Project management tool with approval steps before a task can be marked done

Microsoft Teams’ Planner app sounds like the closest fit if you need approval to be a hard gate: task recipients must request and receive a manager’s approval before they can mark the task complete. This specific feature is for task lists published through Teams. (support.microsoft.com)

Other options:

• ProjectManager — configure an approver in a custom workflow so a task can’t move to the next status without approval. (learn.projectmanager.com)
• Quire — offers a setting to block task completion while approval is pending. (quire.io)
• Asana — has approval tasks, but those are a separate task type; they don’t inherently prevent someone from marking the original task complete. (help.asana.com)

If you tell me whether you need one approver or several, and what tools you already use, I can narrow it down.

Several mainstream project tools can hold a task in a review state until someone approves it. Wrike and Process Street fit your requirement most directly, and ClickUp, Asana, and monday.com are solid alternatives.

• Wrike: Its approval steps attach to tasks, and an approver's decision can automatically move the task to its next status. Wrike is a project management platform that adds approval steps to tasks, files and request forms. An approver reviews the task or proof, and the decision can move the item to its next status automatically. Reviewers can also be routed in sequence. Wrike is often described as better suited to enterprise routing than to small teams.
• Process Street: Its workflow builder can place blocking steps in a checklist. Those steps stop progress until a required approval is recorded, so a sign-off can't be skipped.
• ClickUp: You can create custom statuses for each stage, such as draft, review, and final sign-off. You can also set tasks so they need approval before other tasks can begin, and the activity log records each decision.
• Asana: Its automation rules can assign an approver and set a due date when a task moves to a status like "Ready for Review." Asana's approval features are lighter than the others, so it suits simpler approval needs.
• monday.com: It offers approval board templates with sequential or parallel sign-offs and clear status columns. Some users find its mobile notifications clunky.

Before you choose, keep in mind that most of these comparisons come from vendor blogs or affiliate-style reviews. The ONES.com pieces, for example, promote their own product, so verify claims against each vendor's documentation or a free trial. Also check whether the approval gate is enforced (the task cannot be marked done) or only tracked by a status label, because that difference matters for compliance.

If you tell me your team size, whether you need sequential or parallel approvers, and whether you need an audit trail, I can narrow this to one or two options.

Several project management tools offer robust, built-in approval workflows to ensure tasks are reviewed and authorized before being marked as "Done." The best choice for you depends on whether you need a simple status-based system or a complex, automated process.

Top Project Management Tools with Approval Workflows

• Wrike: Highly recommended for teams needing formal, structured approval processes. It allows you to add approval steps directly to tasks, routing them to reviewers automatically. It is particularly strong in creative and enterprise environments where proofing and audit trails are critical.
• ClickUp: Offers a versatile "everything app" approach. You can create custom task statuses (e.g., "In Review," "Approved") and use automations or manual checklists to ensure an approval step is completed before a task is marked as finished. It is a great cost-effective option for growing teams.
• Monday.com: Best for teams that prefer a highly visual, intuitive interface. You can manage approvals by setting up status columns (e.g., "Pending Review," "Approved") and using automation recipes to notify reviewers. It is excellent for keeping approvals tied directly to your project boards.
• GoodDay: Known for its flexibility in workflow management. It allows for automated approval processes where you can set specific rules to move tasks through stages and trigger approvals automatically.
• Process Street / Cadenio: If your need is more about strictly governed, audit-ready procedures rather than general task management, these tools specialize in formal, checklist-based approval workflows.

How to Implement Approval Steps

Regardless of the tool you choose, the implementation typically follows one of three patterns:

1. Status-Based Workflows: You create specific statuses (e.g., "Waiting for Approval," "Approved"). You can then restrict permissions so only certain users can change a task to the "Done" status.
2. Automated Routing: Using the tool's automation features, you set a trigger—such as a task being moved to "In Review"—which automatically notifies a manager or stakeholder to provide sign-off.
3. Checklist/Gatekeeping: You can add a mandatory checklist item or a custom "Approval" field that must be checked or filled out by an authorized person before the task can proceed.

Recommendation for Choosing

• For Creative & Marketing Teams: Wrike is often the top pick because it excels at visual proofing and granular, formal approvals.
• For Small to Mid-Sized Teams: ClickUp or Monday.com provide a balance of ease of use and sufficient automation to keep processes moving without becoming overly complex.
• For Highly Regulated/Process-Heavy Work: If you need a strict audit trail for compliance (e.g., finance or HR), look into Process Street or tools like Cflow, which are purpose-built for high-stakes, structured approvals.

ProjectManager.com looks like a strong fit: its task-approval workflow can require a designated approver before a task moves to another status, so it can’t be marked done until approval is granted. ⁸¹²

Asana is another option if a review-and-sign-off step is enough: tasks can be marked as approvals, with “Approve,” “Request changes,” or “Reject” actions. ¹²