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15 templates · Flowchart

Approval Workflow Flowcharts

An approval workflow flowchart maps every decision gate, reviewer role, escalation path, and notification trigger between a request submission and its final disposition — turning an implicit email chain into a documented, auditable process.

Standard Sugiyama layered DAG + orthogonal routingEngine schematex-flowchartExport SVG · PNG · PDF
15 templates
Flowchart Approval Workflow
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Nothing close enough? Start from a blank flowchart → Describe it in one paragraph.

How to

How to use a flowchart template.

  1. 01Describe the request type and submitter

    Start with what is being approved and who submits it — e.g. 'An employee submits a purchase requisition over $500.'

  2. 02Define decision gates and thresholds

    List each decision point and its routing rule — e.g. 'Under $2k: direct manager approves. $2k–$10k: manager + finance. Over $10k: also requires CFO sign-off.'

  3. 03Add rejection and revision paths

    Specify what happens on rejection — does the submitter revise and resubmit, or is the request cancelled? ChatDiagram adds these return paths to the flowchart.

  4. 04Include notifications and SLAs

    Mention any email or system notifications and response deadlines. These appear as annotations or swim-lane labels in the diagram.

  5. 05Export and share

    Download as PNG/PDF for process documentation, or copy the embed link to paste directly into Confluence, Notion, or your BRD.

FAQ

Questions about flowchart templates

What symbols are used in an approval workflow flowchart?

Standard BPMN or classic flowchart symbols: rectangles for tasks/actions, diamonds for decision gates (yes/no branch), rounded rectangles for start/end events, and parallelograms for input/output steps like form submissions or email notifications. Swim lanes divide the diagram by approver role.

How do I show escalation when an approver doesn't respond?

Add a timer gate after the approver task node. If approval or rejection is not received within the SLA (e.g., 2 business days), the flow branches to an 'Escalate to next level' path — either auto-approving, re-routing to the approver's manager, or notifying a process owner.

What is a parallel approval and how is it drawn?

A parallel approval requires sign-off from multiple reviewers simultaneously rather than in sequence. In a BPMN flowchart, use a parallel gateway (a diamond with a + symbol) to fork the flow into simultaneous reviewer paths, and another parallel gateway to join the paths before the final approved/rejected decision.

Should I use BPMN or a simple flowchart for an approval workflow?

Use a simple flowchart for stakeholder communication, training documents, and BRDs — they're immediately readable by non-technical audiences. Use BPMN when the diagram will be imported into a BPM engine (Camunda, Activiti, Power Automate) that needs to execute the process, since BPMN maps directly to executable XML.