Approval workflow
The approval workflow is what separates document flow from sending attachments. The key question is not "where is the document" but "who holds the decision right now, and since when".
Three fields that change everything
current_stepenumowner: SystemWhich stage of the path the case is at. Without it, the status boils down to "in progress".
responsible_personreference to a roleowner: SystemA role, not a named individual — otherwise a vacation blocks the process and knowledge leaves with the person.
step_entry_datedateowner: SystemThe reference point for the deadline. Lets you measure idle time instead of guessing it.
A common design mistake
Mapping into the system a path that does not work in reality — because in practice half the cases take a shortcut over the phone. The system then records fiction while the real process keeps living outside it. The path has to be agreed first and programmed second.
Related: CDE, acceptance protocol.
Sources
The substantive basis of this text. Items marked as own practice do not come from a document — they are delivery experience that cannot be verified with a publisher.
- DocumentPKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A.PFU (TOM III SWZ) (PKP PLK employer's requirements, in Polish) — design documentation approved under the SMS-PW-09 procedure and participation in sessions of the „Zespół Oceny Dokumentacji” (Documentation Review Panel) (pp. 26–27, 105)
- Own practiceObservations from designing approval paths in contractor-side registers
Where we write about this
Where information gets lost in construction document flow
Seven points where information on an infrastructure contract disappears or loses credibility — and what can be done about them without deploying a system.
Construction dashboard: 12 data points that need an owner
A ready list of fields without which a construction management dashboard shows opinions instead of state. For each field: responsible role, source, and update frequency.