Content Approval Tracker

What it is

A content approval tracker is a centralised dashboard or spreadsheet that shows the real-time status of every piece of content moving through your approval process. Rather than scattered emails and uncertainty about where something is in the workflow, this gives you one source of truth about what’s approved, what’s pending, and what’s stuck.

It’s a practical tool for communications teams managing multiple campaigns, products, or publications where approval delays create bottlenecks. It surfaces problems quickly (e.g., one person is the blocker on five items) so you can address them before deadlines hit.

When to use it

Use this template when:

Managing approval of multiple content items simultaneously
Approval processes involve multiple stakeholders
You need to identify and resolve approval bottlenecks
Team members need visibility on overall progress
You’re tracking approval timelines and throughput
Different content items have different approval paths

Don’t use this template if:

You only have one or two items in approval at a time
Approval is a single sign-off, not a workflow
You need deep analysis (use reporting tools instead)
Content doesn’t require formal approval

Inputs needed

Before starting, gather:

All content items currently in or approaching approval
The approval workflow stages applicable to each item
Current status of each item and who it’s with
Key dates (submitted, deadline, approved)
Approver names and contact information
Any holds, flags, or issues blocking approval

The template

Approval status tracker

Tracking period: [Month/dates covered]

Updated: [Date and time]

Maintained by: [Name/role]

Content	Type	Submitted	Deadline	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Final approval	Status	Notes
[Item name]	[Type]	[Date]	[Date]	[Status]	[Status]	[Status]	[Approver]	[Overall status]	[Any blockers]

Detailed item tracking

For each content item:

Item: [Title]

Type: [e.g., Press release, Product page, Email campaign]

Submitted date: [When sent for approval]

Approval deadline: [When approved content needed]

Approval path: [Which workflow applies]

Stage tracking:

Stage	Reviewer	Assigned date	Review deadline	Status	Returned for changes
1	[Name]	[Date]	[Date]	[ ]	[ ]
2	[Name]	[Date]	[Date]	[ ]	[ ]
3	[Name]	[Date]	[Date]	[ ]	[ ]

Escalation tracking (if applicable):

Issue: [What’s blocking approval]
Escalated to: [Who]
Date escalated: [When]
Expected resolution: [When]
Status: [Pending/in discussion/resolved]

Summary dashboard

Items by status:

Approved and ready: [#]
In review: [#]
Changes requested: [#]
Escalated: [#]
Blocked: [#]
At risk of missing deadline: [#]

Bottleneck identification:

Who is currently holding approval on multiple items?

[Approver]: [# items] items pending their review
[Approver]: [# items] items pending their review

Which stages are causing delays?

Stage: [Stage name] – average time [X days], at risk items: [#]
Stage: [Stage name] – average time [X days], at risk items: [#]

AI prompt

Base prompt

I'm managing approval of [NUMBER] content items that are moving through our approval workflow. I need to create a tracking dashboard to monitor their status in real-time. Here's what I need to track:

Content items:
[List each item with type and deadline]

Approval workflow stages:
[List stages from your workflow mapper]

Current status:
[Where each item currently is in the workflow]

Current approvers:
[List who is responsible for each stage]

Create a content approval tracker that:
1. Shows all items and their current status at each workflow stage
2. Identifies which items are at risk of missing their deadline
3. Highlights who is currently holding items in review (bottleneck identification)
4. Shows which stages typically cause delays
5. Flags items that have been requested for changes vs still in review
6. Includes a summary dashboard of overall approval status

Format it so I can update it quickly daily or weekly without recreating it from scratch. Include both a master tracker view and a way to drill into individual items.

Prompt variations

Variation 1 - Campaign management:

We have [NUMBER] campaign pieces that need approval before the campaign launch on [DATE]. They're at different stages:

[List items and current stage]

Create a campaign approval tracker that:
- Shows which items are on track vs at risk of missing launch deadline
- Identifies which approvers are slowest to respond to campaign items
- Flags any items stuck in review for multiple days
- Calculates days remaining before content must be approved
- Highlights critical path items that other items depend on
- Shows rollup view: campaign level status (% approved, % in review, etc.)

Variation 2 - Ongoing publication:

We publish [FREQUENCY] with [NUMBER] pieces per publication. I need to track approval status for ongoing publications. Create a tracker that:
- Shows publication schedule and what's already approved/pending for each
- Tracks approval timelines (are we consistently meeting our publication schedule?)
- Identifies which types of content typically take longer to approve
- Shows who the bottleneck approvers are across multiple publications
- Forecasts whether we can meet upcoming publication dates based on current review pace

Variation 3 - Issue escalation focus:

We have approval bottlenecks with items stuck in review or awaiting decisions. Create an approval tracker that emphasises:
- Which items have been in review longest (flag for escalation)
- Who is holding items and when they last responded
- Items requested for changes – how many rounds of changes?
- Escalation status: which items need a decision from senior approval?
- Recommendation: which items should be escalated today?

