Failure pattern 06
Approval drag
Approval drag is when work stops to wait for a sign-off from someone who is not there, and nothing reminds, escalates or records the wait. Jobs sit idle not because anyone said no, but because nobody said yes yet.
What it looks like
A crew needs a part that costs slightly more than the lead can approve. The request goes to a manager who is on another site. The crew waits, then leaves, then comes back tomorrow.
How to tell you have it
- "Waiting on approval" is a common status with no date attached.
- Approvers are surprised by how long requests waited.
- People work around approvals because waiting costs more than asking forgiveness.
- Nobody can say how long approvals take on average.
What it costs
Idle crews, extra trips, and approvals that quietly stop meaning anything because they get bypassed.
What fixes it
A request that goes to the approver where they are, carries what they need to decide, reminds and escalates on a clock, and records the decision where everyone waiting can see it.
What does not fix it
Raising every approval threshold. That removes the control along with the wait.
Questions people ask
What is approval drag?
It is the delay created when a workflow requires someone's approval and the request waits, unseen, in their inbox or in a stack on their desk. The cost is the idle time, not the decision.
Should we remove approvals then?
No. Approvals usually exist for a reason. The fix is making the request impossible to miss, easy to decide on from wherever the approver is, and visible to the people waiting on it.
How do I find the drag?
Pick a few recent jobs and write down, for each approval, when it was requested and when it was given. The gap is the drag.
What about approvals that need a real conversation?
Those are fine. The drag is in the routine ones: purchase approvals under a threshold, change orders within a known range, schedule confirmations. Those can be decided in seconds if they reach the right person.
Does a fix mean automating the decision?
No. The decision stays with a person. The tool routes the request, shows what is needed to decide, records the answer and tells everyone waiting.