Workflow/Document Approval Methodology

With over 32,000 installations in over 20 countries, Office Routing Plus™ (ORP) is a document approval product with deep Office integration for routing MS Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Office 365 documents and Excel spreadsheets. ORP is an international leader in sequential workflow solutions. ORP has multiple capabilities and workflow options.

Benefits of workflow

• Standardize document and task handling.
• Standardize document life cycle management.
• Proper tracking and auditing of business processes and document handling.
• Increased content quality.
• Elimination of risks associated with errors and omissions.
• Notifications and alerts to ensure proper scheduling and task balancing.
• Streamlining of common business processes for consistent operations.

Workflow highlights and options

• Send documents to a virtually unlimited number of recipients.
• Receive approval notifications as your document flows from one recipient to the next.
• Self tracking documents indicating where in the flow they are.
• Time stamped tracking steps, which are marked by username.
• Ability to retain the final version of the document using a "return when done" option. This sends the finalized document (with any changes) back to the routing initiator.
• Office Routing Plus allows the routing initiator to optionally receive the updated document after each user routes it, rather than just at the end of the routing life cycle.

What is workflow?

A workflow consists of a sequence of connected steps. It is a depiction of a sequence of operations, declared as work of a person, a group of persons, an organization of staff, or one or more simple or complex mechanisms. Workflow may be seen as any abstraction of real work. For control purposes, workflow may be a view on real work under a chosen aspect, thus serving as a virtual representation of actual work. The flow being described may refer to a document or product that is being transferred from one step to another.1

What is document routing?

The act of taking a document through a sequence of connected steps in a flow. Our product offering with ORP allows you to define your flow.

What is sequential document routing?

The act of taking a document through a sequential or ordered sequence of connected steps in a flow. Our product offering with ORP allows you to define a series of single connection points in a flow so your document can move from one individual to the next in a simple, ordered fashion.

What is document approval?

A document approval process takes a document from which any user initiates then flows this information through a standard or non-standard sequence of approvers. Each step of the process the initiator can receive status update and/or actual copies of any revisions or comments the document may contain. At the end of the flow the initiator can review a copy of the final approved version. This process is productive for those who want a simple way to get standard form documents approved. This process is also productive means for reviewing, editing, or approving any document content. See Workflow Uses and Industry View examples below.

Concept example

Below is an example of our core view of sequential workflow within a routing process.

Initiator > Approver 1 > Approver 2 > Approver N

• Add comments at each workflow node.
• Track document and spreadsheet changes.
• Receive a tracking receipt for each step in the flow.
• Option for Initiator to receive "Final Version".

1 Taken from wikipedia on 6/1/2011.