Streamlining submission process for the Ministry of Innovation, Science & Technology (MIST), Lagos State

Introduction

The Ministry of Innovation, Science & Technology (MIST) in Lagos State digitized its internal submission process to boost efficiency and transparency across departments

Case metrics

Key statistics

300

the number of employees eventually working paperless on all submissions across the ministry and 4 departments in 3 different locations

6 months

approvals of submissions could take up to 6 months; now it will happen within days

The challenge

Paper processes slowing down a digital mission

Despite being a ministry focused on innovation, MIST’s internal operations were bogged down by traditional, paper-based submission processes. Each request, whether for travel, purchases, or service needs, was manually filled, printed, and passed from desk to desk across the Ministry’s four departments in three locations.

This paper-first approach presented several challenges. Files physically moved between employees, creating a high risk of loss or misplacement during transportation. Staff often had no visibility into the status of a submission, resulting in confusion and inefficiencies. A lack of traceability meant it was nearly impossible to know which individual or department a document was with at any given time. This absence of transparency made it difficult to identify bottlenecks and resolve issues promptly.

On top of that, the Ministry grappled with long approval timelines. Some submissions took up to six months to be fully approved. The combination of bureaucratic hurdles, the need to coordinate multiple departments, and limited scheduling availability made delays a common occurrence. For an institution centered on driving digital transformation, these legacy issues were a pressing contradiction and a major barrier to productivity.

The solution

Digital workflow and dashboards with progress overview

To address these challenges, MIST adopted cBrain's F2 platform to develop a fully digital submission workflow designed to enhance efficiency, traceability, and collaboration. The goal was to eliminate paper use, shorten approval timelines, and create real-time visibility into the status of all submissions.

The solution was built around a centralized workflow that allowed employees across the Ministry to initiate and collaborate on submission requests directly within the F2 application. Whether working from their desk or remotely via mobile using F2 Touch, staff could create, edit, and review submission documents together, all in real time.

The F2 approval module was instrumental in transforming the process. It enabled users to track where each request was in the approval chain, identify the current approver, and view delays as they happened. The built-in chat feature further empowered users to quickly communicate, resolve issues, and avoid unnecessary delays.

When a submission was initiated, it seamlessly flowed from one approver to the next based on a pre-defined logic that reflected the Ministry’s organizational structure and approval hierarchies. As each person completed their task, the system automatically advanced the document to the next relevant party. This not only reduced confusion but also removed the need for physical handovers, making the entire process faster, traceable, and more secure.

The result

From six months to a few days

The transition from paper to digital is expected to have a transformative impact on MIST’s submission process. The ambition is that all 300 employees across four departments in three different locations operate in a completely paperless environment for submission approvals.

Approval times that previously spanned up to six months can now be reduced to just days. The integration of dashboards that display real-time progress, outstanding tasks, deadlines, and individual responsibilities has brought a new level of visibility and accountability to the process.

The Ministry now benefits from a streamlined, transparent workflow that supports its broader mission of innovation. By eliminating paper-based inefficiencies, MIST has not only saved time and reduced costs but also created a more agile, digitally-driven organization ready to lead by example.

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