How-to guide · ⏱ 20 minutes
Approve purchases before anyone buys
A purchase request that can't be ordered until it's approved, moves on by itself when it is, and reminds the approver if it waits.
Approval by text message works until someone forgets, or two people buy the same thing. Here's a lightweight approval flow.
1. Start from the Purchase requests template
Stacks → + New stack → Purchase requests. It asks what they need, the vendor, estimated cost, needed-by date and why, and moves through Review → Ordered → Received. (Create your first stack)
2. Add an "Approved by" field
In Fields, add a Person field called Approved by and turn on Private. (Ticket fields)
3. Require approval to leave Review
In Rules, under Review, click + Add and pick Approved by. Nobody can move it to Ordered without an approver. (Step rules)
4. Let it move on by itself
Set Ordered's trigger to ⚡ Previous step's requirements met. The moment the approver fills in their name, the request moves to ordering. No extra click, and nothing to forget.
5. Tell the buyer, nudge the approver
- On Ordered, set Goes to to whoever does the ordering, and a step email to the ✉ Requester: "Approved! We're ordering it."
- On Review, add a reminder to the owner after 2 days, repeating every 2.
6. Watch the spend
Reporting → Totals: add up Estimated cost by month. (Reports)
Related
- Step rules (requirements)Make sure the right information is filled in before a ticket moves on or closes, so your records and reports are complete.
- Statuses and stepsStatuses are the big picture (New, In progress, Done); steps are the real stages inside them. Here's how to set both up.
- RemindersNudge the owner, requester or a location when a ticket sits in a step too long, and keep nudging until it moves.
- ReportsBuild your own reports with charts, or use the built-in Overview: opened vs closed, totals, time in each step and what's gone quiet.
Still stuck? Email hello@ticketstacker.com. A real person reads every message.