Replacing Paper Forms With Digital Workflows

Choose one form to digitize first

Begin with a form your team uses regularly and a workflow that is easy to understand. Equipment issue reports, supply requests, internal approval requests, employee acknowledgments and routine operational forms all make good starting points.

Pick a process with a clear owner who can help test and refine it. A frequently used, straightforward form is usually a better first project than your most complicated workflow.

Map what happens to the paper form today

Before you build anything, follow the current form from start to finish. Who completes it? What information must it capture, and who reviews it first? Does it need a signature or approval, and does the destination change based on the answers? What action follows, and where does the completed record live?

Along the way, look for delays, duplicate entry, unclear ownership and steps that no longer serve a purpose.

Build digital form fields around the information you need

Resist the urge to copy the paper layout unchanged. Review each field, use clear labels and instructions, and make important questions specific enough that reviewers receive useful information. A few examples show the difference.

• Instead of “Details”: “Describe the issue and identify the affected equipment.”
• Instead of “Location”: “Which station, department, or work location does this request concern?”
• Instead of “Needed by”: “What date is the item or action needed?”
• Instead of “Name”: “Who is submitting this request?”

Define signatures and approval responsibilities

Decide where a signature is needed and what it represents. A submission, an acknowledgment, a review and an approval are different actions. For each step, identify who is responsible, what they should review, whether they must sign, what happens after their action, and how you will handle corrections or questions.

A form should make the next action clear to the person who receives it.

Route digital forms to the right people

Some forms follow the same path every time. Others need different routing based on what the submitter entered. An internal request, for example, might go to different reviewers depending on the department or request type.

Define the routing rules before you configure them. Include how your team will handle an unavailable reviewer or a submission that needs correction.

Test the complete workflow before launch

Test more than the form's appearance. Submit realistic examples and follow each one through review, signatures and completion. Check that field labels and instructions are clear, that the form collects what reviewers need, and that each routing path reaches the intended person. Confirm that signature steps work, that reviewers understand their responsibilities, that corrections have a defined process, and that authorized staff can find completed records.

Ask both employees and reviewers to take part. They will catch different problems.

Launch with clear instructions

Tell employees where to find the digital form, when to use it and what happens after submission. Set a transition date, explain how you will handle paper forms already in progress, and give employees a contact for questions.

After launch, review early submissions for missing information, confusing questions or routing issues. Adjust the workflow based on what your team learns.

Example: a supply request

An employee needs additional supplies for a location. They complete a digital request with the items, quantities, location and needed-by date. The form routes to the appropriate reviewer based on configured rules, and the reviewer checks the request and completes the required approval or signature.

The responsible team then follows the organization's purchasing or fulfillment process. Throughout, the form provides a consistent record and a defined path for review.

Your paper-to-digital checklist

Nine steps, in order:

• Choose the first form and assign an owner.
• Map the existing process.
• Remove unnecessary or duplicate questions.
• Define custom fields and instructions.
• Identify signature and approval steps.
• Establish routing rules.
• Test each workflow path.
• Explain the new process to employees.
• Review results and refine the form.