In addition to posing significant security risks, poorly managed approvals can lead to unnecessary waste of company resources. When managing approvals, we must ensure that every action requiring approval is subject to it and that only authorized individuals can grant it. Beyond security, it is also important to keep the approval process short, as delays can hinder the organization's effective operation.
Lack of Structure
Many types of activities and documents may require approval, both within and outside an organization. Since decision-making involves responsibility, we need to ensure that approvals are recorded. If approval is given over the phone or by email, for example, it can make it considerably harder to move forward with individual workflow steps later on. Another issue with this type of process is that, in a larger organization, not everyone necessarily knows whom to contact for approval. As a result, information is passed around until it reaches the right person. If all approvals were stored in a centralized system that also automatically assigned them to the right person, any delays caused by hard-to-track communication could be avoided entirely.
Types of Approval
Simple, Single-Stage Approval
Single-stage approval involves two participants, and their respective roles are usually clear. The requester knows whom to approach, and the approver has the appropriate authority to grant approval. Although this scenario seems simple and efficient, when handling hundreds or even thousands of such approvals, we do not want to add even a single unnecessary minute to the process.
Two-Stage or Multi-Stage Approval
Multi-stage approval involves at least three participants. An employee requests approval, and their direct manager either rejects the request or forwards it to the other approvers. With more participants, individual availability and response times vary, and the question of responsibility also becomes more complex. Multi-stage approvals can be sequential, where a request only moves to a higher approval level once it has been approved at the lower level, or parallel, where approvers at the same level must reach a unanimous decision on the request.
The Role of Process Automation
Automated Approvals
When approval is unavoidable but we still want to save time, automated approvals are the answer. For clearly defined actions where the system has the necessary information—for example, who is currently on leave or the amount above which an invoice requires approval—the approval process can be partially or fully automated according to predefined rules. Automation not only accelerates the process but also fully guarantees the correctness of decisions.
The Right Participants
An appropriate process automation solution allows you to specify whom each person should contact for approval. When a request is submitted, the system automatically selects the right people.
Easier Handling
Once we receive notification of an approval request, we can approve or reject it with a single click. If we reject it, we can also enter a reason in the field that appears.
Archiving and Traceability
Given the importance of accountability, it may often be necessary to retrieve the exact details of a decision. A poorly made decision can lead to financial losses, reputational damage, or even undermine employee confidence. A workflow management solution accurately records when the request was submitted and when the decision was made, along with the related documents and participants, making all this information searchable and traceable.
Summary
It is clear that even simple approvals can offer significant time and resource savings with the right system, while also substantially reducing risks. Designing a detailed approval process involves several factors. That is why we at Click On provide careful, expert guidance at every step, from planning the process to implementing your own workflow management solution.
