How to build approval workflows on Asana

intermediate 12 min read Updated 2026-03-18

Quick Answer

Build approval workflows in Asana by creating a project with custom fields for approval status, setting up approval forms, and configuring automated rules to route tasks through reviewers. Use proofing features for visual content and dependencies to ensure proper sequencing.

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Prerequisites

Admin or Project Owner permissions in Asana
Asana Premium or higher subscription
Basic understanding of Asana projects and tasks
Knowledge of your organization's approval process

Step-by-Step Instructions

Create a new project for your approval workflow

Navigate to your team workspace and click + Create then select Project. Choose the Approval Workflow template or start with a Blank Project. Name your project clearly (e.g., "Marketing Content Approval") and set the appropriate privacy settings for your team.

Use descriptive project names that clearly indicate the approval purpose to help team members find the right workflow quickly.

Set up custom fields for approval tracking

Click Customize in your project header, then select Add Custom Field. Create a dropdown field called Approval Status with options like "Pending Review", "Approved", "Needs Changes", and "Rejected". Add additional fields for Reviewer, Priority Level, and Approval Date to track workflow progress.

Keep your approval status options simple and consistent across all approval workflows in your organization.

Create approval request forms

Go to Forms in your project and click Add form. Design a form with fields for request details, due dates, and file attachments. Include questions that capture all necessary information reviewers need, such as project context, target audience, and specific approval requirements. Enable Create follow-up tasks to automatically generate reviewer tasks.

Use conditional logic in forms to show different questions based on the type of content being submitted for approval.

Configure automated workflow rules

Click Customize then Rules and select Add rule. Create rules that automatically assign reviewers when approval status changes to "Pending Review" and send notifications to submitters when status updates occur. Set up rules to move approved items to a "Completed" section and create follow-up tasks for items needing changes.

Test your rules with sample tasks before rolling out the workflow to ensure all automation works as expected.

Set up task dependencies and approval stages

For multi-stage approvals, create tasks for each approval level and use Dependencies to link them in sequence. Click on a task, select Add dependencies, and choose which tasks must be completed before the next approval stage can begin. This ensures approvals happen in the correct order and prevents bottlenecks.

Use milestone tasks to mark major approval checkpoints and make it easy to track overall workflow progress.

Enable proofing for visual content approval

For designs, videos, or documents requiring visual review, attach files to tasks and click Proof. Reviewers can then add comments directly on the content, draw annotations, and mark specific areas that need changes. Enable Approval required to formalize the visual approval process and track decisions.

Encourage reviewers to use proofing markup tools rather than separate feedback documents to keep all comments centralized.

Create approval dashboard views

Set up different project views by clicking the view dropdown and selecting Board, List, or Timeline. Create a Board view grouped by Approval Status to visualize workflow stages, and a List view filtered by Reviewer to show each person's pending approvals. Save these as custom views for quick access.

Share dashboard links with stakeholders who need visibility into approval progress but don't work directly in the project.

Test and refine your approval workflow

Run a pilot approval process with a small group of stakeholders. Submit test requests, complete approvals, and verify that all automations, notifications, and status updates work correctly. Gather feedback from both submitters and reviewers, then adjust custom fields, rules, and forms based on their input before launching to your full team.

Document your approval workflow process and share training materials with team members to ensure consistent adoption.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Approval rules aren't triggering automatically

Check that your rule triggers match your custom field values exactly. Go to Customize > Rules and verify the trigger conditions. Ensure team members have permission to modify the custom fields that trigger your rules, and check that the rule is Active.

Team members can't see approval forms or submit requests

Verify project permissions by clicking Share and ensuring submitters have at least Comment access. Check that your form is set to Public to project members and that the form link is accessible to your intended users.

Approval notifications aren't reaching reviewers

Have reviewers check their Inbox settings and email notification preferences in My Profile Settings > Notifications. Ensure reviewers are properly assigned to tasks and that your rules include Send notification actions for status changes.

Dependencies are blocking workflow progression

Review task dependencies by clicking Timeline view to visualize the workflow sequence. Remove unnecessary dependencies that create bottlenecks, and ensure dependent tasks are marked complete before expecting subsequent tasks to become available for work.

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