Build a Client Approval Process That Keeps Work Moving

A client review should help the project move. Instead, it often becomes a waiting room: the draft is sent, several people comment, nobody owns the decision, and the next milestone quietly slips.

You do not need a complicated governance model. You need a repeatable way to make review requests easy to answer.

Name the decision owner

Before sending a deliverable, confirm who can approve it. A group can contribute feedback, but one person should own the final decision.

If that person is unknown, ask directly: “Who gives final approval for this recommendation?” Do not assume the most senior person in the meeting is the approver.

State what you need reviewed

A client cannot give useful approval to “the attached document.” Tell them what to inspect and what decision their response unlocks.

Use a short review note:

• Decision: Choose one of the two implementation paths.
• Review: Check the assumptions on page 3 and the tradeoffs on page 6.
• Response: Reply with Path A, Path B, or the specific question that blocks a choice.
• Next step: We begin the selected path after approval.

This turns a broad reading assignment into a bounded decision.

Set a realistic response window

The deadline should reflect the project plan and the client’s availability. Give the owner enough time to review the work, but make the date visible.

If the review is late, do not silently absorb the delay. Send a factual update: “Approval is still open. If it moves to Thursday, the next workshop moves with it.” The client can then choose whether to change the date, reduce the review, or assign another approver.

Separate comments from change requests

Not every comment should reopen the deliverable. Sort feedback into three groups:

1. Correction: factual or calculation error that must be fixed.

2. Clarification: the reader needs a clearer explanation.

3. Change: a new requirement or direction that may affect scope.

Handle the first two in the current review. Discuss the third as a project decision. This protects the work from becoming an endless rewrite while keeping legitimate changes visible.

Record the approval

When approval arrives, record the date, approver, version, and any conditions. A simple approval note prevents future confusion about which draft was accepted.

If approval is conditional, write the condition as an action with an owner. “Approved subject to finance review” is not complete until someone owns the finance review.

Make the process part of the kickoff

Tell the client how reviews work before the first deliverable. Explain who approves, how feedback is collected, and what happens when a deadline moves.

Predictable review is a service. It helps the client make decisions without turning every milestone into a new negotiation. Keep client decisions tied to the work