Don't Work Faster...Remove Hidden Workflow Dependencies Instead
Adwoa Arhin is a Business Analyst in the Global Engagement Office at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, supporting International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) through workflow improvement and digital transformation initiatives. She holds the CBAP and PMP certifications, is a PMI member, and has prior experience as a CRM Business Analyst in the telecommunications sector.
Many process delays aren’t caused by slow teams—they’re caused by hidden handoffs, system wait states, and unclear ownership. This article shares a practical approach to mapping dependencies, defining request statuses, and improving visibility to reduce turnaround time in a compliance-driven, document-heavy workflow. The lessons are transferable to any project involving multi-team intake and approvals.
What Changed the Outcome Wasn’t “Working Faster”
I led a workflow redesign project in a compliance-driven, document-heavy environment (international student services). We were trying to improve turnaround time for a time-sensitive deliverable. Under the old process, turnaround was typically seven to 10 days. After redesign, it improved to one to three days.
In our context, the deliverable was the Form I-20 (the school-issued document international students use for the F-1 visa process).
That improvement didn’t come from asking people to work faster. It came from removing hidden dependencies—steps that silently blocked progress—and giving the team real-time visibility into what was actually happening.
Below is the approach I used. I’m writing it as a project-management playbook you can apply to any intake-and-approval workflow (admissions, HR, finance, research administration, IT requests, onboarding, etc.)…
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