This guide gives UK SME teams a practical implementation path: start with the business question, check the data or workflow, build the smallest useful version, then document what has changed.
This guide gives UK SME teams a practical implementation path: start with the business question, check the data or workflow, build the smallest useful version, then document what has changed.
Create approval workflow turning inbox requests into tracked decisions.
March 22, 2026 6 min read Matty Hatton, founder of Digital AdaptionCreate approval workflow turning inbox requests into tracked decisions.
Power Automate mastery here means move from scattered admin to controlled, measurable workflows.. This guide is written for operations leaders, analysts using microsoft 365.
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In This GuideOperations leaders, analysts using Microsoft 365.
Shared inbox approvals have no ownership or tracking.
Mastery focusBuild the smallest repeatable workflow that removes friction first, then scale once the output is trusted.
Create a SharePoint list called "Approval Log" with these columns:
| Column | Type |
|---|---|
| RequestSubject | Single line of text |
| RequesterEmail | Single line of text |
| Amount | Currency |
| Decision | Choice (Approved/Rejected) |
| ApproverEmail | Single line of text |
| DecisionDate | Date/Time |
| Comments | Multiple lines of text |
Subject contains "approval" (or your trigger keyword)If your emails follow a template, use Parse JSON to extract fields:
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"amount": { "type": "number" },
"requester": { "type": "string" },
"description": { "type": "string" }
}
}If no template, use expressions like:
float(replace(json(decodeBase64(triggerOutputs()?['body']['bodyPreview'])))?['amount'], '£', ''))Approval Request: @{triggerOutputs()?['body']['subject']}Add a Create item action (SharePoint):
triggerOutputs()?['body']['subject']if(equals(outputs('Start_and_wait_for_an_approval')?['body']['outcome'], 'Approve'), 'Approved', 'Rejected')outputs('Start_and_wait_for_an_approval')?['body']['responder']['email']utcNow()outputs('Start_and_wait_for_an_approval')?['body']['comments']Add a Send an email (V2) action:
Your request has been @{outputs('Start_and_wait_for_an_approval')?['body']['outcome']}Automating without audit logging.
Approval flow with trail.
Once the first version is trusted, fold it into the weekly or daily operating routine that owns the outcome. A guide without a standing cadence becomes a forgotten document.
If you need the workflow mapped, validated, or turned into a working report/app/process, use the linked service page to start the conversation.
Book a fractional delivery slotThe best owner is the person who understands both the business pain and the operational decision that must improve after the guide is used.
Run the proposed steps against a handful of live examples, then confirm the output with the team that already trusts the current process or source system.
It should answer a real operational problem with a repeatable workflow, clear ownership, and an outcome the reader can measure.
Matty Hatton is the founder of Digital Adaption, an ERP and data consultancy based on the Wirral. He has spent 15 years delivering ERP transformations for manufacturers, including leading the data migration on a £4.5m consolidation of four legacy systems onto a single Infor LN cloud instance for a 220-user group. He holds an MSc in Digital Transformation and IT Strategy from Manchester Metropolitan University and is Microsoft PL-200 certified.
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