Approval workflows require approval from another employee before continuing or completing a task. They can be automated using commercial workflow software and can be triggered by specific criteria. Deadlines and approver availability should be taken into account, and approval workflows can add value by creating consistency and preventing costly mistakes.
An approval workflow is a business process that requires approval from another employee, such as a manager, before continuing or completing. Examples of approval workflows include having a member of the legal department sign a new advertisement before printing or requiring manager approval for employee expenses that exceed a certain amount. Many companies use commercial workflow software to automate approval workflows.
Approval workflows can be as specific as needed. Criteria for an approval workflow process can include transaction amounts, the potential value of a sale, and the type of employee handling the task. Other issues that could trigger an approval include how long an employee has worked for the company or the nature of the task an employee is performing. Multiple criteria can be combined to trigger an approval as well.
In workflow software, an approval workflow can trigger multiple alerts. The person who must grant approval may receive an email, a text message, a pop-up alert, or a message within the software itself. The task or document that needs approval can be frozen until it is approved or remains available for others to edit. The approver can approve, deny, or escalate the request to another employee. On some systems, an approval workflow may require multiple approvals. For example, when a manager approves a contract, he may require approval from a company attorney.
Multiple eventualities must be taken into account when creating an approval workflow. For example, approvals must have deadlines, after which the approval request is passed on to another potential approver. Deadlines should take into account task priority and other connected deadlines. For example, if a graphic needs to be on the printer by Friday to be ready for an upcoming trade show, the complete approval workflow related to that graphic must be completed by Friday. The workflow software should also be aware of approvers’ vacations and days away so that approval requests are not languished.
An approval workflow can add value to an existing creative or business workflow. It can create consistency by always demanding approval when certain conditions are met, rather than relying on human memory to remember when and from whom to seek approval. An approval workflow can also ensure that inexperienced new employees don’t make certain costly mistakes. This can help ensure that unscrupulous employees cannot prosecute false sales or otherwise override established procedures.
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