ApproveThis manages your BugShot Integration approvals.

Why Approval Workflows Matter in Bug Tracking

Software teams face constant pressure to resolve bugs quickly while maintaining quality standards. BugShot provides robust tools for identifying and categorizing issues, but development bottlenecks often occur when teams need cross-functional approvals before acting. ApproveThis adds critical governance layers to BugShot’s technical capabilities through Zapier-powered automation – creating a closed-loop system for compliant, audit-ready software development.

This integration solves three core challenges:

• Preventing unauthorized code changes by requiring stakeholder sign-off
• Reducing communication delays between developers and non-technical approvers
• Automatically documenting approval trails for compliance audits

Key Integration Benefits

Connecting BugShot with ApproveThis through Zapier creates new efficiencies across the development lifecycle:

For Engineering Teams

Developers gain clarity on which bugs require formal approvals before working on fixes. Approval thresholds can be set based on bug severity – critical security issues might auto-approve for immediate action, while UI tweaks could require product team review.

For Product Managers

PMs maintain control over prioritization without micromanaging. When high-impact bugs surface, ApproveThis automatically routes them through configured approval chains. Real-time dashboards show exactly where requests are stuck.

For External Clients

Agency teams can invite client stakeholders to approve bug fixes via email without requiring BugShot licenses. Approval comments sync directly into BugShot tickets, keeping all stakeholders aligned.

Real-World Use Cases

Controlled Bug Resolution Workflows

When a high-severity bug appears in BugShot, ApproveThis can:

• Require CTO approval for security-related issues
• Route UI bugs to product design leads
• Auto-approve low-impact tickets under $500 resolution cost

Example: A fintech company uses approval thresholds to auto-approve bugs affecting fewer than 5% of users, while requiring compliance team sign-off for any data-related issues.

Compliant Change Documentation

ApproveThis captures full audit trails including:

• Approver identities and decision timestamps
• Version comparisons of bug status changes
• Automatic SLA tracking for approval turnaround times

Example: A healthcare software vendor meets HIPAA requirements by documenting all approvals for bugs affecting patient data modules.

Cross-Team Coordination

Approval groups ensure the right stakeholders review specific bug types:

• Legal team reviews any bugs impacting terms of service
• Finance approves cost estimates over budget
• Support leads prioritize user-impacting issues

Example: An e-commerce platform routes checkout flow bugs through simultaneous approval from payments, fraud, and UX teams to prevent conflicting fixes.

Implementation Guide

Setting up the integration requires 15 minutes in Zapier:

Core Connection Steps

1. Create Zapier triggers for key BugShot events:
- New bug creation
- Status changes
- Comment updates

2. Map these to ApproveThis actions:
- Generate approval requests with prefilled bug details
- Update BugShot status based on approval decisions
- Add approval comments to bug tickets

Pro Configuration Tips

• Use ApproveThis’ calculated fields to set dynamic approval thresholds based on BugShot’s severity scores
• Configure vacation delegates to prevent approval delays during holidays
• Enable email fallback for approvers who prefer mobile responses

Team-Specific Benefits

Development Teams

Reduce context switching by handling approvals directly through existing BugShot workflows. ApproveThis’ mobile-friendly interface lets engineers review pending requests during downtime without leaving their IDE.

QA Engineers

Automatically escalate disputed bug classifications for arbitration. If developers challenge a bug’s priority level, QA leads receive immediate approval requests to make final determinations.

Client-Facing Teams

Provide external stakeholders with limited approval access without sharing full BugShot boards. Clients receive clean approval emails with decision deadlines, while internal teams maintain control over actual bug resolution.

Advanced Feature Synergies

Conditional Approval Paths

Route bugs differently based on custom criteria:
• Security vulnerabilities → Immediate CTO alert
• Localization issues → Regional manager approval
• Performance bugs → Architecture review team

Automated Status Syncing

Keep both systems updated without manual entry:
• Approved bugs auto-update to “Ready for Development” in BugShot
• Rejected tickets revert to “Needs More Info” with approval comments
• Time-sensitive issues trigger SMS alerts if approvers delay responses

Historical Analysis

Use ApproveThis’ reporting to identify process bottlenecks:
• Average approval time per bug type
• Most frequent approval path rejections
• Team-specific response patterns

Getting Started

To implement this integration:

1. Create an ApproveThis account with workflow templates matching your bug types
2. Connect to BugShot via Zapier using the pre-built templates
3. Test with non-critical bugs to refine approval rules
4. Gradually expand to cover all priority levels

For complex implementations, schedule a custom demo to see enterprise-grade approval scenarios.

Final Considerations

While the technical setup is straightforward, success depends on aligning approval rules with actual team workflows:

Do

• Start with high-impact/low-volume bug types first
• Train approvers on email/mobile response options
• Review approval metrics quarterly

Don’t

• Over-approve minor bug fixes
• Ignore seasonal delegation needs
• Forget to sync status changes both ways

The ApproveThis-BugShot integration works best when treated as a living system that evolves with your development processes. Regular tuning ensures approval workflows accelerate rather than hinder your team’s velocity.