ApproveThis manages your Valispace Integration approvals.

Why Approval Automation Matters for Engineering Teams

Modern engineering projects thrive on precision and accountability. Every requirement update, compliance adjustment, or design modification requires scrutiny from stakeholders who might span multiple departments – or even organizations. Traditional approval processes often create bottlenecks through endless email chains, missed notifications, and version control issues. This is where combining Valispace's collaborative engineering platform with ApproveThis' structured approval workflows creates a new standard for efficient decision-making.

Two Platforms, One Mission

Valispace serves as the central nervous system for complex engineering projects, offering real-time collaboration on requirements management and compliance tracking. However, even the most sophisticated systems need human validation at critical junctures. ApproveThis acts as the circulatory system, routing decisions to the right people while maintaining full audit trails. Together, they ensure that:

• Design changes receive timely approvals without disrupting engineering workflows
• Compliance updates automatically trigger formal review processes

This integration is particularly impactful for aerospace, automotive, and energy companies managing multi-phase projects with strict regulatory requirements.

Engineering-Specific Use Cases

Automated Compliance Validation

When a Valispace requirement's compliance status changes, ApproveThis can automatically route the update to quality assurance leads and external auditors. A medical device manufacturer could use this to ensure component modifications meet FDA guidelines before updating master specifications. Approval thresholds in ApproveThis prevent minor changes from overwhelming reviewers – only significant compliance shifts trigger requests.

Design Freeze Approvals

During critical project phases like design freezes, ApproveThis adds governance to Valispace's change management. When engineers attempt to modify locked parameters, the system can:

• Require CTO approval for major architectural changes
• Auto-approve minor tweaks below predefined thresholds

This balance maintains agility while protecting against scope creep in satellite development programs or other mission-critical systems.

Cross-Departmental Coordination

Valispace often serves as the technical team's source of truth, while procurement or finance teams rely on separate systems. The Zapier integration bridges this gap. For example:

Scenario: A materials engineer updates a component's tolerance in Valispace, triggering an ApproveThis workflow that:

- Notifies the procurement team to assess supplier impact
- Requires CFO sign-off if cost variance exceeds 5%
- Updates the Valispace parameter only after full approval

This maintains alignment between technical specs and business realities.

Implementation Made Simple

Connecting Valispace and ApproveThis through Zapier requires no custom coding:

Step 1: In Zapier, set Valispace as your trigger app. Choose events like "New Requirement" or "Compliance Changed."

Step 2: Select ApproveThis as your action app. Map Valispace fields to corresponding approval request templates.

Step 3: Configure approval rules in ApproveThis – set thresholds, approver groups, and escalation paths.

Pro Tip: Use ApproveThis' calculated fields to auto-approve changes below critical thresholds (e.g., <2% tolerance adjustments), reducing review workload.

Team-Specific Benefits

Engineering Managers

Gain visibility into approval bottlenecks through ApproveThis' dashboard while maintaining Valispace's technical context. Vacation delegation ensures design reviews continue uninterrupted during absences.

Quality Assurance Teams

Receive compliance change alerts directly in email with ApproveThis' email-based approvals. The system's audit trails simplify ISO certification processes by linking every approval to specific Valispace revisions.

External Partners

Suppliers or clients can review changes without Valispace licenses. ApproveThis sends them a secure, branded portal to approve/deny requests while maintaining IP protection – they never access the full Valispace environment.

Beyond Basic Approvals

ApproveThis adds unique capabilities to Valispace workflows:

Conditional Routing: Route high-risk changes to senior engineers based on Valispace's risk scoring parameters.

Consensus Management: For multi-stakeholder approvals (e.g., electrical + mechanical signoffs), require all approvers to agree before updating Valispace data.

Real-Time Alerts: Get Slack/MS Teams notifications when critical path approvals are delayed, with direct links to Valispace context.

Common Implementation Pitfalls

Do: Map Valispace's requirement hierarchy to matching approval templates in ApproveThis – subsystem approvals shouldn't follow the same process as full system changes.

Don't: Over-automate. Some compliance changes require face-to-face reviews – use ApproveThis' manual override options when needed.

Do: Leverage Valispace's API through Zapier to attach relevant schematics or test results to approval requests automatically.

The Future of Engineering Governance

As projects grow more complex, manual approval processes become liability vectors. The Valispace-ApproveThis integration represents the next evolution in technical governance – maintaining human oversight while eliminating administrative drag. For teams building everything from next-gen EVs to orbital infrastructure, this pairing ensures that every decision is both informed and accountable.

Getting Started

Ready to transform how your team handles engineering approvals? Register for ApproveThis and explore our pre-built Valispace integration templates. For tailored guidance, schedule a demo showcasing how Fortune 500 engineering teams automate compliance without sacrificing velocity.