We recently automated our SOP change control workflow in MasterControl 2022.1 and achieved significant cycle time improvements. Previously, our manual routing process for SOP updates took 18-25 days on average, with documents frequently sitting in approval queues without visibility.
Our implementation focused on three core areas: intelligent automated routing based on document type and impact level, real-time approval notifications with escalation triggers, and comprehensive cycle time metrics dashboards. The workflow now routes changes automatically to the appropriate SMEs, quality managers, and final approvers based on predefined business rules.
The results have been impressive - average cycle time reduced from 22 days to 8 days, and we now have complete visibility into bottlenecks. Happy to share our approach and lessons learned for anyone considering similar automation.
Absolutely. We created custom fields for Impact Level (Minor/Major/Critical) and SOP Category (Production/Quality/Safety/Environmental). The routing matrix uses these fields to determine approval paths.
For example, Minor changes to Production SOPs route to Department Manager → QA Reviewer → Document Control. Major changes add Plant Quality Manager and require training impact assessment. Critical changes involving Safety SOPs trigger additional routing to EHS Director and require regulatory review.
We built this using MasterControl’s workflow designer with conditional routing nodes. The key was mapping out all scenarios first in a decision tree before configuring the system. We also added parallel approval paths where appropriate to avoid sequential bottlenecks.
We built comprehensive cycle time tracking using both built-in reports and custom dashboards. Here’s our complete measurement approach:
Automated Routing Metrics:
The workflow automatically timestamps each routing transition - submission, each approval stage, final approval, and effective date. We track time-in-stage for every approval node. This granular data lets us identify exactly where delays occur. For instance, we discovered our QA Review stage averaged 4.2 days while manager approvals took only 1.1 days.
Approval Notification Effectiveness:
We measure notification response rates and escalation frequency. Our dashboard shows percentage of approvals completed within SLA (currently 87%), average response time by approver role, and escalation trigger rates. We also track reminder effectiveness - after implementing daily digests, same-day approval rates increased from 34% to 61%.
Cycle Time Dashboard Components:
We created three main views: 1) Real-time active changes with days-in-process color coding (green <7 days, yellow 7-14, red >14), 2) Historical trend analysis showing monthly average cycle times by SOP category and impact level, 3) Bottleneck identification report ranking approval stages by average delay time.
The dashboards use MasterControl’s reporting engine with custom SQL queries pulling from workflow history tables. We refresh data nightly and display on monitors in the quality department. Key insight: visualizing the data drove behavioral change - approvers became more responsive when they could see their metrics.
Implementation Lessons:
Start with clear SLA definitions for each approval stage. Build measurement into the workflow from day one rather than retrofitting. Use the data to drive continuous improvement - we adjusted routing rules three times based on bottleneck analysis. Most importantly, share metrics with stakeholders monthly to maintain accountability and celebrate improvements.
Our cycle time reduction from 22 to 8 days came from the combination of all three elements working together - smart routing eliminated unnecessary steps, proactive notifications kept things moving, and metrics visibility drove accountability. Happy to share our workflow configuration templates if helpful.
The approval notifications piece is critical for us. How did you set up the escalation triggers? We have issues with approvers not responding within SLAs, and documents just sit there indefinitely.