It’s amazing how many activities in life and work require some sort of approval. From major decisions like budget allocations to quirky ones like naming the moons on planets, approvals touch almost every aspect of our lives. For example, did you know that the DMV reviews and approves every personalized license plate? Some plates get the green light, like IMLATE, UHOH, BATCAR, CANTDRV, ICU2, and BLAHBLA. Others? Not so much. Plates like YOUCRY, IM2SEXY, FARTGN, 2FAST4U, IMBOOMER and ICUTU have been rejected for being too cheeky, controversial, or maybe just because someone in the office was extra grumpy.

Approvals aren’t limited to the DMV, of course. In the workforce, they’re essential to keeping businesses running smoothly, ensuring accountability, and managing risk. Whether it’s a real estate purchase, a marketing campaign, or something as simple as a travel expense, approvals provide a structured way to move tasks forward.

And that’s where tools like Asana’s approval feature shine. They make it easy to keep our work organized, communicate clearly and maintain momentum. In this post (and video), we’re breaking down 7 approval methods that can help you find the perfect balance between oversight and efficiency. These approaches offer different ways to tackle approvals based on your project’s needs.

1. Once & Done Approvals

This is the simplest use of Asana approvals. The task is used only once. Regardless of the approval status, the task is marked as complete and stays that way. For example, a vacation approval request might be reviewed and approved. This method is ideal for straightforward decisions that don’t require much follow-up. See this video for a demonstration.

2. Once & Again Approvals

This option involves creating a few Asana Rules to establish follow-up tasks based on the approval status. The task is still used only once, but additional tasks are generated as needed. For instance, if an electrical inspection is marked “Change Requested,” Asana will create additional tasks assigning team members to address the issue and generate another approval task to repeat the process. See this video for a demonstration.

3. One-Up Approval

In this approach, the approval is a subtask, typically part of a series of tasks related to a parent task. When it’s time for the reviewer to process the approval, they navigate one level up to the parent task to review descriptions, attachments, and comments, then mark the approval subtask appropriately. For example, a marketing manager may approve an ad design as part of the overall ad creation workflow. See this video for a demonstration. 

4. One-Down Approval

The one-down method keeps the approval task at the parent level but uses Asana Rules to generate one or more subtasks based on the approval status. Additionally, Asana marks the approval task as “Incomplete” if the status is set to “Changes Requested.” For example, if a document requires approval as part of a cross-functional project and isn’t approved, a subtask is created requiring the assignee to make edits. See this video for a demonstration. 

5. Part-Time Approval (Sections/Custom Fields)

This option uses the Agile method to convert the task into an approval task when it reaches a specific stage (e.g., “In Review”) in the workflow (using either Sections or Custom Fields.) For example, a new event request from an Asana Form flows from “New Requests” to “In Progress” to “In Review.” Once it reaches this stage, Asana Rules convert the task into an approval task. After processing, additional Rules move the task forward, unmark it as an approval task, and, if necessary, reassign it. See this video for a demonstration. 

6. Part-Time Approval (Complete-It)

This approach functions similarly to the “Part-Time Approval (Sections)” method but tasks progress through stages by being marked as “Complete” rather than manually moving between Sections or Custom Fields. For example, expense requests enter the board via a form and flow through each stage as the assignee marks them “Complete.” When the task reaches the “In Review” stage, Asana converts it into an approval task and reassigns it if necessary. See this video for a demonstration. 

7. Part-Time Approval (Subtask Complete-It)

This final method leverages Asana Rules to manage a defined workflow as subtasks. As each subtask is marked “Complete,” it triggers the next stage in the Agile flow. Similar to other “Part-Time Approval” methods, when the task reaches the approval phase, the parent task is temporarily converted into an approval task until the approval is processed. For example, an email newsletter may flow through a well-defined series of tasks that include one or more approval phases. See this video for a demonstration. 

Approved!

Wrapping up, I hope these demonstrations of various ways to use Asana’s approval workflows have cleared up some of the confusion you might’ve had and sparked a few ideas for your own team. Whether you’re managing something as simple as a DMV license plate approval (UCNDIT) or tackling more complex workflows, the approvals feature is a fantastic way to streamline your tasks and keep everything on track. With the right setup and a bit of creativity, you can confidently build a system that empowers your team to make approvals work seamlessly for your organization. And remember, if you need help customizing workflows or troubleshooting, don’t hesitate to reach out!