Project change portals: what did the client approve?

Approval to move the reception desk

Say a team is designing an office interior. At the client's request, the designer moves the reception desk and sends drawing version B. The client approves this proposal. Later, version C appears, in which the designer also moves a cupboard. The client's reply still concerns version B and moving the reception. The new idea for the cupboard needs presenting separately.

The proposed portal shows the client the drawing with a short description of what they are asked to assess. Their reply stays with that version. The project manager sees the approved proposal for the reception and, next to it, the later change waiting for a reply. They can rebuild the conversation without comparing email dates with file dates.

Before sending version C, the designer describes the extra change and points to the new drawing. The client can go back to the earlier agreement, see what was added and reply on the new proposal. The earlier approval stays in the history. The project manager passes on the resulting work in line with the company's agreed way of authorising execution. On the task, the team opens the drawing covered by the agreement, even when a newer sketch has already appeared in the folder.

First check your current approval flow for project change requests

A ready tool may handle much of this work. Jira Service Management lets you add an approval to a request's workflow. The named people get a notification and can approve or decline the request, for example in the help centre or by email (approvals in Jira Service Management).

If you already use a similar system, check whether the client's reply stays linked to the drawing and description presented for approval, even after a new attachment is added. An “approved” field on its own may be too general when versions pile up in a request. The administrator should explain how to keep the earlier agreement and present a new proposal. Configuration and tidying the attachments may be enough.

When the client needs a view of their own

An extension may be enough if the internal flow works well, and the client struggles to find the proposal among comments and attachments. A simple view would show the drawing, the change description and a place to reply. On the team's side, the matter would still go to the current task system. Such a connection must also carry which version the reply refers to.

Your own portal is worth considering when the project manager keeps assembling agreements from email, the drawing library and the work-planning program. The first scope can cover one type of change presented to clients. You do not need to replace the designers' tool or all project management. What matters is that, after getting a reply, the project manager can pass the work on without rebuilding the context again.

The team has to name who on the client's side replies to a proposal and who at the office sends it for execution. The client should see the materials of their project, and the designers' internal notes stay in their working flow. That lets you prepare a clear view for the conversation with the client, without moving the office's whole back room into it.

Ordinary software is enough for this basic flow; summarising long correspondence with AI can be assessed separately.

If the difficulty appears only after the work is accepted, when a signed document has to reach the person handling invoicing, the article on the flow of acceptance certificates will help.

Keeping agreements when you change tools

When moving open matters, keep the proposal, the drawing and the client's reply together. A list of requests with a final status alone will not let the project manager explain what was agreed. Older projects can stay in an accessible archive, if these links can be found there. Also agree on exporting them later from the new portal.

After launch, someone has to look after client access and changes to the office's way of working. Agree with the supplier who clears up a case where a reply reached the portal but did not appear on the team's task. The terms of upkeep for the connections, ownership of the code and data and access for a later supplier are part of the comparison with a ready product.

Have the client's reply linked to the team's work

As part of custom apps, Syntalith can prepare a portal that links the change proposal, the drawing version and the client's reply to a task in the system you use. The project manager gets a basis for passing on the agreed work, and the client one place to view proposals and reply. A working approval flow can stay part of the solution.

Tell us about the last change where you had to work out what the client had actually approved. Show where you keep the drawings and where the project manager assigns tasks. The conversation will help settle whether you need these tools connected, or a separate client view as well. Syntalith's apps start from €3,000 net, and we set the scope after a free process review (pricing).

What a project change portal costs and when it pays back

Where to start

In the free process review we choose one process and count the team's volume and working time, and within 2 working days you get a written summary with a price. We build as part of AI apps, and we price maintenance separately.