Raise your hand if you have spent hours sending emails or making calls trying to get approval for that small project only to find out later that the person in charge didn't understand your request.
Now, that's a waste of time.
There's a solution, however, and it will be at the center of today's conversation.
Approval Workflows
Understanding Approval Workflows
Definition and Importance
Simply put, we refer to workflows as steps that reduce bottlenecks when approval is needed.
Think of approval workflow as a map, the end destination is to complete a task or a project, to do so, it’s required to go over certain points arranged in sequence, once you reach a point and want to move to the next one, you’ll automatically seek the approval of the person responsible and quickly get it so you can continue the journey with confidence.
Adventure analogies aside, approval workflows are of great importance to many common procedures businesses follow, like signing a contract, managing a purchase order, or accounting matters.
For example, if an employee has incurred certain expenses during the performance of their work and wants to be reimbursed, they will need to get in touch with the accounting department to request it. The accountant on the other hand will have to check with the manager and review the company’s policies regarding reimbursements.
Approval workflow is also known as:
- Automated approvals
- Approval workflow engine
Key Components of Approval Workflows
Approval workflows will commonly contain the following elements
- Tasks and actions: Returning to the example above, the task will be to submit the request for funds reimbursement and obtain approval. This part includes the what and who of the operation. What needs to be done and who’s going to make it happen?
- Approvers: In our example, it will be the company’s manager. It’s the person that determines if something is accepted or rejected.
- Permissions: While it might look similar to the approvers, this is the process of searching for the person or group of people that need to be contacted for their approval.
- Timelines: No effective process is free from established deadlines. If you know when something is going to happen, there’s no need for bothersome back-and-forth communication.
- Notifications: And speaking about endless communication, approval workflows include sending alerts to all the parties involved.
- Tracking and logging: If something isn’t recorded has it even happened? Monitoring is a key component of an efficient approval workflow.
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Types of Approval Workflows
Process Approval Workflow
Probably the most common of the pack, and it's easy to see why. Process approval workflows are designed for ongoing tasks that share a main characteristic. They are highly predictable as they follow a defined set of steps. Daily processes will benefit the most from this type of workflow.
A good example could be, the steps required to hire a new employee.
Project Approval Workflow
In most creative settings and other industries as well like hospitality or tourism, you'll find that nothing is set in stone. There are structures and procedures but the details might be flexible given the circumstances. It could be the case for example that a project differs from client to client, so having implemented a more dynamic approval workflow is ideal.
Case Approval Workflow
In the scenarios presented above, despite the differences there were established goals from the beginning. The objective was clear. For case approval workflows, the outcome depends on what's happened during the process. That's why it's also known as the investigative approval workflow.
Steps of Approval Workflows
Different industries and companies might have their own preferences when it comes to designing their approval workflows. That being said, some key steps always need to be considered.
Document Submission
The most important part of the process is to send the information to obtain approval. Thanks to technology, this can be easily done using an automated platform, so everyone can upload, share, access, review the documents, and give approval wherever they are located.
Review Process
Okay, so we got the documents uploaded and all the relevant people have access. What's next?
Making the review process as simple as possible. Automation plays an amazing role again. Let's say that you have submitted the documents in the morning and now you are waiting for your manager's review. Without an automated process, you and your manager could waste hours knowing that something needs to be done.
Approval
If a request has been submitted, reviewed and all the details meet the requirements.
Approval is the logical next step, but how do we streamline that? A digital platform can quickly collect e-signatures so projects and tasks can be approved in the blink of an eye.
Designing an Effective Approval Workflow
Now that we know what an approval workflow entails, it might be useful to understand what crucial aspects make an efficient process.
Above all, you'll have to determine which type of workflow fits your interests the best. We have already mentioned the main approval workflows but there are two main categories to consider.
- Parallel: This method is useful for those tasks that require to be completed by doing a series of steps at once. Instead of completing one step at a time, parallel workflows work on several steps in a single moment.
- Sequential: This is a more traditional approach, to finish a task, there's a route designed. Each point has to be completed before moving on to the next step.
Set the conditions
For approval to work, it's necessary to have a clear picture of the details. Does the submission comply with what's expected? Is there a specific policy that needs to be checked? How can managers know if a request should be approved? Well, a predefined set of conditions is the answer. Knowing exactly what points need to be covered makes the approval process simple to follow.
Choosing the Right Approval Workflow Software
Up until now, we have hinted about the relevance automation has on streamlining approval workflow. But how do you know what software is the one for you?
Let's set some standards.
- Alerts: What's the point of counting with software for your approval workflows if there's no way to get people notified? Any good program will include an alert system.
- Code-free: Not every member of the team is going to be interested in programming, so having applications that can be intuitively used by all types of professionals is a huge bonus.
- Works offline: As remote work becomes the new normal, people have the freedom to work from anywhere and sometimes that could mean being temporarily located in settings with poor or no internet connection. The right software will have online and offline options.
- Integration: Ultimately a great approval workflow software will allow you to seamlessly integrate all the essential points of your processes. From submitting the documents to signing their approval.
