Setting Up Approval Workflows for External Users in Power Automate

Approval workflows are a vital aspect of Power Automate, streamlining business processes with ease of setup and immense value. In the past, these workflows were limited to internal users within an organization, posing challenges when approvals needed to be sent to external parties such as customers or potential employees.

Customer Query

Recently, a customer approached us with a specific need: they wanted to create an approval workflow using Power Automate for external users, without requiring these users to possess a Power Automate license for approval actions.

Challenges and Initial Approach

Initially, we explored the option of setting up external users as guest users in the customer’s Azure Active Directory. However, this approach wasn't viable as it still required Power Automate for actual approval or rejection.

Discovering a Workaround

Despite the challenges, we devised a workaround that effectively met the customer's requirements, allowing us to construct an approval workflow for external users without the need for a license.

Implementation Steps

1.     Automate Trigger

            Begin with a trigger to initiate the workflow when record is created.
             

                  

2. Approval Email Setup

Utilize the 'Send email with options' action to send an approval email. Configure the settings for this action, including specifying the recipient's email address and providing 'Approve' or 'Reject' options in the 'User Options' field. You can also enable the 'Show HTML confirmation dialog' option.

3. Handling Recipient's Response

Incorporate a condition based on the 'SelectedOption' to process the recipient's response

4. Wait for Approval

5. Email received

6. Outcome

This approach ensures that external users receive the approval workflow via email and can respond by selecting 'Approve' or 'Reject.' Upon confirmation, the workflow is executed accordingly. While this workaround is effective, it's important to note that it doesn't replace the comprehensive features of true Approval flows. For instance, it doesn't allow users to provide additional comments or reasons for their decision.

 

7. Conclusion

The ideal approach remains utilizing Approval flows in Power Automate, this workaround serves as a practical solution when circumstances prevent such usage. We strive to offer effective solutions that align with varying business needs and constraints.