Workflow review checklist

Workflow review checklist

Use this page when you want a practical way to inspect a workflow before you decide whether it needs cleanup, automation, or a deeper system.

Intake

• Is it obvious where new requests enter?
• Is the right information captured early enough?
• Does the team know who owns the first response?
• Is anything important still arriving informally through text, memory, or side conversations?

Qualification

• Is there a clear way to tell what should move forward?
• Are there unnecessary back-and-forth loops before the work can begin?
• Is anyone re-asking for information that should already be present?

Handoffs

• Does the next person get the context they actually need?
• Is ownership explicit at each stage?
• Are files, notes, and decisions moving with the work?
• Where does the handoff usually become fuzzy?

Approvals and waiting points

• What requires approval?
• Who can unblock the work?
• How long do approval waits usually last?
• Is there a visible next action when something is waiting?

Client-facing flow

• Is the client getting the right update at the right time?
• Are quotes, approvals, invoices, or files creating avoidable friction?
• Does the process feel clear from the client side?

Visibility

• Can the team see what is open, blocked, and done?
• Is there a trusted source of truth?
• Does someone still need to manually check too many things?

Final questions

• What is the single biggest bottleneck in this workflow?
• What is the smallest change that would make it noticeably better?
• What does not need to be built yet?