Benefits of Streamlining Approval Workflows
Increased Efficiency and Productivity
This is probably one of the main reasons why streamlining approval workflows helps businesses to be more productive. It saves time.
Automated software is an excellent time-tracker. They assist companies to stay on track with deadlines. You will have peace of mind knowing that your team is well-informed on what needs to be done and who's responsible for each step of the process.
No more pointless waiting periods.
Enhanced Transparency and Accountability
If the stakeholders of a project know with precision what comes next in the list of steps and who's behind the action points, they can trust the direction things are going. In the case that something is not going according to plan, it can be fixed without affecting the rest of the project.
Reduction of Bottlenecks
Bottlenecks are a pain on the back of productivity. Regarding approval workflows, the last thing the task or project needs is to get stuck in a loop of misunderstandings and poor communication. Whereas it’s because of late submissions, lack of information, or human error, manual approval workflows have higher chances of facing bottlenecks than automated solutions.
Builds Consistency
Think about it, having a set-up program for all the things that are required to be approved, means that you won’t have to worry about if the procedure goes along with the company’s policies. With automation, the risk of inconsistency is removed.
Improves Sales Cycles
If a sales transaction is in the middle of a request pending approval, time can become a decisive factor for success or failure. Taking just the right amount of time to send, review, and sign off documents will not only speed up the sales cycle, it will also lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction.
Optimizing Approval Workflow Performance
Continuous Monitoring and Improvement
Regardless of the process, improvement is always part of the plan, businesses and leaders strive to do their best. And the key to knowing if something is working or not is constant reviewing of the process. To be sure that your approval workflow is as efficient as it can be, you'll need to closely monitor the route, including the steps and the actions taken. Set metrics from the beginning so you can really see the success or failure of the results.
Integrating Approval Workflows with Existing Systems
Approval workflows are designed to smooth the operational side of companies. This wouldn't work, if it operated alone without the input of other systems and departments. Automated software can quickly integrate approval workflows with all the relevant systems of your business.
Common Issues Faced in Approval Processes
- Unplanned changes: This is probably the most common challenge, business face. At the last minute, the person in charge of approval makes a change in the document. Naturally, this can lead to delays or incorrect results. To prevent this, digital approval workflows implement communication channels and notifications during the whole process.
- Lack of access: How annoying it’s to try to open a document, only to see that you don’t have access. When it comes to approval workflows, this is crucial as it might cause bottlenecks and a sense of tiredness in the team. By automatizing the process, you can sit and relax knowing that everyone is invited to participate.
- Rushed approval: Yes, obtaining the approval is important, but so it’s having the certainty that no mistakes were made. When leaders approve something in a rush, without proper reviewing, mistakes are the most natural consequence.
Future Trends in Approval Workflow.
Automation and AI:
This might not come as a surprise, but artificial intelligence is kind of the new rockstar of pretty much everything. Yes, even approval workflows are now using artificial intelligence and machine learning. AI can analyze historical data to predict approval outcomes, automate routine approvals, and flag items needing human review. This reduces delays and improves overall workflow efficiency.
Integration with Collaboration Tools
We have been highlighting up until now, the relevance of having an approval workflow that creates space for collaboration and reduces bottlenecks during communication. So why not do it more smartly and integrate the workflow with popular collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and others? This integration allows approvals to happen directly within the communication platform where teams already collaborate, speeding up decision-making.
Make it Mobile Friendly
With the rise of remote work and mobile-first strategies, approval workflows are becoming optimized for mobile devices. This enables approvers to review and approve requests on the go, it doesn’t matter anymore if you are sitting in front of your computer at home or in your office. You could even be traveling and still be able to be part of the approval process.
Real-Time Data
Now, remember what we said about improvement? You need information to do that, right? Accurate information that comes from real-time data. Advanced analytics are being integrated into approval workflows to provide real-time insights into process performance. This includes metrics such as approval cycle times, bottlenecks, and approval rates, allowing organizations to optimize workflows continuously.
Final Thoughts
Alright, so the next time you or someone from your team complains about how much of trouble it is to get approval for a simple task, remember that approval workflows or even better-automated approval workflows are designed to be an efficient ally in the journey of sending requests that must be approved.
With a series of simple steps and the help of integrated technologies, your approval workflow will soon become a matter of a couple of clicks on the screen of your computer of smartphone.
Key Takeaways
- Approval workflows are a set of steps designed to establish a route for tasks completion and final approval.
- There are different types of approval workflows, business can use one or another depending on the circumstances of the project.
- In the general steps of any approval workflow, you’ll find that it's required to make a submission, perform any applicable review, and give the approval or rejection.
- Setting conditions and results are part of any successful approval process.
- Automating the approval workflow brings serious benefits to business, like an increase in productivity, higher efficiency, better transparency, and overall reduction of obstacles.
- As part of the optimization process of approval workflows, don't forget to include constant evaluation of results, relying on real-time data.
- Lack of timely communication is the main cause behind the challenges approval workflows face.
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