This is where each person that must regularly sign paperwork can instead authorize documents in electronic form.

This will reduce the time taken to authorize actions (forms)

The originator could prepare an electronic form and send the link to all the people that must sign it. Those people log on, review the document, and authorize it by ticking a box. Confirmation would then be sent to the originator on which authorizations have been attached.

This will save a lot of server space, bandwidth, and ink as people would not have to print in colour, sign, scan, and email back again.

It can also reduce processing time from weeks to hours or minutes.

It should reduce the processing costs. To chase signatures can take the full time work of a person for each type of form (if done regularly). By doing electronic authorization, I would estimate 90% of the coordination time and cost could be saved (excluding the software cost).

Workflow packages are often used to implement this function.

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Steps that may be common are:

• Fill out a form for authorization.
• Give it to admin. 1 day.
• Admin then sends it to appropriate department. 1 day.
• Department admin receives it and puts it in managers in box. 1 day
• Manager sorts through and signs it. 1 day up to 5 or more days.
• Form is given to admin.
• Admin enters form into system, or transmits it to appropriate department (e.g. purchasing). 1-2 days
• Acknowledgement is sent to you. 1 day
• If problems arise, form is sent back to you and process begins again.

This process could take as little as 1 or 2 days, but up to weeks if there are many levels.

As a general rule, this problem doesn’t usually happen in a small company. You would simply walk the form to the correct person yourself. Get them to sign it, and then take it yourself to the right place to be processed (e.g. purchasing).

A large company with a good system in place can reduce this time a lot, but it is rarely quicker than when you can do it yourself.

Remember this when you are dealing with a supplier, contractor, or client. They may have similar processes in their organisation. You need to allow time for this in your planning.

Are your experiences in this different?

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