Remember that the larger the organisation you work in, the longer it will take to get paperwork processed.
This is not always the case, but extra time needs to be allowed for anything that needs authorization signatures from managers senior to you.
Steps that may be common are:
- Fill out a form for authorization.
- Give it to admin. 1 day.
- Admin then sends it to appropriate department. 1 day.
- Department admin receives it and puts it in managers in box. 1 day
- Manager sorts through and signs it. 1 day up to 5 or more days.
- Form is given to admin.
- Admin enters form into system, or transmits it to appropriate department (e.g. purchasing). 1-2 days
- Acknowledgement is sent to you. 1 day
- If problems arise, form is sent back to you and process begins again.
This process could take as little as 1 or 2 days, but up to weeks if there are many levels.
As a general rule, this problem doesn’t usually happen in a small company. You would simply walk the form to the correct person yourself. Get them to sign it, and then take it yourself to the right place to be processed (e.g. purchasing).
A large company with a good system in place can reduce this time a lot, but it is rarely quicker than when you can do it yourself.
Remember this when you are dealing with a supplier, contractor, or client. They may have similar processes in their organisation. You need to allow time for this in your planning.
Are your experiences in this different?
Some of the links on this website may be affiliate links to products I use, have tested or am familiar with. I may receive a commission if you click on some of those links and make a purchase. This is at no additional cost to you.
