Approvals and client tasks
Ask a client to sign off work with an optional checklist, or give them a to-do in their portal — and know which of the two you actually need.
Two things you send to a client, on one page. An approval asks them to review work and answer Approve or Request Changes. A client task is a to-do you need them to complete — send the logins, write the About page copy. Both live under DeliveryApprovals, on their own tabs.
Before you start
You need the Approvals permission and the work_management plan feature.
Approvals are project-scoped: the client portal you choose must have a linked
project, or the create button stays disabled.
Which one do you need?
| Use an approval when | Use a client task when |
|---|---|
| You need a yes or no on work you have done | You need the client to do something |
| A decision should be recorded against the project | Nothing is being signed off |
| You want a checklist the client ticks through | You want instructions the client follows |
Create an approval
Open the approvals queue
Go to DeliveryApprovals. The Approvals tab is selected by default.
Click Request Approval
Pick the Client Portal
If it has no linked project the button will not enable — link a project first.
Write the Approval Title and Description
The description prompt asks what the client should review and approve.
Set Priority and Due Date
Add Steps, one per line
Optional. Each line becomes an item on the client-facing checklist.
Click Request Approval
| Setting | What it changes | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Client Portal | Which client portal receives the approval. Required, and the portal must have a linked project. | — |
| Approval Title | The heading the client sees. Required. | — |
| Description | What the client should review and approve. | — |
| Priority | Low, Normal, High or Urgent. | Normal |
| Due Date | The deadline shown to the client. | — |
| Steps (optional, one per line) | Becomes the client-facing checklist on the approval. | — |
Statuses and what the client does
On the detail page the status list is pending, approved, changes_requested, rejected and completed.
Status changes need Save status
Picking a new status does not commit it. Press Save status or the change is lost when you leave the page.
The client finds approvals under TasksReviews in their portal, and answers with Approve or Request Changes. They can see the checklist, any shared assets and the comment thread.
Deleting an approval is permanent
It removes the approval's steps, comments and attachments with it, and cannot be undone.
Create a client task
Open Delivery → Approvals and switch to Client Tasks
Click New Client Task
Pick the Client Portal
Fill in Task Title, Description and Instructions for Client
The instructions box is the one the client actually follows — use it for the step-by-step detail.
Set Priority, Category and Due Date
Click Create Task
| Setting | What it changes | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Client Portal | Which portal the task appears in. Required. | — |
| Task Title | What the client sees in their task list. Required. | — |
| Description | A brief overview of what the task involves. | — |
| Instructions for Client | Step-by-step instructions or the specific details the client needs to finish the task. | — |
| Priority | Low, Normal, High or Urgent. | Normal |
| Category | General, Review, Content, Feedback or Action Required. | General |
| Due Date | The deadline shown to the client. | — |
The client sees the task under Tasks in their portal. Anything they write back appears as Client Notes on the task detail page.
Write the instructions as if you will not be there
"Send us the logo" produces a JPEG screenshot. "Send the original logo file — .ai, .eps or .svg — not a screenshot" produces the file you needed.
Deleting a client task is permanent.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Request Approval stays disabled | "This portal has no linked project. Approvals are project-scoped" | Link a project to the portal, then create the approval |
| A status change did not stick | The detail page needs Save status pressed | Set the status and press Save status |
| The client never saw the approval | Their Messages & tasks notification category is off, or their portal hides the section | Check Settings → Access and Settings → Sections on their portal |
| The client cannot find their approvals | They live under Tasks → Reviews in the portal, not on their own page | Point them at the Reviews tab |
| A deleted approval took its comments with it | Deleting removes steps, comments and attachments | There is no undo — recreate it |
| The client replied but you see nothing | Their reply lands as Client Notes on a task, not as a comment | Open the client task detail page |