The Client
The Challenge
SMS Group struggled with fragmented data collection across multiple departments, manual approval processes causing delays, and lack of real-time visibility into operational metrics. Critical information was trapped in paper forms and spreadsheets, making it impossible for management to make data-driven decisions.
Built on Microsoft 365. No new software. No new logins. Results in weeks.
Our Solution
Deployed a comprehensive digital forms system that captures data from field operations, automatically routes approvals through the organisation, and compiles all information into executive dashboards with real-time KPIs.
What SMS Got:
- 75% Faster Approvals – Multi-level approval workflows that took days now complete in hours
- Instant Data Capture – Field data flows directly from mobile forms to management dashboards
- Real-Time Visibility – Live operational dashboards accessible from any device, anywhere
- 100% Compliance – Complete audit trail for every form submission and approval action
SMS Group: 75% Faster Approvals with Construction AI
Approval Automation Inside Microsoft 365
When Approval Delays Become a Business Problem
SMS Group runs complex industrial services projects where timing is everything. Like most engineering firms of their size, they had capable people and established processes, but approvals were a bottleneck that no one could fully solve.
Documents moved through email chains. Reviewers weren’t notified consistently. Project managers chased status updates manually. By the time a drawing, variation, or document cleared the approval chain, days had passed, sometimes weeks. The 75% reduction in approval time SMS Group eventually achieved didn’t come from hiring more staff or switching platforms. It came from automating the process they already had, inside the tools they already used.
What LAI Built for SMS Group
SMS Group’s approval process relied on email chains, manual follow-ups, and spreadsheet tracking. As project volume grew, so did the friction. Approvals sat unactioned. Deadlines were missed. Project managers spent time chasing status updates that should have been automatic.
The business needed a solution that worked inside the systems their team already used — not another tool requiring onboarding, licensing, and change management.
What LAI Built for SMS Group
LAI Solutions mapped SMS Group’s existing approval process end-to-end, identified where delays were occurring, and rebuilt the workflow as an automated system, no new software, no new logins, no change management headaches.
The solution was built inside SMS Group’s existing Microsoft 365 environment using SharePoint and Power Automate. Every approval stage was structured, tracked, and automated:
Structured document submission
via SharePoint, every document entered the workflow in a consistent format, with correct metadata, the first time
Automated routing and notifications
through Power Automate, reviewers were notified the moment an action was required
Multi-stage approval logic
the system handled sequential and parallel approvals without manual handoffs, automatically escalating overdue items
Live approval status
visible to project managers at all times, no more chasing
The Result
Reduction in Approval Time
“Approval workflows that used to take days now close out the same day. The team isn’t chasing emails anymore — the system does it for them.”
What This Looks Like at Your Firm
If your approval process runs on email, shared drives, or informal chasing, you are losing time on every project. Not because your team isn’t capable, because the system isn’t built for the volume and complexity of modern engineering workflows.
LAI Solutions builds AI-powered approval automation for engineering and construction firms across Australia. We work inside your existing environment, deliver in weeks, and guarantee measurable results before you commit to a full build.
SMS Group achieved a 75% reduction in approval time. We can show you what’s possible for your firm.
Ready to Cut Your Approval Times?
Book a free workflow audit with LAI Solutions. We’ll map your current process and show you exactly what automation can deliver for your team.