ESB Networks: Grid Equipment Approval Automation & Project Tracking

Introduction

Manual approval processes don't just slow work down—they create accountability black holes. When project approvals happen through email chains and paper forms, nobody knows where anything is. Technical managers wonder if their submissions were reviewed. Review teams don't know what's in their queue. Finance can't plan because they don't know what's coming. And when something gets stuck, everyone points fingers because there's no record of who had it last. The chaos isn't the result of bad people—it's the inevitable outcome of processes that weren't designed to be visible.

Client Background

ESB Networks is Ireland's national electricity distribution system operator, responsible for building, operating, and maintaining the electricity distribution network serving over 2.4 million homes and businesses across the Republic of Ireland. Their operations include installing new grid equipment, upgrading infrastructure, and expanding the network to meet growing demand—all of which require rigorous technical review and financial approval before work can proceed.

As a critical infrastructure operator, ESB Networks must maintain strict quality standards, regulatory compliance, and financial controls. Every new grid equipment project—from transformer installations to substation upgrades—required multi-stakeholder approval involving technical managers, senior management, specialized review teams, and finance authorization.

At the time of engagement, this entire approval process was manual, paper-based, and managed through personal email chains, creating significant operational inefficiencies and accountability gaps that threatened project timelines and regulatory compliance.

The Challenge

ESB Networks faced a complex set of interconnected problems stemming from their manual approval workflow:

Zero Visibility & Accountability:

• No centralized system tracking project approval status
• Technical managers had no idea if their submissions were being reviewed
• Review teams couldn't see what was in their queue or prioritize work
• Senior management had no visibility into approval bottlenecks
• Finance team received surprise project approvals without advance planning visibility
• Impossible to determine where delayed projects were stuck or who was responsible

Paper-Based & Email Chaos:

• Entirely manual process relying on paper forms and email chains
• Project details scattered across personal inboxes, not centralized
• Lost emails meant lost approvals and restarted processes
• No audit trail for regulatory compliance or quality assurance
• Documentation and files attached to emails, not systematically organized
• Team member absences created complete work stoppages (knowledge locked in personal inboxes)

Multi-Stage Approval Complexity:

• Four different teams involved in approval chain:
  1. Technical Manager (initiates request)
  2. Technical Manager's Manager (first approval)
  3. Specialized Review Team (technical assessment)
  4. Finance Team (financial authorization)
• No systematic handoff between stages
• Review team used shared mailbox with no ownership assignment mechanism
• Requests could sit in shared inbox with no one taking responsibility

Feedback Loop Inefficiency:

• When reviewers needed more information, they'd email back questions
• Technical managers received feedback in personal email, not tracked system
• Resubmissions went back into general queue, not to specific reviewer
• No way to track iterative changes or approval history
• Same questions asked repeatedly due to lack of historical context

Document Management Disaster:

• Project files attached to emails or stored in personal folders
• No centralized repository for project documentation
• Security and permissions managed ad-hoc or not at all
• Difficult to find historical project files for reference
• No systematic naming or organization of project folders
• Regulatory audit requirements difficult to meet without organized records

Financial Planning Impact:

• Finance team received approved projects without advance warning
• Impossible to forecast upcoming financial commitments
• Budget planning hampered by lack of pipeline visibility
• Rush approvals created financial management challenges

Goals

ESB Networks required comprehensive automation and visibility transformation:

Primary Objectives:

Process Automation:

• Eliminate manual, paper-based approval workflow
• Create fully automated routing between approval stages
• Reduce approval cycle time from weeks to days
• Enable 24/7 process progression without manual intervention

Visibility & Tracking:

• Provide real-time status visibility to all stakeholders
• Enable technical managers to track their submission progress
• Give review teams clear view of their queue and priorities
• Provide senior management with oversight of all in-flight projects
• Allow finance team to forecast incoming financial commitments

Accountability & Ownership:

• Assign clear ownership at each approval stage
• Eliminate ambiguity about who is responsible for action
• Create audit trail documenting all approvals and decisions
• Track timing at each stage to identify bottlenecks

Intelligent Routing:

• Automate handoffs between approval stages
• Route resubmissions back to specific reviewers (not general queue)
• Notify all relevant stakeholders at appropriate times
• Support iterative review and feedback loops

Document Management:

• Centralize all project documentation
• Automate file organization and folder creation
• Implement proper security and permissions management
• Create searchable repository of historical projects
• Support regulatory compliance and auditing requirements

Communication Excellence:

• Replace email chaos with systematic notifications
• Provide context-aware updates to stakeholders
• Enable interactive responses directly from notifications
• Support both email and Teams integration for user flexibility

Strategy & Approach

Our strategy centered on building intelligence into the automation to handle complex approval scenarios:

Design Philosophy: Smart Automation, Not Just Task Elimination

Rather than simply digitizing the manual process, we redesigned the workflow to be inherently intelligent:

• Automation that understands context and routes accordingly
• System that tracks state and adapts behavior
• Smart loops handling iterative feedback without manual re-routing
• Built-in logic preventing common failure modes

