Reviews take longer than the work itself. How can we plan better?
Unplanned approval lead timeTreat review as scheduled work with an owner, input requirements, and turnaround expectations. Track queue time separately from active review so the real bottleneck becomes visible.
What to do now
- Measure submission-to-decision time
- Agree review-ready inputs
- Reserve reviewer capacity
- Escalate overdue decisions through an agreed route
When to escalate
Escalate when
An overdue decision blocks a critical successor task.
Who decides
The project manager and relevant commitment owner
Example
A design needs one day of review but normally waits four days in a queue, so the plan includes both.
Mistake to avoid
Scheduling approval as a zero-duration milestone.
Prevent a repeat
Compare forecast versus actual results for comparable tasks, separating effort, elapsed time, waiting and scope change.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Tasks
- Timesheets
- Resources
Keep planned dates and assumptions with the affected task, compare recorded actuals, and attach the revised forecast for review. See the platform
Related cases
- Every task is on time, but the project is late. What are we missing?Missing schedule relationships
- Our schedule ignores holidays and part-time staff. How do we correct it?Invalid working calendars
- Our approval process takes longer than delivery. How can governance be proportionate?Excessive approval overhead
- The procurement process will finish after the required start date. What can we do?Procurement lead-time mismatch