Custom ERP with Approval Workflows
Workers taking unauthorized jobs, making changes without approval, inventory disappearing without tracking
The Problem
No Visibility, No Accountability
This electrical maintenance and installation company had workers taking jobs directly from clients and making changes without management approval. Materials moved without records. Client history was fragmented across personal phones. The operations manager spent half her day chasing information that should have been at her fingertips.
Original Workflow
- 1. Workers accept jobs directly from clients without management knowledge
- 2. Production changes made without approval - discovered weeks later
- 3. Inventory disappears without tracking - month-end counts never match
- 4. Client history scattered across personal phone contacts
- 5. Paper-based approval trail that nobody actually checks
- 6. No visibility into who changed what, when, or why
Our Approach
Digitise the Real-Life Flow
Rather than imposing a new workflow, we studied the paper-based approval system they already had and replicated it digitally. The key insight: the approval chain existed in theory (submit form → manager signs → proceed). It just was not being enforced because paper is easy to bypass. The digital version makes the same flow mandatory - not harder, just unavoidable.
Caveats & Considerations
- A few workers resisted initially - described themselves as 'not technical'
- We demonstrated it is the exact same flow as the paper version, just on screen instead
- Adoption improved once workers saw the system protected them too (proof they had approval)
- Training focused on 'this is what you already do, just here instead of on paper'
The Solution
Custom ERP with Mandatory Approval Workflows
The system enforces the approval chain that already existed on paper. Every job requires explicit approval before work begins. Every inventory movement is logged with who, what, when. Every client interaction is recorded against their profile. The operations manager now has a dashboard instead of a phone full of WhatsApp messages.
Results
Total Visibility Achieved
"We had workers taking jobs directly from clients, making changes without my approval. I'd find out weeks later when inventory disappeared. The ERP they built gives us complete visibility. Every change needs approval, we track client history at a glance, and nothing slips through the cracks anymore."
Sarah Kwok, Operations Manager
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