Manufacturing use case
Approval and Document Routing
Approvals for documents, changes, purchase requests, quality records, and customer-facing materials often move through email with unclear ownership, delayed handoffs, and limited visibility.
Current-State Problem
Approvals for documents, changes, purchase requests, quality records, and customer-facing materials often move through email with unclear ownership, delayed handoffs, and limited visibility.
Typical Manual Workflow
- Prepare a document or request and email it to reviewers.
- Follow up manually to identify the current owner or status.
- Collect comments across versions and resolve conflicts.
- Record the final approval and distribute the completed document.
Improved Future-State Workflow
- Submit a structured request with required information and attachments.
- Route it to defined reviewers based on type, value, or risk.
- Track status, comments, due dates, and decision history.
- Release the approved record or return it with clear next actions.
Human Decision Points
- Approve, reject, or request changes to the submission.
- Resolve exceptions, conflicts, or escalations.
- Confirm final authority for release or commitment.
Required Information and Systems
- Document repository or shared drive
- Email, collaboration, or workflow platform
- ERP, quality, purchasing, or project system
- Role and approval matrix
Risks and Guardrails
- Preserve segregation of duties and approval authority.
- Protect confidential documents and controlled records.
- Do not bypass required human review for high-impact decisions.
Potential Measurements
- Approval cycle time
- Pending approvals by stage or owner
- Rework and resubmission rate
- SLA or due-date adherence
Start with evidence, not assumptions. The right scope, measures, and implementation approach depend on your process, systems, data, and governance requirements. This use case is intended to support a practical evaluation—not to promise specific savings.
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