Everyone assumes cross-departmental approvals are slow because departments don't talk. Marketing wants one thing, legal another, and product development just wants it done yesterday. It’s a classic case of conflicting priorities and territorial disputes.
None of that is wrong. But it’s incomplete.
The real reason approvals drag? It’s not personality clashes or organizational charts. It’s the absence of a clear, repeatable process for managing feedback and revisions.
1. The Myth of the 'Quick Chat'
You’ve heard it before: “Just hop on a quick call,” or “Send it to me in Slack, I’ll glance at it.” This is how projects get stuck. A “quick chat” is rarely quick, and a “glance” is never enough for meaningful feedback.
Informal communication might feel efficient in the moment, but it creates a black hole for feedback. Who saw it? What did they say? What was the final decision? Without a system, these questions become impossible to answer.
The Symptoms of Informal Feedback
- Endless email chains trying to track down a single comment.
- Version control nightmares where nobody knows which iteration is the latest.
Frequently asked questions
What's the main reason approvals get delayed?
The primary reason for approval delays isn't departmental friction, but rather the lack of a clear, structured process for managing feedback, revisions, and sign-offs. Informal communication and unclear responsibilities create bottlenecks.
How can I get legal to approve creative faster?
Integrate legal into the review process early and provide them with a clear brief and specific feedback channels. Use a tool that centralizes comments and tracks changes, making their review efficient and documented.
What's the role of a project manager in approvals?
A project manager's role is to establish and enforce the approval process, ensure all stakeholders have the necessary information, collect and consolidate feedback, track revisions, and proactively identify potential bottlenecks before they cause significant delays.
How does centralized feedback help?
Centralized feedback ensures all comments and revisions are in one place, eliminating confusion. It provides a single source of truth, making it easier to track progress, address concerns, and get definitive sign-offs, thereby speeding up the entire approval cycle.