If you’re drowning in back-and-forth emails just to get a contract or proposal signed off, you’re not alone. Document approval shouldn’t be a game of “who’s got the PDF now?” — and it doesn’t have to be. This guide is for anyone who wants to set up a real, no-nonsense approval flow in Pandadoc so documents move faster and nobody has to chase signatures or feedback again.
We’ll walk through exactly how to set up automated approval workflows in Pandadoc, what actually works, and what’s more trouble than it’s worth. If you need every document to get a thumbs-up before it goes out (and you want fewer headaches), read on.
Why Set Up Automated Approval Workflows Anyway?
Let’s be blunt: Manual approvals are slow, error-prone, and make people grumpy. If your team sends out contracts, proposals, NDAs, or even policy docs, you want:
- A clear process for who approves what
- Fewer “oops, wrong version” mistakes
- A way to track who’s holding things up
Pandadoc’s approval workflow tools aren’t magic, but they do handle these basics pretty well. You can:
- Route docs to the right people (in the right order)
- Make approvals required before sending to clients
- See where things are stuck, without digging through your inbox
Done right, this saves hours and a ton of frustration. But Pandadoc’s setup screens aren’t always straightforward. Here’s how to get it working, step by step.
Step 1: Get Your Pandadoc House in Order
Before you touch approval settings, do a little prep:
- Permissions: Only admins and some managers can set up approval workflows. If you’re not one, get an admin to help.
- Plan limitations: Approval workflows are only on Pandadoc’s Business and Enterprise plans. If you’re on a free or lower-tier account, you’re out of luck.
- Decide your approval logic: Who really needs to sign off? Is it always the same people, or does it depend on the document? Write this down somewhere, even if it’s just a list in your notes app.
- Templates save time: If you send similar docs often, start with a template. Approvals can be linked to templates, so you won’t set things up from scratch every time.
Pro tip: Don’t try to automate messy, unclear processes. If you always argue over who approves what, sort that out first—otherwise, Pandadoc will just automate your confusion.
Step 2: Set Up an Approval Workflow in Pandadoc
Here’s where the magic (well, automation) happens. To create an approval workflow:
- Go to Settings: Click on your profile icon in the top right, then “Settings.” Then find “Approval Workflows” in the left sidebar.
- Click “Create workflow”: Give it a straightforward name—think “Sales Contract Approval” or “HR Policy Review.”
- Choose when it triggers: Approvals can kick in for all docs, or only for docs made from certain templates. If only some documents need approval, tie workflows to those templates.
- Add Approvers: Add people by name or email. You can set up one-step or multi-step approvals.
- One-step: All approvers get notified at once—whoever approves first, it’s done.
- Multi-step: Approvals happen in a specific order, like manager first, then legal.
- Set permissions: Decide if approvers can edit the document or just approve/reject.
- Save changes. That’s it for the workflow itself.
Pro tip: Don’t overcomplicate. More steps = more bottlenecks. Only add people who truly need to approve.
Step 3: Link Approval Workflows to Templates (or Documents)
You can tell Pandadoc when to use your workflow—either on specific templates, or every time someone creates a doc.
- Templates: Open a template, click the “...” menu, choose “Approval workflow,” and pick the one you made.
- Individual docs: If it’s a one-off, you can apply an approval workflow to a single document before sending.
This means your “Sales Contract Approval” only triggers for sales contracts, not every random document.
Ignore the urge to apply approvals to everything “just in case.” That’s how you end up approving the lunch menu.
Step 4: Test Your Workflow (Don’t Skip This)
Before you roll this out to your team, actually try it yourself.
- Make a test document from the template.
- Send it for approval (Pandadoc will show an “Approval required” step before you can send to clients).
- Check notifications: Approvers should get an email and a Pandadoc alert.
- Approve/reject: Make sure the right people can approve, and that rejected docs go back to the sender with a comment.
- Send downstream: Once approved, send it to the intended recipient/client.
Things to watch for:
- Does everyone get notified? If people “didn’t get the email,” check spam, and make sure their addresses are correct.
- Are bottlenecks obvious? If someone is slow, Pandadoc shows who’s holding things up, but only if they’re assigned correctly.
- Does it break anything else? Sometimes approval requirements block integrations (like auto-sending to CRMs). Double-check your automations if you have them.
Step 5: Train Your Team (and Set Expectations)
Even with automation, humans are still the slowest part of the process. Tell your team:
- How approvals work, and what happens if they ignore the email
- Where to leave comments when rejecting docs
- Who to bug if they get stuck (hint: probably you)
A 10-minute screenshare or a short Loom video goes a long way—don’t just send an email and hope people “figure it out.”
Step 6: Maintain and Improve (Don’t Set and Forget)
You’ll find out quickly if your workflow is too slow or too strict. Revisit every month or quarter, especially:
- Are people always bypassing or ignoring approvals? Maybe you’re requiring too many.
- Is one person always the bottleneck? Reassign or adjust the workflow.
- Did your team change? Update approvers if someone leaves or gets promoted.
- Is Pandadoc acting weird? Sometimes, new features break old workflows. Check their release notes once in a while.
Automation only works if you keep it up to date. Otherwise, you’re just creating new problems.
What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)
Pandadoc’s approval workflows are solid for:
- Sales contracts and proposals
- HR policies or offer letters
- Anything that needs a clear sign-off chain
But here’s what doesn’t work so well:
- Complex, conditional approvals (e.g., “If deal is over $50k, add CFO”). Pandadoc’s built-in logic is basic. For fancy conditions, you’ll need to use Zapier or their API, and that gets technical fast.
- Mass approvals or bulk actions. You can’t approve a stack of 20 docs with one click.
- External approvals. Approvers need a Pandadoc account. You can’t send an approval to someone outside your organization without extra setup.
If you need that kind of flexibility, Pandadoc isn’t the tool. Look at full-blown contract management platforms—but be ready for more complexity (and higher costs).
Quick Troubleshooting
Approvals not showing up? - Double-check you’re on the right plan (Business or Enterprise). - Make sure workflows are linked to the right templates/docs.
Approver not getting emails? - Check spam. - Resend the approval request. - Make sure their Pandadoc account uses the right email address.
Can’t edit after approval? - Documents are usually locked post-approval. You may need to reject and restart.
Need support? - Pandadoc’s help docs are decent, but their chat support is hit-or-miss. Try the knowledge base before reaching out.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink It
Automating document approvals in Pandadoc isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little upfront work. The best advice? Start with the most common use case, get it working, and only add more complexity if you really need it.
Don’t try to automate every document in your company—just fix the ones that actually slow you down. Keep things simple, get feedback, and tweak as you go. That’s how workflow automation actually saves you time—instead of just giving you new things to fix.