Within the Form Builder’s Advanced Settings, NestForms now includes a feature called Workflow. Workflow gives you control over how a response moves from submission to completion, when more than one person needs to review, approve, or amend the data along the way.
Instead of every response being approved or rejected immediately by an administrator, Workflow allows responses to pass through defined stages. Each stage can involve different people, with access limited to only the fields and actions relevant to them. Some clients may be able to complete data, others may only review or approve it. For responders specific fields can remain hidden or read-only depending on the stage.
This makes Workflow useful when responses need validation, sign-off, additional information from other parties, or confirmation before they can be completed.
How approvals work in practice
Once a response is submitted, it can enter a Workflow stage rather than being Finished.
When an administrator opens the response, the usual Approve and Reject options may be unavailable. Instead, they will see a status name stating that the response is waiting on another action. This reflects the current stage of the Workflow and what still needs to happen before the response can be completed.
A common scenario is where a client or third party must approve the data first. In this case, Workflow can generate a secure link that gives the external reviewer access to the relevant parts of the response. They do not need a NestForms account. They can review the information provided and confirm whether they approve or reject it.
You have control over the client's view of the fields. You can choose to make fields visible for the client to see, allow them to edit the field content, or hide certain fields entirely from their view.
Once that external approval is completed, the response moves to the next stage. At that point, the administrator can approve and close the response as normal from the response list.
If the external reviewer rejects the data, the response cannot be closed. It remains open so that corrections can be made and the approval step repeated.
Internal and external approvals
Workflow supports both external and internal approvals.
For internal workflows, other team members with NestForms accounts can be assigned specific stages. They may be responsible for reviewing evidence, checking compliance, or confirming that certain criteria have been met before the response progresses. All team members will see these Responses within the tab on the Forms list page when they are logged in to the website.
For external workflows, clients or third parties can be involved without needing system access. They only see what they need to see, and only at the stage where their input is required. All third parties can access the response using the uniquely generated link for their response.
This makes Workflow especially useful when approvals are shared across departments, organisations, or roles.
Examples of when to use Workflow
Equipment and asset approval
A field worker submits an equipment checklist. Before the response can be approved, a supervisor and a safety officer must both confirm that the listed items meet requirements. Only after both approvals are completed can the administrator close the response.
Health and safety sign-off
A site inspection includes safety measures that must be reviewed by an external safety consultant. The consultant receives a secure link, reviews the inspection details, and approves or rejects them. The administrator can only approve the response once this sign-off is complete.
Construction snag lists
Trades submit snag list items with photos and notes. Individual items may need approval from different parties, such as a site manager and a client representative. Workflow ensures all required approvals are completed before the snag list is marked as finished.
Compliance and regulatory checks
Responses that include compliance data may need review by multiple roles. If any stage fails, the response can be rejected and sent back for correction before approval continues.
Why use Workflow?
Workflow is ideal when:
- Responses require structured reviews or approvals
- External clients need to approve data without creating an account
- Multiple people are responsible for different checks on the same response
- Responses must follow defined sign-off steps before completion
By guiding responses through clear stages, Workflow removes guesswork from approvals. It prevents premature closure, reduces back-and-forth communication, and ensures that every response is approved by the right people at the right time.
Choosing the best surveyor app can make site inspections faster and more organised. If you’re new to NestForms, you can sign up for the free two-week trial. We also offer a free Training Demo as an introduction to the platform. For larger operations, we provide more detailed Assisted Onboarding.
