How To Create A Quality Approval/Review Process

The whole development cycle can be challenging at best. Depending on the size of the organization, at any given time a department or team is waiting on a review or approval.

This creates several challenges for organizations looking to develop new products in a timely, cost-efficient manner. This article will look at exactly what is an approval process and how companies can improve their approval and review process.

What Is An Approval Process

In any organization, projects require formal approval before they can begin. This includes items such as product design and timeline, budget, marketing strategies, and many others. The approval process is a standardized internal process that does just this.

How To Improve Approval Process

Establish A Clear, Streamlined, Process For Feedback: The first step to creating a well-functioning approval process is to have one outlined. There should be a standard protocol for how to hand in a proposal as well as a standard amount of time a group or department can expect it back by. Meeting to discuss the project’s approval or rejection should also be commonplace. 

Make A Schedule Beforehand: Similar to the previous point, all approval processes should stick to a template. “They should clearly outline what a team or department can expect to happen to their proposal,” writes Fred Guistra, a project manager at Paper Fellows and Write My Paper. This allows different departments to plan and manage their time better. Not having these types of measures in place will result in lost time.

Determine Responsibility: Deciding who is responsible for approving or rejecting something is a big deal. Picking someone to approve a logo design when they specialize in UX is not wise. Any organization that hopes to have a well functioning approval process needs to pick the right people to approve specific project items.

There is also a tendency in large companies for people at the top to have their say in everything. While someone may be very good at leading a company towards its overall goal they may not have the expertise required to make educated decisions on everything the company does. A company that has clearly defined boundaries in regards to approval will experience much more success in the long run.

Use Specific Proofing Software: There is software available that is dedicated to facilitating the approval and review process. “Using this type of software helps streamline and standardize the process,” writes Bill Bristol, a business advisor at Boomessays and OXEssays. Teams can see the real-time status of their proposal as well as when the approval/review process has been completed. Many software options allow for the majority of communications to take place within the software which many organizations find helpful.

A quality proofing software also allows a team to track the entire project from beginning to end as well as offering metrics and important data points. In the digital age, there is no excuse for a company of any size to not implement this type of software.

Exclude Subjective Opinions: Approving or rejecting a proposal should not be based on subjective opinions or hunches. It should be based on quality, well-sourced, market data. There should be a clear need for a product or service within the marketplace and a proposal should include exactly how such a product or service will be developed and made accessible to consumers in a cost-effective manner.

If current approval processes are based on intuition or opinions of a select number of individuals within an organization the process is built to fail.

Do Not Overthink: There is a real tendency to overthink during the approval process. The most common error would be adding too much functionality, or obsessing over small details. While the development world has largely gone towards iterative development there is still no point in having an excess number of prototypes.

All approval processes should be focused on determining if the current iteration meets the criteria set out in the initial approved proposal or not.

Conclusion: The approval and review process is critical to the success of an organization. This means that companies who fail to implement the above mentioned criteria will have a difficult time developing their products on time, on budget, and delivering them to the market.

Beatrix Potter is a writer at UK Dissertation services and Academized.com. When she is not working Beatrix enjoys traveling, reading, and self-development. She also teaches business writing at Essayroo Perth service.

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