SharePoint as Central System of Record

We positioned SharePoint list as single source of truth:

• All project data captured in structured format
• Status tracking visible to all authorized stakeholders
• Historical record of all changes and approvals
• Integration point for all other automation components

Multi-Flow Architecture

We separated concerns into specialized flows:

• Primary approval flow: Handling multi-stage routing and approvals
• Document management flow: Automated file organization and permissions
• Each flow focused on specific responsibility while sharing data
• Maintainable, modular design supporting future enhancements

Interactive Notifications

We moved beyond passive alerts to actionable communications:

• Review team could accept ownership directly from email
• Technical managers could respond to queries via notification
• Links provided for complex updates requiring SharePoint access
• Choice of email or Teams notifications based on user preference

Smart Resubmission Logic

We built "memory" into the system:

• Flow tracks which reviewer requested additional information
• Resubmissions automatically route back to same person
• Prevents work from being lost in general queue
• Maintains continuity and context across iterations

Execution

Duration: Delivered as part of broader ESB Networks digital transformation engagement

Phase 1: Requirements & Workflow Mapping

Discovery:

• Documented existing manual approval process in detail
• Mapped all stakeholder roles and responsibilities
• Identified pain points and failure modes
• Defined approval criteria and decision points at each stage

Process Redesign:

• Optimized workflow for automation while maintaining controls
• Defined clear ownership assignment mechanisms
• Designed feedback loop and resubmission logic
• Planned notification strategy for all stakeholders

Technical Planning:

• Selected SharePoint List as central data repository
• Designed list schema capturing all required project data
• Planned Power Automate flow architecture (primary + document management)
• Defined integration points with email and Teams

Phase 2: Core Approval Flow Development

SharePoint List Configuration:

Created comprehensive project tracking list with fields for:

• Project details (name, description, scope, location)
• Technical specifications and requirements
• Status tracking (submitted, under review, approved, rejected, etc.)
• Ownership assignment (current responsible person)
• Approval history and timestamps
• Finance information and cost estimates
• Document library folder link
• Comments and feedback from reviewers

Stage 1: Initial Submission

• Technical Manager enters project details into SharePoint list
• Submission triggers primary Power Automate flow
• System validates completeness of required fields
• Sends confirmation to Technical Manager with tracking information

Stage 2: Manager Approval

• Flow automatically identifies Technical Manager's Manager via Azure AD
• Sends approval request to manager with project details
• Manager can approve or reject with comments
• Upon approval, flow updates status and proceeds to Stage 3
• Upon rejection, flow notifies Technical Manager with feedback

Stage 3: Review Team Assignment

• Flow sends notification to Review Team shared mailbox
• Email includes project details and interactive "Accept" option
• Team member accepting ownership responds with their name
• Flow parses response and extracts assigned reviewer name
• Updates SharePoint list with assigned person
• Changes status to "Under Review"
• Sends direct notification to assigned reviewer with project details
• Creates accountability and visibility into who owns each project

Stage 4: Technical Review & Smart Loop

Review team member conducts assessment with two outcomes:

Approval Path:

• Reviewer approves project
• Flow updates status and proceeds to Stage 5 (Finance)
• All stakeholders notified of progression

Rejection/More Info Path (Smart Loop):

• Reviewer adds queries/comments to SharePoint item
• Selects "Reject" or "Request More Info"
• Flow sends notification to original Technical Manager with:
  • Clear statement of what information is needed
  • Queries and comments from reviewer
  • Options to respond via notification or SharePoint link
• Technical Manager provides additional information
• Resubmits item for review
• Critical Intelligence: Flow checks item history and sees:
  • This is a resubmission, not new submission
  • Specific reviewer who requested changes
• Automatically routes back to same reviewer (not general queue)
• Notifies that specific reviewer: "Item you queried is updated and ready"
• Maintains continuity and prevents re-queuing delays

Stage 5: Finance Approval

• Upon Review Team approval, flow routes to Finance Team
• Finance team receives notification with full project details and cost information
• Finance reviews and approves for financial commitment
• Upon final approval, all stakeholders notified
• Project status updated to "Fully Approved - Ready for Execution"

Phase 3: Document Management Flow Development

Built separate Power Automate flow handling all file operations:

Automated File Organization:

Triggered when user uploads file to SharePoint list item:

1. Folder Check & Creation:
   • Flow examines project's dedicated SharePoint document library
   • Checks if folder exists for this specific project (by project ID/name)
   • If folder doesn't exist, creates new folder with standardized naming
   • If folder exists, prepares to add file to existing structure
2. File Upload:
   • Retrieves file from SharePoint list item attachment
   • Uploads file to appropriate project folder
   • Maintains original filename and metadata
   • Removes file from list item attachment (centralizes storage)
3. Security & Permissions:
   • Creates unique permissions for project folder
   • Grants access only to specific stakeholders:
     • Submitting Technical Manager
     • Assigned reviewer
     • Finance team members (as needed)
   • Breaks permission inheritance to prevent unauthorized access
   • Implements least-privilege access model
4. Link Integration:
   • Generates link to secured project folder
   • Updates SharePoint list item with folder link
   • Provides one-click access to all project documentation
   • Maintains connection between project data and files

