Step 1: Enable the SOP approval process

Go to Settings and navigate to Document Approval Workflows. Switch on the SOP approval process and click Save. While you’re in this section, also enable SOP revision notes. This gives you a detailed change history for every document – who changed it, when, and what they noted. It’s worth having on from the start.

Step 2: Add your approvers

Once the approval process is enabled, you need to assign who can approve documents. Select approvers from your existing user list in GembaDocs. If someone isn’t in the list yet, add them as a user first. If you’re using tags, you can assign approvers to specific tags rather than giving everyone visibility across all documents. For example, you might assign one person as the approver only for SOPs tagged to a particular area or department. There’s a separate video covering tags in more detail if you need it.

Step 3: Configure your optional settings

There are a few additional options worth reviewing:

• Auto-approval – enables a document to be approved automatically if no approver is assigned to it (useful for untagged SOPs)
• Single approver sign-off – if you have multiple approvers, this allows any one of them to approve rather than requiring all of them
• Mandatory tags – prevents users from saving an SOP without assigning a tag, which keeps your approval structure consistent
• Kanban card approvals – extends the workflow to Kanban cards if needed, though this isn’t always necessary

Step 4: See how it works in practice

When a user creates a new SOP or edits an existing one, saving the document triggers the approval process. Here’s what happens:

1. The user is prompted to update the revision number
2. They enter revision notes – what changed and why
3. The document is saved and sent for approval

The SOP shows as pending in the author’s folder. It also appears as pending in the approver’s approval folder, and the approver gets a notification and an email letting them know a document is waiting. The approver can approve or reject the document and add a note either way.

Step 5: Track approval status

At any point, you can see exactly where a document stands. The approval popup shows:

• How many approvals are completed vs. still pending
• Which approvers have signed off
• Which approvers haven’t acted yet

That’s the full SOP approval workflow set up and running in GembaDocs.