What is an 'Approval Workflow' in Smartsheet?

An 'Approval Workflow' in Smartsheet is a structured process that requires user approval at various stages before moving on to the next step in the workflow. This functionality is essential for ensuring that specific actions or changes to a project or task receive the necessary review and consent, allowing for better governance and accountability within teams.

The workflow can be customized according to the needs of a project, specifying who has the authority to approve each step and what criteria they should evaluate during their assessment. This ensures that decisions are made thoughtfully, promoting collaboration and transparency, and reducing the chances of errors or miscommunication.

While collecting feedback or tracking expenses may be important aspects of project management, they do not specifically pertain to the structured approval process that an Approval Workflow represents. Additionally, automating data entry tasks serves a different purpose and focuses on efficiency rather than on managing approvals. Thus, the defining characteristic of an Approval Workflow is its mechanism for requiring consent at critical points in a project.