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HR Operations · Automation

HR Workflow Automation

4 Weeks → <1 Week

Redesigned a multi-level employee-action approval process in Smartsheet to standardize intake, automate routing and reminders, and give HR one place to monitor status.

01
The challenge

What needed to change.

Employee changes such as promotions, transfers, compensation changes, bonuses, and reporting changes moved through a multi-level email approval process. HR manually determined routing, forwarded requests, chased approvals, and tracked progress. The process had inconsistent intake, limited visibility, significant follow-up, and a typical turnaround of roughly four weeks.

02
My role

What I did.

  • Mapped the current-state approval process and recurring failure points.
  • Standardized request intake so approvers received more complete and consistent information.
  • Designed sequential approval logic around the actual decision path.
  • Automated approval requests, reminders, and completion notifications.
  • Created centralized status visibility so HR could monitor progress without reconstructing email chains.
  • Supported adoption and process refinement after launch.
03
The solution

Built for practical use.

Instead of digitizing the existing email chain, I redesigned the workflow around a structured intake form and automated routing logic. The solution created a single source of truth for request status while reducing manual coordination between HR and approvers.

Impact

What changed.

~4 weeks
Typical processing time before redesign
<1 week
Typical processing time after redesign
Automated
Approval routing, reminders and notifications
Centralized
Status visibility and documentation
Tools & capabilities
SmartsheetHR OperationsWorkflow DesignProcess ImprovementChange Management
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