Is it possible to bypass late reviewers on proofs?

[SamanthaIsin]

Some of our projects have very tight deadlines and the routing process slows us down more than anything. I have several brand teams asking if we can't just bypass reviewers who are late. Some VP's have proofs that have been waiting for their approval since August and so they've been bypassed manually, but is there any way to automate that?

[JillAc]

What is it that you are waiting for that happens when everyone finishes reviewing the proof on time that is being hobbled by your optional/late reviewers?

[SamanthaIsin]

Sending anything that's being approved either to press or to vendors.

[JillAc]

I’m not understanding what’s stopping you from sending the materials out even if someone hasn’t approved it, if you’ve collectively decided you don’t need their approval? What is it you are looking to bypass? (Sorry I’m not clear what you want to accomplish)

[SamanthaIsin]

Sorry I should be more clear. We use multiple stages in our reviews. Stages are activated when all the decisions are approved or approved with changes. It's the people in the middling stages we need to bypass if they are late. The final stages are absolutely required for approval, but the proof get's held up in the middle stages. Those are the people we need to bypass if they are late.

Does that make more sense?

[CalvinFold]

My memory is a little weak here, but I thought you could manually lock a specific stage on multi-stage routings? If you do that, it should move to the next stage and "skip" everyone else in the stage you locked.

[SamanthaIsin]

That would work, but so would several manual options. The problem with this specific process is that there is no project manager and no project sponsor. There is 1 traffic manager and 13 countries worth of designers and work. It's an average of 40 requests per week. Each of which has a typical routing duration of 2-3 weeks. Our 1 traffic manager can't manage that. We need automate processes to help us here.

[CalvinFold]

Point taken @Samantha Isin‚ .

Isn't there also a setting that allows for a fixed deadline and the stage moves-on regardless of approvals? I seem to recall setting our templates that way (naïvely) and having to turn it off because our approvers are always late too.

[SamanthaIsin]

That's exactly what I'm looking for. I just can't find it!

[CalvinFold]

On the Stage settings on the Workflow template (or when creating the stage manually), look under Activate Stage and choose the appropriate option:

You likely want "On a specific date & time"

[kynabaker16]

Hey Samantha,

Can you change the workflow to require only one approval and set the others as optional? Then you can bypass the ones who don't respond.

That would mean you'd need to have at least one person on each stage who would do the approval, but then you could have it move forward automatically without getting stuck like you're describing.

Kyna

[SamanthaIsin]

We can't. Because as soon as the one approval is made then the next stage would be activated and the people in the stage where one approval was required didn't get the chance to make their approval because when we change stages the previous stage is locked.

We've tried that approach because it would be so much easier on our work processes, but got major pushback from the brands who are reviewers and approvers. They would rather be given a deadline and if they miss it it's too late rather than try to race someone for making a decision.

[JillAc]

I see now. This is why we don't use the automated approvals workflow, there are too many things that need human intervention. In my world, nothing flows so smoothly that it can all just keep going on its own, and expect to meet deadlines. The project manager gets the decisions by email and has to monitor them so that she can move the proof onto the next stage by evaluating whether the most important people have approved, and nudging if someone hasn't done it.

[SamanthaIsin]

I wish we had a project manager who could do that 😂