This is an illustrative pattern, based on how trading and distribution companies generally handle purchase approvals. It is not any particular client project.
A branch raises a purchase request, prints it, and walks it to whoever has to sign it next. If that person is travelling, the request waits, sometimes for days, not because anybody is undecided but because nobody knows where the paper currently is.
What we checked first
We timed a handful of real requests from raise to final approval, and found that the actual decision time was a small fraction of the total. Almost all of the delay was the file physically waiting for somebody to notice it.
What we built
A routed approval workflow: a request moves to the right approver automatically, with a notification instead of a folder to check, an automatic reminder if nothing happens within a set time, and a simple way to delegate when somebody is away.
Where it stands
Requests that used to take days now clear in hours, and a stuck request is visible in a queue rather than sitting unnoticed on a desk.
A file waiting on a desk
Routed to the right person automatically
Delay because someone is away
Delegated in one click
No way to see where a request is stuck
A visible queue for every request