Authorization requests are necessary in just about any organization for any number of reasons. Travel authorization requests approve business travel, capital expenditure authorization requests approve the spending of resources, and hiring authorization requests approve the addition of staff members, for example.
No two authorization request processes are alike, but processes tend to share similarities. With authorization processes, there are several common primary roles involved: • The initiator - who requests authorization of an expenditure, travel, etc. • The preparer - who prepares the authorization request. This may or may not be the initiator. • The approver - who reviews the request, ensures it complies with policies, identifies any problems, and grants or denies approval of authorization • Oversight roles - who monitor the approval request system to ensure it's used as intended If your authorization request process is unwieldy, slow, or inefficient, there are several ways to address these problems. Here's a process for better managing authorization requests. Evaluate Your Current Process Map out the current authorization request process as it actually is, not as you wish it were. It's important to see the entire process honestly, including obvious inefficiencies. Record every step, including steps like "Place form in Hannah's mailbox before 4 p.m." When processes in organizations develop without much planning, they tend to take on inefficiencies and retain them whether or not they're necessary. Know your current request authorization process thoroughly so you'll have a baseline to work with. What Are the Obvious Problems? Some problems with your current authorization request process will become apparent if you have mapped out the process honestly. Perhaps the request must go through two layers of management for approval when one would suffice. Or maybe your process is based on paper forms that you've been using for as long as anyone can remember. Make note of the obvious problems in your process as well as ways they could be addressed. One of the most obvious ways to improve the process is to make it network-based rather than paper-based. When forms are electronic, they won't get lost or damaged, are delivered to the right recipient instantly, and can be accompanied by an email or text alerts, so recipients know right away that their input into the process is needed.
