Processes that can wait for people
Not every decision should be automated — and that is fine. A flow can stop at exactly the point where someone has to decide, and continue by itself afterwards.
A page as a step in the process
The “display page” step turns a flow into a sequence with a pause. The page shows the case at hand and holds the fields that should come back — a decision, a comment, a correction. Only once it is submitted does the flow move on.
- Context, not a case number — the page shows the case, not just an empty form
- Input fields — approval, rejection, reasoning — all of it flows back into the entry
- The flow waits — no timeout, no lost case
- Automatic afterwards — notify, pass on, write into other systems
A link in the inbox is enough
Instead of hoping someone logs in, the flow creates a link to the page and sends it by email. The person deciding clicks, sees the case and decides — no account, no licence, no training.
- Create link to a page — a step of its own, right before the email
- An email with context — subject and text carry values from the entry
- Without signing in — managers, customers or partners need no access
- Or as a form link — when a prefilled form is all it takes
Hi Sabine,
Nordwind AG ordered 12 units at € 89.00. Please decide by Friday.
The link opens the page — no login required.
From a follow-up question to a second approval
A case rarely ends after one decision. The stepper layout guides through several steps, conditional visibility raises follow-up questions only on a rejection, and conditions in the flow start a second approval above a certain amount.
- A guided page — stepper layout instead of everything at once
- Follow-ups on demand — conditional visibility brings in what fits the answer
- Router — branches the flow: depending on amount or category it continues down a different path
- Reminders — further steps can chase when nothing happens
What an approval is made of
The steps that bring people in, and what happens before and after.
Human steps in a flow
- Display page
- The flow shows a page and waits until it is submitted.
- Create link to a page
- Produces an address you send in the next step.
- Prefilled form link
- A form with the context already filled in.
- Send email
- Brings the link to where the person is already looking.
What the page can show
- The case itself
- Text, values and embedded views — the basis for the decision.
- Input fields
- A comment, a reason, or a corrected amount.
- Conditional visibility
- Follow-up questions appear only on a rejection.
- Stepper layout
- Several steps instead of one overloaded page.
What happens afterwards
- Update entry
- Decision, comment and timestamp land in the entry.
- Pass it on
- The next stage gets a link of its own.
- Notify
- Email, Slack, MS Teams or SMS to everyone involved.
- Inform other systems
- An HTTP request to ERP, accounting or inventory.
Questions about approvals
What is a human-in-the-loop process?
An automated sequence that deliberately waits for a person at one point. In ApptiveGrid that is a flow step which displays a page: the process pauses, somebody decides, and afterwards it carries on.
Does the person deciding need an account?
No. The flow can create a link to the page and send it by email. The person clicks in their inbox, decides and is done — no login, no extra licence.
How long can a process wait?
As long as it takes. The flow stays at that point until the page is submitted, whether that is an hour or two weeks later.
Are multi-stage approvals possible?
Yes. After the first decision the next step follows, and it can create and send another link. Conditions route different paths — a second approval only above a certain amount, for instance.
Does it stay traceable who decided what?
Yes. Whatever is entered on the page is written back into the entry by the flow. Decision, comment and timestamp end up in the database rather than in an email thread.
Is this the same as a form?
Not quite. A form captures new data. A page inside a flow additionally shows the case at hand and is part of a process that runs before and after it.
Set up your first approval
Start for free, create a flow, add a page as a step. No credit card required.