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Roll Integration

ApproveThis manages your Roll Integration approvals.

April 17, 2025

Integration Category: Project Management

When Project Management Meets Approval Power

Let’s cut through the corporate speak: approval processes suck. They’re the traffic jam in your workflow highway. But here’s the thing – they don’t have to. What if your project management tool (Roll) could automatically trigger approvals (via ApproveThis) the moment something needs a green light? And vice versa? That’s not some futuristic dream – it’s what happens when you connect these two through Zapier.

Roll handles projects, time tracking, and operations. ApproveThis handles decisions. Together, they turn “Hey, can someone approve this?” into an automated handshake between systems. No more chasing down approvers in Slack. No more duplicate data entry. Just work moving forward because the tools actually talk to each other.

Why This Combo Works (When Others Don’t)

Most project management tools have basic approval features. But let’s be real – they’re about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. ApproveThis brings the heavy artillery: multi-step workflows, conditional logic, automatic escalations. Roll brings context – projects, time data, client info. Connect them, and you get approvals that actually understand what’s being decided.

Example: A $25K client project hits your threshold. Roll knows the budget, timelines, and team capacity. ApproveThis knows that this needs CFO + Legal sign-off, in sequence, with automatic reminders. Zapier makes them swap notes behind the scenes. The result? Decisions happen faster because the right people have all the info upfront.

Real-World Use Cases That Don’t Feel Like Corporate Fluff

1. New Client Onboarding That Doesn’t Make You Want to Quit

The Problem: Marketing agencies adding new clients in Roll. Sales says yes to everything, ops gets stuck cleaning up messes when legal/compliance haven’t signed off.

The Fix: Connect Roll’s “New Company” trigger to ApproveThis. Now every new client in Roll auto-generates an approval request with:

  • Contract terms
  • Compliance checklist
  • Budget approval
Legal gets email approvals (no Roll license needed), finance can set auto-approve thresholds for smaller retainers, and sales stops promising deliverables that ops can’t deliver.

2. Killing the Time Tracking Shitshow

The Problem: Consulting firms using Roll for time tracking. Billable hours get logged, but without approvals, you’re either undercharging clients or eating costs when teams go over budget.

The Fix: When Roll records time exceeding project budgets, ApproveThis triggers tiered approvals. Junior consultants? Maybe their manager approves anything over 40hrs/week. Senior partners? Auto-approve up to $10K/month, then escalate. Bonus: Vacation delegation means out-of-office approvers don’t bottle-neck the process.

3. Projects That Start Themselves (Seriously)

The Problem: Construction companies waiting for permit approvals before breaking ground. Manual processes mean projects sit idle even after approvals come through.

The Fix: ApproveThis detects when permits get approved, triggers Roll to auto-create projects with:

  • Pre-built task templates
  • Equipment allocations
  • Subcontractor assignments
Groundbreaking moves faster because the system removes human latency.

Setup That Takes Less Time Than Your Morning Coffee

If you can use a toaster, you can set this up:

  1. Zapier Account: Free tier works. Sign up here if you’re living under a rock.
  2. Pick Your Trigger: “New Company in Roll” or “Approval Decision in ApproveThis” – depends which end you want to start from.
  3. Map the Data: Connect Roll’s project fields to ApproveThis’ approval reasons. Pro tip: Use Calculated Fields in ApproveThis to auto-flag high-risk requests.
  4. Test with $20: Create a test project in Roll with a $20 budget. If ApproveThis auto-approves it (based on your thresholds), you’re golden.

Total time? 15 minutes if you’re slow. Less if you’re caffeinated.

Who Actually Benefits (Spoiler: Everyone)

Operations Teams

Stop being the approval police. Set thresholds so routine stuff auto-approves. Only exceptions hit your desk. Real example: A logistics company reduced manual approvals by 70% using conditional thresholds for shipment reroutes.

Finance Departments

Get granular control without micromanaging. Require PO approvals for spends over $5K, but let project managers auto-approve up to their budget. All tracked in ApproveThis’ audit trails for compliance.

External Partners

Client needs to approve deliverables? They get an email – no app logins, no passwords. ApproveThis shows them the Roll project timeline, they click approve. Done.

The Nuts and Bolts You Actually Care About

No Double Licensing: Approvers only need ApproveThis access for decisions. They don’t eat up your Roll seats. Huge for client-facing teams.

Real-Time Updates: When a Roll project changes, ApproveThis can require re-approvals. No more outdated sign-offs because someone edited the scope.

Security That Doesn’t Slow You Down: Role-based access in both tools. Junior staff can’t approve million-dollar projects. Legal can’t accidentally edit engineering timelines.

Common Objections (And Why They’re Dumb)

“We already have approvals in Roll.” Cool. Do they handle multi-step legal > finance > CEO sign-offs? No? Thought so.

“Our process is too complex.” ApproveThis handles conditional workflows. If X department is involved, add these approvers. If over $Y budget, require these documents. Complexity managed.

“We’re not technical enough.” Zapier doesn’t require code. If you can plug in a TV, you can connect these apps.

Bottom Line: This Isn’t Just Another Integration

It’s about removing the bullshit from decision-making. Projects in Roll shouldn’t stall because someone forgot to click approve. Budgets shouldn’t blow up because approvals lacked context. Clients shouldn’t hate you because their sign-off process feels like DMV paperwork.

ApproveThis + Roll via Zapier fixes that. It’s not flashy AI. It’s not some metaverse nonsense. It’s practical automation for companies that actually want to get work done.

Get Started with ApproveThis – free trial, no credit card. Or book a 10-minute demo if you’re the skeptical type. Either way, stop letting approvals be the bottleneck.

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Integrate with Roll Integration and get 90 days of ApproveThis for free.

After you create a Zapier integration, please email us at support@approve-this.com with your account name and we'll add 3 months of ApproveThis to your account. Limit one redemption per account.

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Best Approval Workflows for Roll

Suggested workflows (and their Zapier components) for Roll

Create approval requests for new companies

When a new company is added in Roll, an approval request is automatically created in ApproveThis to streamline onboarding validations. This integration ensures that every new company undergoes the necessary approval process before proceeding. *Note: Ensure company details are properly mapped between Roll and ApproveThis.*

Zapier Components

Roll Logo

Trigger

New Company

Triggers when a new company is created.

Action

Create Request

Creates a new request, probably with input from previous steps.

Create projects for new approval requests

When an approval request is initiated in ApproveThis, a new project is automatically created in Roll. This integration accelerates project setup following approval requests, streamlining the transition from request to action. *Note: Review project parameters to ensure alignment with approval criteria.*

Zapier Components

Trigger

New Request

Triggers when a new approval request workflow is initiated.

Roll Logo

Action

Create Project

Creates a new project.

Create approval requests for new time records

Whenever a new time record is logged in Roll, an approval request is generated in ApproveThis for validation of time entries. This automation helps maintain accurate time tracking and ensures that records are reviewed promptly. *Note: Confirm that all essential time tracking data is transferred correctly.*

Zapier Components

Roll Logo

Trigger

New Time Record

Triggers when a new time record is created.

Action

Create Request

Creates a new request, probably with input from previous steps.

Create projects after approval decisions

After an approval decision is made in ApproveThis, a new project is automatically created in Roll. This automation ensures that only approved requests lead to project creation, thereby enhancing workflow efficiency and accountability. *Note: Double-check project settings to match approval outputs.*

Zapier Components

Trigger

A Request Is Approved/Denied

Triggers when a request is approved or denied.

Roll Logo

Action

Create Project

Creates a new project.