FLEXIBLE DOCUMENT REVIEW AND APPROVAL

Ensuring project documents have been properly reviewed and approved has traditionally been accomplished by email. Using email for review and approval inevitably results in delays, missed approvals, and a lack of historical record. The majority of document control systems available look to improve upon the review and approval process; the key is to select a system that will work with the organization’s current technology and accessibility requirements.

Look for a system providing comprehensive workflow tools for initiating, reviewing (mark-up and commenting), approving, and distributing those documents. Will teams need their new project software to integrate with mark-up tools like Bluebeam? Does the organization require sequential and parallel approval processes? What if the project requires documents routed outside of the organization for review or approval, will that require additional setup or licensing costs to accommodate outside users/contributors?

Most importantly, in order to increase accountability and ensure project items keep moving forward, organizations need a system that tracks exactly where in the review-and-approval workflow documents currently stand and keeps a record of every time that document has been touched.