The customer already said yes
You manage a repair business and must decide which requests can enter today’s inspection queue. An “incomplete” flag makes rejection tempting: a clean queue looks controlled. But a blank required box does not always mean permission is missing.
In this hypothetical example, eight customers request paid inspections this morning. Assume you have 60 staff minutes for intake. All times are illustrative assumptions, not measured results. One form leaves “Authorization” blank, while its attached signed approval says “Inspection only.” Rejecting it would ask the customer to repeat permission already supplied, delaying the booking and adding another round of correspondence.
A location rule misses the permission
The intake rule checks only the form’s authorization box. It ignores the attachment, so the summary reports missing permission while the original approval remains available. Opening that approval reveals permission for inspection. The customer pays for inspection and must separately approve any repair quote.
Think of the checklist as a map: an empty spot on it does not prove the destination is missing.
Two ways to review the same queue
Using assumed review times, a full review takes six minutes per request, so 8 × 6 = 48 minutes. Alternatively, spend 12 minutes revising the checklist to include approval attachments, then check each request for two minutes: 12 + 8 × 2 = 28 minutes. Both fit the 60-minute allowance. Choose the second route for these comparable requests; it leaves 32 minutes for other intake work, versus 12.
Verify scope, then use the workload rule
Compare the form and signed approval for the same customer, equipment and inspection scope. Missing approval, mismatched equipment or permission limited to another job means pause that request and ask for the specific clarification. A completed checkbox alone cannot release it.
Now suppose the morning queue contains only two comparable requests: full review takes 2 × 6 = 12 minutes; checklist setup and checks take 12 + 2 × 2 = 16. Choose full review. With these assumptions, setup saves time only above three requests; unfamiliar documents still need individual examination.