Create a Holiday Approval Flow in Power Automate.

This guide will help you to create an automated holiday approval system using Microsoft Forms, Teams, Outlook, and Power Automate. This system streamlines the process of holiday requests, eliminating the need for paper forms and manual approvals.

Required Applications

• You will need the following Microsoft applications:

  • Microsoft Forms: To gather holiday request information.

  • Power Automate: To create an automated approval flow.

  • Microsoft Teams: To facilitate communication and approvals.

  • Microsoft Outlook: To send notifications and manage calendar events.

Step One: Setting Up Microsoft Forms

• Start by creating a new form in Microsoft Forms:

  • Go to office.com, click on applications, and select Forms.

  • Create a new form titled "Holiday Request"

• Add questions to gather necessary information:

  • Number of Days: Use a choice option to allow users to indicate if they are requesting a half day or more.

  • Half Day Option: Include a question to determine if the request is for a half day.

  • Start and End Dates: Use date fields to capture the requested holiday dates.

  • Line Manager Selection: Allow users to select their line manager from a list.

Step Two: Integrating with Microsoft Teams

• Share the form in Microsoft Teams:

  • Go to the general chat in Teams, add the form, and allow users to fill it out directly within Teams.

Step Three: Creating the Approval Flow in Power Automate

• Access Power Automate via office.com and create a new automated cloud flow:

  • Trigger the flow when a new response is submitted to Microsoft Forms.

• Initialize variables to manage the approval process:

  • Create a variable for the manager's email.

• Get response details from the form submission.

Step Four: Setting Up Approval Logic

• Use a switch statement to route the approval request based on the selected line manager.

• Set the manager's email based on the selected line manager.

Step Five: Sending Approval Requests

• Create an approval request using the "Start and wait for an approval" action:

  • Assign the request to the manager and include details about the holiday request.

• Check the outcome of the approval:

  • If approved, create an event in the calendar.

  • If rejected, send an email notification to the requester with comments.

Step Six: Testing the System

• Fill out the holiday request form in Microsoft Teams and submit it.

• Approve or reject the request through Outlook or Teams, ensuring that the system functions as intended.

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of setting up an automated holiday approval system using Microsoft tools, ensuring a streamlined process for managing holiday requests in the workplace.

For more essential tips and tricks on Microsoft 365 applications, be sure to check out That Office Guy’s YouTube Channel.