Variation 4 - Multi-team visibility:

We have multiple teams submitting content for approval and they need visibility on status. Create a tracker that:
- Shows status by team (how is Team A's content progressing vs Team B)
- Provides individual approvers with a list of items awaiting their review
- Shows what's approved and ready for the next stage
- Alerts teams if their content is at risk of missing deadline
- Includes a public summary so teams know overall approval status

Variation 5 - Regulatory/compliance tracking:

Our approvals involve legal and compliance sign-off on [NUMBER] items. Create a tracker that:
- Separates compliance review stage from other stages
- Shows items stuck in legal/compliance review (and for how long)
- Flags items that required multiple legal revisions
- Tracks which legal/compliance issues are most common (patterns)
- Shows escalation path for items that can't get compliance sign-off
- Identifies items that may need alternative approach because they can't pass compliance

Human review checklist

Example output

Tracking period: January 2026, weeks 1-4

Updated: 30 January 2026, 14:30

Maintained by: Communications Manager, Sarah Chen

Content	Type	Submitted	Deadline	Legal	Brand	Exec	Final	Status	Notes
Q1 Partnership announcement	Press release	28 Jan	3 Feb	✓	⏳	—	—	In review	Brand team has it since yesterday, on track
Product safety update	Customer notice	27 Jan	1 Feb	⏳	✓	⏳	—	In review	Legal reviewing for liability issues; at risk if delayed further
Annual report summary	Web content	22 Jan	31 Jan	✓	✓	⏳	—	At risk	Awaiting exec approval (4 days); deadline tomorrow
Sustainability campaign brief	Campaign material	25 Jan	10 Feb	✓	❌	—	—	Changes requested	Brand requesting environmental claim substantiation; needs revision
Employee handbook update	Internal doc	20 Jan	5 Feb	✓	✓	—	✓	Approved	Ready to distribute

Bottleneck identification:

James (Exec approval): 2 items pending (Annual report summary, Customer safety notice) – both at risk
Brand team: Has 1 item in review, 1 item pending revision – workload manageable but Product announcement deadline in 4 days

Items at risk of missing deadline:

Annual report summary: Deadline 31 Jan (tomorrow), still in exec review. Need decision within 24 hours or delay publication.
Customer safety notice: Deadline 1 Feb, in legal review for 3 days. Must move to exec review by end of day 30 Jan.

Stage performance:

Legal: Average 3 days turnaround (on pace)
Brand: Average 4 days turnaround (slightly slow)
Exec approval: Average 5 days turnaround (slowest stage; escalation hotspot)

Approval Workflow Mapper – Define the workflow this tracker monitors
Tone Style Checker – Check consistency during approval process
Claims Substantiation Checklist – Track substantiation status within approval
Crisis Content Pre-Approval Pack – Fast-track approval for urgent items

Tips for success

Update it religiously. A tracker that’s two days out of date is worse than no tracker—it gives false confidence. Assign responsibility for daily or twice-daily updates. Build it into someone’s routine.

Make status codes consistent. Don’t create ambiguity—use clear codes (✓ approved, ⏳ in review, ❌ changes requested). Don’t leave cells blank if status is unknown. Unknown is a status itself and needs flag.

Identify bottlenecks, then address them. The tracker’s value isn’t just visibility—it’s revealing who needs support. If one approver is holding five items, that’s the problem to solve. Maybe they need resource, better process, or clearer criteria.

Link to the actual deadline that matters. Tracking when something is approved is useful, but not if it’s past the publication or deadline date. Show days remaining prominently so everyone knows urgency level.

Build in escalation triggers. Define automatic escalation rules: if an item is in Stage 2 for more than 3 days, escalate. If missing deadline is obvious, flag for review. Don’t wait for crisis to trigger action.

Common pitfalls

Tracking status without tracking time. Knowing something is “in review” is less useful than knowing “in review for 4 days, deadline in 2 days.” Time context is what drives urgency.

Creating a tracker no one updates. A tracker that goes stale quickly is abandoned by the team. Make it someone’s specific responsibility, not “everyone’s job” (which is nobody’s job). Build update time into their schedule.

Using status codes inconsistently. If different people interpret “in review” differently (started? half done? almost done?), the tracker loses reliability. Define status precisely and hold people to it.

Missing the escalation layer. If your tracker shows something is stuck but you don’t have a process to escalate it, you’ve just added visibility to a problem you can’t solve. Build escalation into your tracker and your workflow.

Not surfacing deadline risk. A tracker with no indication of deadline risk misses its primary purpose. Always show days remaining or deadline status prominently. Red-flag items that will miss deadlines if current pace continues.