Audit Trail Creation:

• Every file upload logged with timestamp and user
• Complete history of document additions and changes
• Supports regulatory compliance requirements
• Enables retrospective project review and analysis

Phase 4: Testing & Refinement

Workflow Testing:

• Tested all approval paths (approval, rejection, resubmission)
• Validated smart routing logic under various scenarios
• Confirmed notification delivery and interactive functionality
• Verified document management flow under high volume

User Acceptance Testing:

• Technical Managers tested submission process
• Review Team tested assignment and ownership acceptance
• Finance Team validated their approval stage
• Gathered feedback and refined user experience

Integration Testing:

• Verified SharePoint list and Power Automate integration
• Tested email and Teams notification delivery
• Confirmed document permissions applied correctly
• Validated audit trail completeness

Phase 5: Training & Rollout

Role-Specific Training:

• Technical Managers: Project submission and resubmission
• Review Team: Assignment acceptance and review process
• Finance Team: Final approval workflow
• Administrators: System monitoring and maintenance

Documentation:

• User guides for each role
• Process flowcharts showing approval stages
• Troubleshooting guide for common issues
• Administrator documentation for flow maintenance

Phased Rollout:

• Pilot with select Technical Managers and review team
• Gathered initial feedback and made adjustments
• Organization-wide deployment
• Ongoing support during adoption period

Results & Outcomes

Process Transformation:

• 100% Automation: Eliminated all manual, paper-based approval steps
• Approval Time Reduction: 60-70% reduction in average approval cycle time (weeks to days)
• Zero Lost Requests: All projects tracked systematically; no more lost emails or forgotten submissions
• 24/7 Processing: Flow operates continuously without business hours constraints

Visibility & Accountability:

• Real-Time Status: All stakeholders can view current project status instantly
• Clear Ownership: Every project has assigned owner at each stage; no ambiguity
• Complete Audit Trail: Full history of approvals, rejections, and iterations documented
• Management Oversight: Senior leadership gained dashboard view of all in-flight projects
• Finance Forecasting: Finance team can now see incoming projects and plan accordingly

Operational Efficiency:

• Review Team Productivity: Assignment mechanism eliminated confusion about ownership
• Smart Resubmission: Direct routing to original reviewer saved hours per iterative project
• Reduced Back-and-Forth: Clear communication of requirements reduced iteration cycles
• Eliminated Email Chaos: Centralized system replaced scattered email chains

Document Management:

• Centralized Repository: All project files organized in structured, secure folders
• Automated Organization: Zero manual effort required to create folders or organize files
• Proper Security: Permissions automatically applied based on project stakeholders
• Regulatory Compliance: Complete documentation history supporting audit requirements
• Easy Discovery: Historical projects searchable and accessible for reference

Communication Excellence:

• Proactive Notifications: All stakeholders informed at appropriate times automatically
• Interactive Options: Users could respond to notifications without opening SharePoint
• Context-Rich Updates: Notifications included all relevant project details
• Multi-Channel Support: Email and Teams options accommodated user preferences

Financial Planning:

• Pipeline Visibility: Finance team could forecast upcoming commitments accurately
• Budget Management: Advanced warning enabled better resource allocation
• Reduced Rush Approvals: Systematic process eliminated last-minute surprises
• Cost Tracking: Complete record of all approved project costs for reporting

Quality & Compliance:

• Standardized Process: Every project followed identical approval workflow
• Regulatory Support: Audit trail supported compliance requirements
• Quality Assurance: Review stage ensured technical standards maintained
• Historical Reference: Past projects available for learning and comparison

Key Takeaways

Visibility Creates Accountability: The manual process didn't fail because people were irresponsible—it failed because no one could see what needed to be done. By making every project's status visible to all stakeholders, we transformed passive confusion into active ownership. When you can see work sitting in your queue with your name on it, accountability becomes automatic.

Smart Loops Beat Simple Routing: Many workflow automations just move items from A to B to C. The smart resubmission logic—routing updated items back to the specific reviewer who requested changes—eliminated hours of delay and prevented projects from getting lost in queues. Intelligence in automation means understanding context, not just executing steps.

Interactive Notifications Are Force Multipliers: Allowing the review team to accept ownership directly from email, and letting technical managers respond to queries via notification, meant users could act immediately without context switching. Every time someone doesn't have to open SharePoint or find a specific item, you save 2-3 minutes. Multiply that by hundreds of actions, and interactive notifications deliver hours of saved time.

Document Management Is Process Infrastructure: The automated folder creation, file organization, and permissions management wasn't a "nice-to-have" feature—it was essential infrastructure. Without centralized, secure document storage, even perfect approval workflows leave users scrambling to find files. Great process automation includes the information architecture that supports the process.

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