Approval Tracking Automation: Eliminate "Did You Get My Draft?" Follow-Ups

What This Builds

Instead of manually emailing each stakeholder to check on approval status and losing track of which version is with which reviewer, this automation creates an Asana task (with the right assignee and deadline) every time you share a draft in SharePoint, and notifies you automatically when it's approved or overdue. You get 2+ hours per week back that currently disappear into approval-tracking emails.

Prerequisites

• Zapier account (free tier handles basic automation; paid starts at $20/mo for multi-step zaps)
• Microsoft SharePoint (or OneDrive for Business) where you store drafts
• Asana account (free plan works for this use case)
• Basic comfort with Zapier's interface (no coding required)

The Concept

Think of this automation as a traffic controller for your drafts. Right now, when you finish a draft, you manually send an email to the reviewer, make a note to yourself to follow up, hope they respond in time, and repeat. This automation replaces that manual loop with a system that: (1) detects when you share a draft, (2) automatically creates an Asana approval task assigned to the right person, (3) reminds them if they haven't responded, and (4) notifies you when each approval is completed.

Build It Step by Step

Part 1: Set Up Asana for Approval Tracking

First, create a dedicated Asana project for communications approvals:

1. Log into app.asana.com → click New Project → name it "Comms Approvals"
2. Set the project view to Board (like a kanban board) with columns: "In Review," "Changes Requested," "Approved," "Published"
3. Create a task template with fields: Draft Name, Review Deadline, Reviewer, Document Link

What you should see: An Asana project ready to receive approval tasks.

Part 2: Build the Zapier Automation

Log into zapier.com → click Create Zap.

Step 1 — Trigger: New shared file in SharePoint

• Search for "Microsoft SharePoint" as the trigger app
• Choose trigger event: "New or Updated File in Folder"
• Connect your SharePoint account
• Select the folder where you store comms drafts (e.g., "Communications/Drafts For Approval")
• Test the trigger to confirm Zapier can read from your SharePoint

Step 2 — Filter: Only trigger for files with "FOR REVIEW" in the filename

• Add a Filter step (Zapier built-in)
• Condition: File Name → Contains → "FOR REVIEW"
• This prevents every file save from creating a task. Only drafts you've deliberately named for review will trigger it.

Step 3 — Action: Create a task in Asana

• Add action: Asana → "Create Task"
• Task Name: use the file name field from SharePoint (e.g., [File Name] - Approval Needed)
• Project: "Comms Approvals"
• Section: "In Review"
• Due Date: set to 2 business days from today (use Zapier's date formatter: {{zap_meta_human_now|date_add:2, "days"}})
• Notes field: include the SharePoint link to the document
• Assignee: you'll need to map reviewer to file type. Start with assigning to yourself, then manually reassign in Asana.

Step 4 — Action: Send a Slack/Teams notification

• Add action: Microsoft Teams → "Send Message"
• Choose your channel (e.g., your direct message to the reviewer, or a #comms-reviews channel)
• Message: "New draft ready for your review: [File Name]. Please review by [Due Date]. Link: [SharePoint URL]"

Turn the Zap on.

What you should see: Every time you save a file with "FOR REVIEW" in the name to your SharePoint drafts folder, an Asana task automatically appears and a Teams notification goes to the reviewer.

Part 3: Test and Refine

1. Create a test file called "Test Draft FOR REVIEW.docx" in your SharePoint drafts folder
2. Wait 1–2 minutes (Zapier checks on a schedule on free plans, instantly on paid)
3. Check Asana — a new task should have appeared in your "Comms Approvals" board
4. Check Teams — a notification should have arrived

Calibration: If the trigger fires too often (every save), tighten the filter. If it's not firing, check the SharePoint folder path is correct in Zapier.

Real Example: Weekly Comms Approval Sprint

Setup: Your team produces 3–5 drafts per week that each require 2–3 approvals (legal, HR, the comms director).

Before automation:

• Monday: Send draft to legal via email
• Tuesday: Send reminder because you hadn't heard back
• Wednesday: Legal responds with edits; send to HR
• Thursday: Check in with HR
• Friday: HR approves; send final to comms director
• Monday: Follow up again...

After automation:

• Monday: Save "Q4 Benefits Update FOR REVIEW.docx" to SharePoint
• Zapier instantly creates Asana task for legal with Tuesday deadline and sends Teams notification
• Tuesday (automated reminder from Asana if not completed): Legal approves, moves to "Approved" column
• Asana notifies you → you reassign to HR
• Thursday: HR approves → you publish

Time saved: Approximately 45 minutes of manual tracking and follow-up per draft; 2–3 hours/week for 3–5 drafts.

What to Do When It Breaks

• Zapier doesn't detect new files → Check that the SharePoint folder path in Zapier exactly matches the folder you're saving to; paths are case-sensitive
• Too many tasks being created → Tighten your filter (add a specific folder that only you use for approval drafts)
• Asana tasks not getting to the right person → For complex routing (different reviewers for different draft types), add a Zapier "Paths" step that routes based on file name keywords (e.g., files with "HR" in the name go to the HR reviewer)
• Teams notifications not arriving → Check the Teams channel ID is correct; try using Slack as an alternative notification channel

Variations

• Simpler version: Skip Asana and just use Zapier to send a Teams DM to the reviewer when a file is shared. No task tracking, just a reliable notification.
• Extended version: Add a second Zap that creates a publish reminder in your calendar 24 hours after the last approval, so you never sit on an approved draft waiting to be published.

What to Do Next

• This week: Build the basic version (Zapier trigger → Teams notification) to prove the concept
• This month: Add Asana task creation and deadline tracking
• Advanced: Add a final step that moves the file from "Drafts" to "Published" in SharePoint when you mark the Asana task complete, creating a full draft-to-publish audit trail.

Advanced guide for corporate communications professionals. These techniques use Zapier automation which may require a paid subscription for multi-step workflows.