Approval Bottlenecks: Unblock Decisions and Hit Deadlines

Industries: Creator / Marketing / Design Agencies
Domains: Performance • Capacity • Finance • Contracts
Reading Time: 6 minutes

🚨 The Problem: Work Is Ready—Approvals Aren’t

Projects stall not because teams can’t deliver, but because decisions sit in inboxes. Drifting approvals trigger revision loops, missed launch windows, and write-offs. Senior creatives end up context-switching while juniors wait. Fixing approvals is mostly process and contract hygiene: clear owners, SLAs, decision standards, and a path when silence drags on.

🟢 Risk Conditions (Act Early)

Treat these as early signals that approvals will derail your schedule and margin:

Median approval latency > 48 hours on key milestones (concept, copy, design, final)
Multiple approvers or unclear RACI on a single deliverable
Revision rounds trending up (e.g., moving from 2 → 3+)
Senior utilization > 90% paired with idle junior capacity
“Waiting for client” time ≥ 10% of total hours this sprint

What to do now: name the approver(s), set an SLA, define acceptance criteria, and enable a fallback rule for silence.

🔴 Issue Conditions (Already in Trouble)

Move to containment if any apply:

Launch-critical milestone blocked > 3 business days
Overage hours > 15% vs estimate driven by late/serial feedback
Executive escalation or slipping campaign window

What to do now: freeze scope creep, compress decision paths, and put an executive decision cadence in place.

🔎 Common Diagnostics

Aim your fix with these quick checks:

Decision ownership: Is there a single accountable approver per milestone?
Acceptance criteria: Are “done” standards written (format, specs, brand rules, examples)?
Feedback quality: Are comments actionable (objective criteria) or opinion loops?
Approval ladder: Is there an expedite path for time-sensitive decisions?
Asset readiness: Are reference assets/brand kits centralized and current?
Contract hygiene: Do SOWs state approval SLAs and “silence = proceed” for low-risk steps?

🛠 Action Playbook

1) Make Decisions Flow (Risk Stage)

Name the approver per milestone (one accountable, many consulted)
Set approval SLAs (e.g., 48h concept/copy; 24h minor edits; 72h final legal)
Define acceptance criteria in the brief/SOW with examples & checklists
Create decision packets: single link with the file, context, success criteria, and due date

Expected impact: shorter decision cycles; fewer “back to the drawing board” moments.

2) Reduce Loops (Risk → Early Issue)

Batch feedback in standing review windows instead of trickle comments
Lock revision caps (e.g., 2 rounds) and convert extras to Change Requests (CRs)
Use structured feedback forms (must-keep / nice-to-have; objective reasons)
Shift work down: juniors execute; seniors provide direction + final QA

Expected impact: realization ↑ 5–10pp; on-time delivery ↑; senior burnout ↓.

3) Expedite When It’s Hot (Active Issue)

Executive decision cadence: 15-min daily stand-up until milestone unblocked
Fallback rule: “silence = proceed” on low-risk steps after SLA; for high-risk, escalate to sponsor
Scope freeze on the current milestone; new asks → CR with impact chart
Visible burn chart: show time lost vs remaining to sharpen choices

Expected impact: decisions land; scope creep contained; dates recovered.

4) Make It Stick (Post-Mortem)

Brief template upgrade: add acceptance criteria, asset checklist, approver names
SOW upgrades: approval SLAs, revision caps, CR triggers, expedite ladder
Governance rhythm: weekly milestone review; red/yellow items get sponsor attention
Library & systems: central brand kit, examples, and reusable components

Expected impact: predictable approvals, fewer loops, faster launches.

📜 Contract & Renewal Implications

Approval SLAs (by milestone type) and “silence = proceed” rules for low-risk steps
Revision caps with a fee schedule for extra rounds
CR path for scope additions or compressed timelines
Kill/cancellation fees and milestone acceptance language
Executive escalation clause for time-critical campaigns

📈 KPIs to Monitor

Median approval latency — target ≤ 48h (minor ≤ 24h; legal ≤ 72h)
Revisions per deliverable — target ≤ 2.0
On-time milestone rate — target ≥ 95%
Realization % — target ≥ 85–90%
Senior utilization — healthy 75–85%; avoid sustained > 90%

🧠 Why This Playbook Matters

Great creative needs great decisions. When approvals are owned, timed, and standards-based, teams move with confidence, juniors get to contribute, seniors steer—not scramble—and launches hit their date without torching margin.

✅ Key Takeaways

One owner, clear clock: single approver + SLA per milestone.
Decide on standards: acceptance criteria end opinion loops.
Cap and convert: extra rounds become CRs.
Escalate fast: daily exec cadence for blocked launches.
Institutionalize: brief/SOW templates and a central brand kit keep flow.

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