on the document by selecting whether to lock the document or not. By default, documents are unlocked. But when all reviewers approve the document, the file will be locked. Locked files can't be edited until they're unlocked. Unlocking the file doesn't cancel the current approval request.
Benefits of Approval
It helps you to create a workflow inside your organization, where automated workflows can eliminate the bottlenecks in the process, boost efficiency and improve workplace productivity.
Process
1. In your Google Admin console (at admin.google.com)
2. Go to Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs
3. Click Approvals (Based on your selected Organizational Unit).
4. Now open Google Doc / Sheet / Slides, after typing your content click on “File” and you will see “Approvals”
5. Once you click on the “Approvals” now click on “Make a Request”.
6. Add the Approvers. You may select the due date as per your requirement using the two options available (1. Allow approvers to edit this file | 2. Lock file before sending approval request) and then send Request.
7. After sending the request in the right hand side bar you can see the status of Pending approvals.
If you select the second option (2. Lock file before sending approval request) and then send Request) after sending for approval your file will be locked and you won’t be able to edit anything.
8. Go to the approver’s drive and you will be able to see the document which is shared for Approval.
9. Once you open that file you will find 2 options: Approve and Reject.
10. Once you click on Approve there will be an option to type an optional message and click on Approve.
11. Approval is completed.
