---
title: "Building Workflows"
description: "Every way to create a workflow in one place: the guided setup, the type picker's ready-made workflow types, or copying a workflow you already trust, plus the Publish click that takes any of them live. Every new workflow starts in testing, so nothing reaches real approvers until you say so."
category: "Building workflows"
updated: 2026-08-27
canonical: https://approvethis.com/docs/manuals/template-builder
---

# Building Workflows

A workflow in ApproveThis is the reusable blueprint that defines an approval's steps, fields, and routing. There are three ways to start one — answer a few questions in the guided setup, pick a ready-made type, or duplicate a workflow that already works — and all three land in testing mode until you publish. This guide is for Administrators building in Dashboard > Flows, and it covers each starting point plus the click that takes a workflow live.

**Who this is for:** an Administrator.

> **Prerequisite:** Sign in as an Administrator.

> **Getting here:** Click the + beside Approval Workflows in the sidebar, or any New Flow button. It offers both the guided setup and, via "Browse all templates", the full type picker used in the second section.

## Create a workflow with the guided setup

The guided setup asks a short series of questions and assembles the structure for you, which suits a common approval like an expense report where you'd rather answer prompts than lay out steps by hand.

1. Sign in as the Administrator.
2. Open the new workflow setup at `https://app.approvethis.com/flows/new`.

   ![Open the new workflow setup at https://app.approvethis.com/flows/new.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s1-01.png)

3. Choose the type of approval you're building — the example screenshots use **Expense report**.

   ![Choose the type of approval you're building — the example screenshots use Expense report.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s1-02.png)

4. Click **Continue** to move through each question the setup asks. Repeat as needed — the example does this 2 times.

   ![Click Continue to move through each question the setup asks. Repeat as needed — the example does this 2 times.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s1-03.png)

5. Click **Review** to see the workflow the setup assembled from your answers.

   ![Click Review to see the workflow the setup assembled from your answers.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s1-05.png)

6. Click **Create & test** to create the workflow in testing mode.

   ![Click Create & test to create the workflow in testing mode.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s1-06.png)


> **Success cue:** **Ready to test.** marks the new workflow as created but not yet live.

## Create a workflow from the type picker

The type picker skips the questions and drops you straight into a chosen workflow type with a name of your own. Reach for it when you already know the shape of the process you want to build.

1. Open the type picker at `https://app.approvethis.com/flows/create`.

   ![Open the type picker at https://app.approvethis.com/flows/create.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s2-01.png)

2. Select the workflow type that matches how requests will arrive, such as **Form Flow**.

   ![Select the workflow type that matches how requests will arrive, such as Form Flow.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s2-02.png)

3. In **Approval Flow Name**, type a name that identifies the process to requesters and approvers — e.g., `Contractor Invoices`.

   ![In Approval Flow Name, type a name that identifies the process to requesters and approvers — e.g., Contractor Invoices.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s2-03.png)

4. Click **Create Approval Flow**.

   ![Click Create Approval Flow.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s2-04.png)


> **Success cue:** The new workflow opens under the name you entered (**Contractor Invoices** in the example screenshots).

## Copy an existing workflow

Copying is the fastest route to a near-identical process: fields, approvers, pages, notifications, webhooks, schedules, and branding all carry over in one click. Requests already submitted against the original do not come along, and the copy arrives unpublished with a " (Copy)" suffix on its name.

1. Open the workflow you want to duplicate and click **Settings**.

   ![Open the workflow you want to duplicate and click Settings.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s3-01.png)

2. Click **Copy Flow**. Repeat as needed — the example does this 2 times.

   ![Click Copy Flow. Repeat as needed — the example does this 2 times.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s3-02.png)

3. Confirm the duplication in the modal by clicking **Create copy**.

   ![Confirm the duplication in the modal by clicking Create copy.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s3-04.png)


> **Success cue:** The duplicate appears with the " (Copy)" suffix on the original's name — **Contractor Invoices (Copy)** in the example screenshots.

## Publish a workflow to go live

Every new workflow, however you started it, sits in testing until you publish it. Publishing is the point where real requests begin routing to the approvers you configured.

1. Click **Publish** to take the workflow out of testing mode.

   ![Click Publish to take the workflow out of testing mode.](https://approvethis.com/docs-assets/manuals/template-builder/screenshots/template-builder-s4-01.png)


> **Success cue:** The banner reads **Workflow published — requests now route to its approvers.**

> **What happens next:** There are more ways in than these — describe your process and let [AI generate the workflow](https://approvethis.com/docs/manuals/ai-template-generation.md), or create one triggered by [email](https://approvethis.com/docs/manuals/email-to-workflow.md) or [another tool's webhook](https://approvethis.com/docs/manuals/inbound-webhook-triggers.md). However it starts, shape it with the [Form Builder](https://approvethis.com/docs/manuals/form-builder.md) and grow its approval chain with [Add an Approval Step](https://approvethis.com/docs/manuals/add-approval-step.md).