ApproveThis manages your Cirkus Integration approvals.

When Project Management Meets Approval Muscle

Let's cut through the corporate speak: most teams suck at two things - getting decisions made fast enough, and then actually doing the work. That's why pairing ApproveThis (the approval engine) with Cirkus (the get-shit-done platform) isn't just another "integration" - it's fixing the two biggest leaks in your company's productivity bucket.

Cirkus handles task assignments, project timelines, and collaboration like a Swiss Army knife for teamwork. ApproveThis slaps structure on your approval processes so decisions don't get lost in Slack purgatory. Together? They create a closed-loop system where nothing falls through the cracks between "Who needs to sign off on this?" and "Why isn't this done yet?"

Why This Combo Works For Mid-Sized Companies

If your company has between 50-5,000 employees, you're big enough that ad-hoc approvals via email chains are actively costing you money, but small enough that buying enterprise-grade SAP modules would bankrupt you. This integration hits the sweet spot:

• No more license juggling: Approvers in ApproveThis don't need Cirkus seats. Critical for involving clients or contractors without blowing your software budget.
• Real-time handoffs: Approved budget increase in ApproveThis? Cirkus auto-creates the project with updated scope. No manual data entry.

Take a marketing agency approving client campaign budgets. The CMO approves the budget in ApproveThis (no Cirkus login needed), which triggers Cirkus to spin up the project with correct resourcing. Account leads get notified automatically. Zero chasing people down.

Three Ways This Integration Actually Solves Real Problems

1. Killing "Who Approved This?" Meetings

Scenario: Your operations team creates a new equipment purchase project in Cirkus. Instead of CC'ing six VPs and hoping someone replies, the integration:

1. Auto-creates an ApproveThis request with project details
2. Routes it based on amount (under $5k? Auto-approve. Over? CFO gets it)
3. Updates Cirkus project status based on decision

Real-world impact: A construction firm reduced equipment procurement time from 14 days to 38 hours by eliminating approval bottlenecks.

2. Preventing "Shadow Approvals"

Problem: Teams bypass official channels because "the system is too slow." Solution: Make the system faster than workarounds.

Example: When a new client task pops up in Cirkus, ApproveThis checks:

• Is this within the client's SOW? (calculated fields)
• Who's the approver based on service type? (conditional routing)

An IT managed services provider cut scope creep by 22% by auto-flagging out-of-contract requests before work started.

3. Fixing The "Approved But Forgotten" Black Hole

Ever approved something then realized months later it never happened? The integration's two-way sync means:

- Approved requests in ApproveThis auto-create Cirkus projects with all details pre-filled
- Completed Cirkus tasks trigger approval closure in ApproveThis
- Denied requests automatically archive related Cirkus items

A mid-market e-commerce company reduced duplicate work by 17% by eliminating forgotten approvals.

Department-Specific Wins

For Finance Teams

Set approval thresholds that auto-approve small expenses but require sign-off on big spends. When Cirkus tasks include budget fields, ApproveThis can:

- Flag overspending before projects start
- Require CFO approval on budget increases
- Sync final numbers back to your accounting software

For HR & People Ops

New hire onboarding projects in Cirkus can trigger equipment approval workflows in ApproveThis. Key features in play:

- Vacation delegation ensures approvals keep moving
- Approval groups for cross-department sign-offs (IT for laptops, Facilities for desk setup)
- Real-time tracking to identify onboarding bottlenecks

For Product Teams

Feature launch tasks in Cirkus? Connect them to ApproveThis for:

- Legal review of copy/assets
- Compliance checks on user data handling
- Escalation paths if QA finds last-minute bugs

A SaaS company reduced time-to-market by 11% by automating compliance approvals.

Setting This Up Without Losing Your Mind

Via Zapier, it's a 15-minute setup:

1. Connect Cirkus to Zapier: Use your existing login at Cirkus.com
2. Link ApproveThis: Your ApproveThis API key is in Settings > Integrations
3. Build Your Zaps: Start with these triggers:

Zap 1: New Cirkus Task → ApproveThis Request
- Map custom fields (budget, due dates)
- Set approval rules based on task type

Zap 2: ApproveThis Decision → Cirkus Project Update
- Auto-archive denied requests
- Start approved projects with pre-filled templates

Pro tip: Use ApproveThis' calculated fields to auto-determine approval paths based on Cirkus task data (e.g., project type + budget = specific approvers).

Why This Isn't Just Another Integration

Most app pairings just move data between tabs. This combo actually changes how work gets done:

For managers: See approval bottlenecks in real dashboards instead of guessing
For executives: Audit trails showing who approved what and when
For teams: Less time chasing approvals, more time doing actual work

It's not about the tech - it's about fixing the approval-to-execution handoff that wastes 23% of the average workweek (yes, real research).

Who Should Actually Care About This

If your company has:

- More than 3 approval layers for basic decisions
- At least one "Oh shit, we never approved that" moment last quarter
- Project managers wasting hours weekly on status updates

...then yeah, this integration will pay for itself in about 14 days.

Bottom Line

Approvals aren't sexy. Neither are project timelines. But when they work together seamlessly? That's how mid-sized companies out-execute competitors stuck in approval hell.

ApproveThis + Cirkus via Zapier isn't magic - it's just removing the stupid obstacles that make simple work feel hard. Set it up once, and your teams might actually stop complaining about processes for a change.

Next step: Register for ApproveThis or book a 15-minute demo to see live examples tailored to your industry.