Running a business is hard enough without your own processes holding you back. But that is just what happens when your approval system isn’t of high caliber. You know the feeling: projects get delayed, decisions seem to sit in limbo, and your team is stuck waiting for that green light. Frustrating for everyone, which it really doesn’t have to be.
If “waiting for approval” feels like the overplayed soundtrack to your workday, it’s high time to ask yourself: is your approval system actually holding your business back? If it is, you are not alone, and it’s nowhere near as hard to fix as you may think. So, let’s dive into some signs your approval system could be stuck in the dark ages and what you can do about it.
The Telltale Signs Your Approval System Is Failing You
If your approval process is more like a roadblock than a fine-tuned machine, you likely already feel it. Here’s how to know if it’s time for a change.
1. Bottlenecks at Key Decision Points
Do you know that dishearful feeling when a project just seems to be chugging along, and then it comes to a screeching halt for no good reason? When decisions get held up because one or two key people just have not had the time to approve something, you have a bottleneck. And bottlenecks equal delays—projects stall, deadlines get extended, and people start getting frustrated. Nobody enjoys the waiting game.
2. Lack of transparency
Lack of knowledge concerning who is to take the responsibility keeps people confused and slows down everything. The inability to visualize the status of an approval request feels like wandering in the dark.
3. Too Many Manual Steps
How much of your approval process still relies on emails, spreadsheets, or paperwork, dare we ask? If you’re chasing down signatures or hunting through email threads trying to figure out where something’s stuck, it’s time to fess up—your process is too manual. All that busy work uses up time and leads to mistakes.
4. Miscommunication and Errors
Somebody misses an email, a wrong version of a document gets signed off, or a miscommunication between teams results in a costly error.
5. Frustration and Low Morale
Nobody likes working in a system that is broken. If your team has to face delays, unclear processes, or unnecessary approvals time and again, frustration will mount. And frustrated people are not productive. It’s too deflating when anybody feels his or her work is stalled because of a system that’s supposed to help him or her rather than hinder him or her. When morale goes down, productivity goes with it, and that’s never great for business.
Fix the Broken Approval System
Now that you’ve spotted the signs of a broken system let’s talk about how to fix it. The good news? There are loads of ways to smooth out your approval process without tearing it all down and starting again. A few smart tweaks can make a big difference.
1. Automation for Faster Approvals
It’s a real game-changer since this will basically let you route the approval requests to the right people automatically, using software, and cut out much of the back-and-forth. The right tools send reminders or escalate requests if they haven’t been handled in a timely way.
Suppose you are already in the building, and either the plans or budgets of the project need supplementation. Automated systems like change order software log, track, and approve such situations in a snap, keeping the projects moving with no hindrances. Now approval is the last thing to fuss about.
2. Ensure Clear Responsibilities and Hierarchies
Have you ever worked on one of those projects where nobody’s really sure who is responsible for approving what? That’s a formula for chaos. Instead, make sure everyone knows exactly what they’re responsible for and when their input is needed. Whether it’s a detailed workflow or clear documentation, having a roadmap everyone can follow makes things go a whole lot faster. Once each of them can have their role, then things will be done much quicker and more easily. There will be no need for second-guessing or waiting around for someone else to make a call.
3. Provide Full Visibility with Dashboards and Reporting
One of the biggest pains in an approval process is simply not knowing where things stand. That’s where dashboards come in useful: In any stage of an approval process, a clear view will be available showing who needs to act—and when.
What does this mean for leaders? Such dashboards give insight into where approvals go to die. If one department is consistently causing delays, you’ll know—and you can take action before this becomes a bigger issue.
4. Empower Teams to Make Decisions
Not every decision has to be taken up the flagpole. Sometimes, approvals get held up because the wrong people are being asked to sign off on things. Give your team the authority to make decisions within certain limits.
For example, create a threshold whereby projects or expenses above that amount are the only ones requiring approval. In this way, small decisions are not clogged in the approval pipeline and your senior leadership has been freed to decide more strategic issues.
5. Regularly Review and Refine Your Process
Your business changes and your approval process should, too. What fitted well last year may be a perfect misfit today. Constantly find ways to improve the approval process: Which steps are redundant? Which parts of the process have now become superfluous because of new technology? Being willing to adapt is key.
In the end, your approval system is not only a needed function but a crucial driver of how well your business operates. Then, identify the areas that are holding you back, and by streamlining, automating, and empowering your team, approve bottlenecks into opportunities that help create speed and agility. It’s the job of creating such a system—one that nurtures growth, not stifles. With seamless approval processes, your team can devote their time to the things that truly matter: innovation, execution, and moving your business forward.
