Procedure Simplification and Red Tape Reduction: Approvals, Forms and Workflow Streamlining – Paris, 7–11 Dec 2026

Programme overview

Introduction:

Administrative services accumulate red tape one rule at a time: an extra signature after an incident, a photocopy requested out of habit, a second visit because a form lacks one field. Applicants lose days and staff spend effort on paperwork that adds no control. This Core Concept course on procedure simplification and red tape reduction gives improvement practitioners a disciplined way to inventory procedures, measure their burden, strip out redundant approvals and documents, and relaunch a lighter version. Participants produce a Simplified Procedure Dossier with before-and-after burden metrics for a case administrative service.

Course Objectives:

• Build a procedure, form and approval inventory that ranks administrative services by applicant burden and transaction volume
• Map an as-is service workflow in swimlanes and quantify its steps, handoffs, required documents, signatures, applicant visits and elapsed days
• Apply eliminate, combine, simplify and automate tests to every step, signature and document requirement in a procedure
• Redesign approval chains, delegated authority limits and application forms so a request needs fewer touches and fewer attachments
• Specify one-stop, once-only and digital enablers such as e-forms, routing rules and electronic signature for a simplified procedure
• Pilot, publish and track a simplified procedure using applicant effort and turnaround measures compared with its baseline

Target Audience:

• Administrative officers who process applications, permits, certificates or internal requests end to end
• Service centre supervisors responsible for counters, call handling and applicant waiting and return visits
• Back-office improvement officers tasked with reducing paperwork, approvals and processing delays
• Procedure and forms owners who maintain application requirements, checklists and templates
• Internal control staff who must keep essential checks while signatures and documents are removed
• Digital service coordinators who translate paper procedures into e-forms and routed workflows

Course Outline:

Day 1: Why Red Tape Grows and the Procedure Burden Baseline

• Red Tape Growth Patterns: Rule Layering, Risk Aversion and Duplicate Controls
• Administrative Burden Types: Time, Documents, Visits, Fees and Waiting
• Procedure, Form and Approval Inventory Register for a Service Portfolio
• Burden and Volume Prioritisation Grid for Selecting Services to Simplify
• Applicant Journey Interview Guide for Capturing Pain Points

Day 2: Mapping the As-Is Procedure and Measuring Its Burden

• Swimlane Mapping in BPMN for Cross-Unit Administrative Procedures
• Step Counting and Handoff Tally Sheet from Mapped Workflows
• Cycle Time Sampling from Registers, Case Files and Timestamps
• Document Requirement Matrix: Mandatory, Duplicated and Obtainable Internally
• Applicant Visit and Contact Count Baseline Record

Day 3: Value Tests, Approval Reduction and Form Redesign

• ECRS Challenge Worksheet: Eliminate, Combine, Simplify, Automate
• Signature and Approval Chain Audit with a Control Purpose Test
• Delegation of Authority Matrix Redesign for Shorter Approval Paths
• Application Form Redesign: Field Pruning, Plain Wording and Pre-Filled Data
• Document Requirement Reduction Using Self-Declaration and Internal Verification

Day 4: One-Stop, Once-Only and Digital Enablers

• One-Stop Shop and Single Window Service Models Compared
• Once-Only Data Reuse: Consent, Data Sharing Agreements and Semantic Gaps
• E-Form, Workflow Routing and Electronic Signature Requirements Specification
• Residual Risk Check: Fraud, Error and Accountability After Simplification
• Resistance Mapping for Units Losing Approval or Gatekeeping Roles

Day 5: Case Work and the Simplified Procedure Dossier

• Licence Renewal Case: Before-and-After Swimlane Comparison
• Internal Purchase Request Case: Approval and Attachment Reduction
• Pilot Plan with Test Batch, Staff Briefing and Rollback Criteria
• Published Procedure Card and Applicant Requirements Checklist
• Customer Effort and Turnaround Scorecard Comparing Baseline and Pilot

Skills You Will Gain:

• Administrative Burden Measurement
• Swimlane Workflow Mapping
• Approval Chain Rationalisation
• Delegated Authority Design
• Form and Document Requirement Redesign
• Once-Only Data Reuse Planning
• Simplification Pilot Management
• Customer Effort Measurement

Why Attend This Course:

• Leave with a Simplified Procedure Dossier showing before-and-after steps, signatures, documents, visits and days for a case service
• Know which approvals and attachments can be removed safely and how to argue the case to control owners
• Give applicants fewer counters, forms and return trips by designing one-stop and once-only arrangements
• Compare simplification practice with peers from municipal, licensing, education, healthcare administration and corporate shared services

Conclusion:

Procedures become simpler when each step, signature and document has to justify its purpose with evidence. The course moves from the causes of red tape and a burden baseline, through swimlane mapping and measurement, to value tests, approval reduction, delegated authority and form redesign, then one-stop, once-only and digital enablers with their residual risks. The final day applies these methods to administrative cases and produces a Simplified Procedure Dossier that participants can pilot and publish in their own service.