Many institutions are rethinking how traditional maintenance and referral processes operate. Manual steps slow analysts down and introduce unnecessary rework. This article explains how our clients are actively using Fenergos automation features to help teams accelerate maintenance activities, reduce cognitive load, and focus on the tasks that genuinely require human judgment. The focus here then is on policy requirements (i.e., data, document and related party mandatory rules), while a separate article of a more “ongoing due diligence“ nature will encompass the full range of automaton tools available
Common Challenge or Scenario
In the Advisory Services team, we find that when we look at our clients builds or engage in user feedback sessions in Live FenX implementations, we are seeing that analysts often revisit maintenance tasks where most of the required information is already captured. Maintenance work is typically rooted in a completeness and accuracy mindset. The philosophy should not be to rebuild a case but to ensure that what already exists remains valid, consistent, and compliant. Yet analysts still spend time rechecking mandatory data, reviewing unchanged related parties, and navigating tasks that add no value. The result is a process whereby the effort feels heavier than it should for the level of risk involved.
Similarly, referral scenarios (including during onboarding) resulting from approval steps with only minor updates have a correction and clarification mindset. The goal is to respond to feedback, adjust what is necessary, and progress the case forward with confidence. However, analysts are forced to still click through every task in the journey even when most of the case remains unchanged. This slows momentum and forces teams to apply onboarding-like rigor to what should be a narrow, targeted adjustment.
Periodic reviews introduce a different challenge. These journeys operate under a validation and assurance mindset. Their purpose is to confirm that risk remains managed, documents remain valid, and no material changes impact the client’s profile. Yet analysts often revalidate documents that have not expired since last review. This creates unnecessary rework and slows cycle times. Reviews that should be fast and exception based become time consuming due to steps that add little or no incremental assurance. Of note also is utilizing the client portal to facilitate attestation to streamline the review process outside of a purely automated approach.
Root Cause / Contributing Factors
- Standard workflows provide no default acceleration for routine maintenance
- Manual task structures treat every review as a full review
- Expiry dates and validity checks are handled by users rather than rules
- Analysts have limited system cues to identify what changed
- Single data field errors (caught in approval and referred)
Best Practice / Recommended Approach
Drawing on our extensive experience and insights from implementing best-in-class practices across our global client base, we advocate moving to a “human-on-the-exceptions” model. Routine validations are handled by automation, allowing analysts to concentrate on areas that genuinely require judgment. This shift is enabled through Fenergo’s out-of-the-box (OOTB) task automation features, which operate across three core modes: Modes of Task Completion
- Manual Completion
Tasks always require a user to review and complete them. - System Autocompletion
The system automatically completes the task when all policy and data requirements are satisfied. - Conditional System Autocompletion
The system evaluates completion only when a specific eligibility condition is met.
Example:- The system first checks conditional eligibility, such as Risk Level = Low and KYC Level = Simplified.
- If the condition passes, the system then checks whether all policy requirements are satisfied.
- If the condition fails, no autocompletion occurs and the task is left for manual review.
Apply Automation Across Journey Types
For maintenance scenarios, automation can complete tasks when all mandatory data, documents, and related party information are already captured. This removes repetitive work and shortens timelines, allowing analysts to focus only on what has changed. Further streamlining journeys that already benefit from conditional journeys via scoping conditions.
In approval and referral scenarios, including onboarding journeys, automation helps highlight delta changes when a case returns from an approver. Analysts no longer need to navigate full task lists and can instead concentrate on targeted updates.
During periodic reviews, automation can skip document tasks when items (particularly documents) remain valid and unexpired. Analysts step in only when an exception occurs.
A Stepping Stone to Ongoing Due Diligence
Automation across maintenance, referral, and review journeys lays the foundation for a more ongoing due diligence approach. By reducing manual revalidation and shifting analysts toward exception-based work, institutions move from point-in-time checks to a continuously updated client picture. As more data checks, document validations, and delta assessments become automated, risk insights evolve in real time and regulatory confidence increases. This gradual progression transforms today’s periodic checks into a future state of continuous risk awareness.
Key Takeaways
- Use OOTB automation to remove repetitive maintenance tasks
- Apply automation to referral journeys so analysts focus on changes
- Use rule-driven checks in periodic reviews to accelerate low-risk cases
- Maintain auditability using Fenergo’s built-in logs
- Position analysts on exceptions where judgment is needed
More assistance
If you require further assistance, please reach out to your CSM. They can engage Fenergo’s Advisory Team to provide guidance tailored to your organization. Together, we can support you in advancing toward a more automated and efficient approach.