How lean teams can manage multiple packaging approvals

Managing packaging artwork approval is challenging for any organisation.

But for lean teams — where one person may handle marketing coordination, artwork management, and compliance follow-ups — the pressure multiplies.

Multiple SKUs.
Market-specific versions.
Regulatory updates.
Last-minute claim changes.

When you are a small team managing multiple packaging approvals, delays and version errors become real risks.

Here’s how to stay in control.

The Reality of Lean Packaging Teams

In many growing brands, packaging artwork management is not handled by a dedicated department.

Instead, responsibilities are shared across:

• Marketing managers
• Brand managers
• Regulatory consultants
• External design agencies

The result?

Limited bandwidth.
High approval volumes.
Minimal margin for error.

Without structured packaging artwork management, lean teams often rely on:

• Email threads
• Shared drives
• Spreadsheet trackers
• Project management tools

These tools are not built for packaging artwork approval governance.

And as approval volumes increase, the cracks show.

1. Standardise Your Packaging Artwork Process

When resources are limited, structure becomes critical.

Define a clear packaging artwork process that includes:

1. Brief submission
2. Design upload
3. Internal review
4. Regulatory validation
5. Final artwork approval
6. Print release

Document who owns each stage.

Clarity reduces friction — especially when managing multiple packaging approvals simultaneously.

2. Centralise Where You Manage Packaging Artwork Files

One of the biggest risks for lean teams is file fragmentation.

When you try to manage packaging artwork files across:

• Email attachments
• Agency WeTransfer links
• Multiple shared folders

You increase the risk of:

• Approving outdated versions
• Missing compliance edits
• Losing approval records

Centralised artwork management software eliminates version confusion and creates a single source of truth.

This alone can dramatically reduce approval delays.

3. Automate Artwork Approval Routing

Lean teams cannot afford to manually chase stakeholders for sign-off.

Instead of sending reminder emails, use structured packaging artwork approval workflows that:

✔ Automatically notify reviewers
✔ Define mandatory approval steps
✔ Prevent skipping compliance validation
✔ Lock approved versions

Automation removes manual coordination effort and protects artwork compliance management integrity.

4. Prioritise Compliance Checkpoints

When handling multiple packaging approvals, compliance risks multiply.

Every additional SKU increases exposure.

To protect your organisation:

• Make regulatory review a mandatory step
• Track artwork approval status centrally
• Maintain structured approval logs
• Implement version comparison tools

Even lean teams can maintain strong artwork compliance management if the system enforces governance.

5. Reduce Revision Loops

Multiple approval rounds are one of the biggest bottlenecks in packaging artwork management.

Common causes:

• Feedback scattered across channels
• Reviewers commenting on outdated files
• No visibility into implemented changes

Using structured approval workflows and version comparison reduces rework and improves first-time approval rates.

For lean teams, this saves significant time.

6. Set Clear Approval SLAs

When capacity is limited, delays often occur because stakeholders treat approvals as low priority.

Define:

• Expected review timeframes
• Escalation rules
• Accountability per role

When packaging artwork approval becomes structured, stakeholders respond faster.

7. Use Visibility to Your Advantage

Lean teams cannot scale headcount easily.

They must scale visibility.

Packaging artwork management software provides dashboards that show:

• Which artworks are awaiting approval
• Where bottlenecks occur
• Who has not signed off
• Which SKUs are at compliance risk

This transparency prevents last-minute surprises.

The Measurable Impact of Structured Artwork Management

Lean teams that implement structured packaging artwork management typically see:

• Faster artwork approval cycles
• Reduced compliance-related delays
• Fewer version errors
• Improved stakeholder accountability
• Better time-to-market predictability

Even modest improvements — such as a 15% reduction in approval time — can significantly reduce workload stress across the team.

When Manual Coordination Becomes Unsustainable

If your team is:

• Managing dozens of packaging approvals simultaneously
• Handling multi-market label updates
• Operating in regulated industries
• Frequently re-checking files manually

It may be time to move beyond spreadsheets and generic project tools.

Artwork approval is not just task management.

It is governance.

Lean teams benefit the most from systems that simplify structure and reduce manual effort.

Final Thoughts

Being a lean team managing multiple packaging approvals does not mean accepting inefficiency.

With the right packaging artwork management approach, you can:

• Standardise your packaging artwork process
• Simplify artwork approval workflows
• Protect artwork compliance management
• Reduce revision loops
• Improve visibility across all SKUs

The goal is not to add complexity.

It is to remove unnecessary friction — so your team can focus on launching products, not chasing approvals.